How to use Twitter to find new customers
CubeSocial co-founder Mark Bower on how to use Twitter to find and engage with prospective clients
Experts always say that the best way to grow your business is
through referrals. That’s fine if you are an established business, but
if you’re just starting out, you need an attention strategy to get you
noticed. After all, clients can’t come to you if they have no idea you
exist.
You could try cold calling, but everything about cold calls is cold
and hard. With social media, there may be a better way: find warm leads
through Twitter. Here’s how you do it:
Step one: Find the right keywords and phrases
Think about the words and phrases people might use if they were
looking for the product or service you provide. Write them down. Next
think of what people might say if they were dissatisfied with a
competitor’s service. Note those phrases down too.
Step two: Perform an advanced search
Log on to Twitter, click through to the advanced search page and
search for each of the phrases you came up with. Scan through the
results looking for people who are searching for the product/service you
offer.
Step three: Consider your approach
Consider what people are saying. Are they asking for a
recommendation? Are they complaining about a competitor? Are they
researching ideas?
Step four: Engage; don’t broadcast
Engage, engage, engage; but remember to be social. Don’t go for the
hard sell. People are on the lookout for businesses that listen and
care. The more you speak with people, not broadcast to people, the more
successful you will be.
For example, if people are asking for a recommendation, you could
reply with a link to the testimonials page on your website, or a link to
an independent review. If people are researching ideas, you could
respond with a link to a helpful blog you wrote on the topic.
Step five: Follow up
You won’t close a sale in one tweet, so following up with your
prospects is what makes the difference. A good social customer
relationship management (CRM) system will help you keep track of your
social media conversations, your leads and the tasks needed to maintain
or advance the relationships you are developing. Dip back into your
growing pool of warm leads at regular intervals to nurture them to the
close.
Why this works so well
What makes this strategy so successful is that you are engaging
with people at the point they are ready to buy. It’s no longer a cold
call – it’s a warm lead. You get to see the person’s picture, their bio,
their website, their personality-revealing tweets and their friends.
What’s more, you see their intent.
One thing to remember
A word of caution: all your tweets will show up on your Twitter
public timeline, so be sure to mix things up a little. If a prospect
checks out your timeline and all they see are blunt pitches, that’s
bound to be off-putting. However, if they see you being helpful and
providing solid advice, that will add to your credibility.
Mark Bower is co-founder of social CRM service CubeSocial. Follow Mark on Twitter:
@markbower
. CubeSocial was recently named as one of Startups’
Top 20 start-ups of 2011
Source: www.startups.co.uk
|