The Social Struggle

Are you getting the most from your social media accounts? Sure most companies have a Twitter, Linked In and maybe even a Facebook account but are they the best way to engage people? Below we’ve put together a number of ways that sales and marketing teams can use social to help boost their Lead Generation efforts.

One corporate account is not enough! Your company account should be the PR outlet for the business and inform other people, companies and prospects about what is happening it is not necessarily suitable for interacting directly with individuals.

Remember people do business with people so make sure your sales and marketing department are well briefed on how social media works and what networks are most suitable for your business.

Be selective with who you follow and connect with. As a rule try and connect directly with people and not just companies as this will allow you to build personal relationships.

Check your social networks daily but be careful not to get distracted by posts that aren’t relevant to you. This is where creating a good social media feed is important as you should only receive those updates that are relevant to your business and prospect base. Similarly your prospects will subscribe and engage with your feed if it’s relevant – stay on top of your content to boost your lead volumes.

Spot the signs! Keep an eye on feeds from peoples accounts and be ready to respond with an appropriate reply. For example if someone posts that they are attending an event and you are as well offer to meet up for a coffee or invite them to your stand. If you have their contact details get in touch and take the conversation to the next level, you’ve just created a lead!

If you have a view on content posted in your network respond and offer an opinion. This is a great way to demonstrate authority and can lead directly to someone asking for your help.

Be contactable! The number of people who do not include business email addresses or phone numbers on social media platforms when they are trying to generate interest is unbelievable. If you want the lead give them the ability to contact you!

Create a marketing persona and set up some social accounts. The idea here is not to mislead prospects and leads but to illustrate a customer journey and how your product or service can help prospective clients. Always ensure you are clear that the persona is owned and operated by your business.

Remember social media is just one weapon in our arsenal as B2B marketers and often it is just a link in a chain of tactics to generate leads. Starting sales conversations via social media or in any way is vital however at some point in the process it will require the human touch, after all people buy from people.