Spare 10 minutes? Find Yourself A New Prospect on Social Media

In today’s digital age, it’s near impossible to find someone who isn’t frequently engaging on social media. In fact, on average, we’re spending more than 2 hours a day browsing social sites! As a business owner, you’ve probably already set up a business listing on Facebook and LinkedIn- but have you tried using social media as a sales tool to discover new prospects?

If you haven’t then you absolutely should. Consider this: research conducted by Hubspot found that 90% of C-Level Executives admit to ignoring cold calls. On the flip side, over 75% of them use social media to influence purchasing decisions! Your salespeople can rejoice- there’s a new prospecting king in town that will help them reach their quota without the need for awkward elevator pitches. But how exactly do you locate your prospects on overcrowded social platforms?

And then, how do you get them to want to buy from you? With a clear strategy, it’s easier than you think! Our 4 step process for finding new prospects will have your pipeline overflowing in no time.

Step 1: Find the Conversations That Matter

Social media should be exactly that- social. It’s not the forum to push products and services directly. Instead, focus on joining in the conversations that are already happening on social or start your own. That way, you’ll be able to discover who’s interested in your services organically- they’ll be the ones engaging with you and asking questions.

There are a number of places on social media to find conversations that are relevant to your business. Try searching for popular hashtags, such as #unifiedcommunications, #IPPBX and #VOIP for starters. You could also check out networking groups and industry thought leader pages.

Step 2: Know Your Prospects

Before you engage on social media, you need to know two things. Does the individual meet your buyer persona and what challenges can you help them address?

If you don’t have a buyer persona, take a step back and organize a workshop with your sales team to map out your ideal candidate. If you need help, check out the “3CX Guide to Sales Outreach” in your Partner Portal, which explores how you can identify your target consumer in detail. Once you have a match, consider what value you can provide to that specific prospect. The key to being successful on social media is to be authentic and personal. That means you need to tailor your message to the individual, rather than bestowing the full list of 3CX USPs via LinkedIn Mail.

Step 3: Reach Out- As An Advisor

We switch off to messages that we perceive as sales outreach, particularly if the product isn’t one we’re actively searching for. Cold messages have a low open rate and a low response rate so it’s time to switch up your tactics.

Instead, pitch the value you know you can bring. By doing this, you’re able to step into an advisory role and that helps to build trust and credibility. After all- sales reps are really consultants in disguise! For example, perhaps you notice that your prospect is manually handling customer service interactions on Facebook. You could suggest they make their lives easier, by using the 3CX Click2Talk Integration, which they don’t even have to pay for! (It’s included for free in all standard licenses.) You haven’t sold them anything but you have shared genuine useful advice. They’ll be more likely to approach you with further questions down the line and you’ve started to build a relationship rather than a mere transaction.

Step 4: Advocate for Yourself

Remember, your prospects can contact you organically on social media too! And taking the time to encourage them to do so is well worth the investment. Make sure your social media presence reflects your business values. If your USP is being the most responsive MSP in the area, live by that value. Engage with followers regularly, reply to comments on your content and be responsive when people share issues with you.

The more activity that you present on social media, the more authentic you become when reaching out to prospects. They might even reach out to you directly, saving you time, resources and leg work!

Looking to up your social media game? We’ve got just the thing! Join this week’s webinars to discover how to build a social content strategy and use social media to generate vital insights for your business.