Over the course of the next couple of weeks, we’re touching on different ways you can leverage social media to connect with customers and generate leads.
In our last post, we discussed how to turn a Twitter follower into a customer. This post deals with the most popular social networking site in the world—Facebook.
Here’s how you can use this social network to better connect with potential clients.
1) Highlight Other People
For many companies, Facebook is only used as an advertising platform. Their pages are littered with promotions and self-serving content.
Instead of focusing on yourself, shine the spotlight on other people.
Promote your partners, highlight good customers, and don’t be afraid to share other people’s content if you think it’ll bring value to your followers.
Doing this builds trust, and (similar to using Twitter) it gets your name out there to your prospects so they become familiar with your brand.
2) Create A Private Facebook Group
Avoid using this private group to sell. Instead, use it to genially connect more personally with your prospects. Share “war stories” related to your industry. Ask questions. Be a resource.
Creating this group further segments your target audience. If a prospect accepts the invitation, then he/she is willing to converse further. If a prospect doesn’t, that’s fine. Then you don’t have to waste any more time and can better invest in a relationship with someone more willing.
Remember: if they do decline, you can always try connecting again some other time.
3) Send A Message
Unlike Twitter, you can actually have a productive conversation over Facebook. You don’t have to move to a “real” conversation right away.
Most people use Facebook as their main source of communication anyway because of its convincing and clutter-free interface (unlike email).
Additionally, Facebook messages tend to be more personal than emails, helping to further build that rapport, so when you do start to talk about your latest product or service, that prospect will listen.
Facebook may seem big and overcrowded, but you can still use it to personally connect with prospects.
How is your company using Facebook?