Social listening is a form of market research. And to maximize the ROI on your lead generation efforts, you would be well advised to do some market research. Luckily, we live in the age of social media where market research is easier, cheaper, and faster than ever before to obtain. Keep reading to find out how you can find your dream clients using social listening.
Social Listening: How to Find Clients Using Social Media
“The key to listening to social conversations, then, is to understand the unique set of keywords that are potential triggers for lead generation.”
– Neal Schaffer
Social Listening How-To:
Step 1:
Identify your dream client or customer.
Step 2:
Find your dream client/customer on LinkedIn and ask them to connect with you.
Step 3:
Conduct a thorough online search of this person online and keep your finger on their social media content publishing pulse. If they’re well-known, set up Google Alerts to get hits any time they are mentioned in the media.
Step 4:
Start casually engaging with your dream client/customer and they will slowly become familiar with your name and face popping up in their notifications and feed.
Step 5:
Repeat steps 1 through 4 until it becomes second nature. And make sure to do this for all of your dream clients/customers. You can target multiple at a time, and that will maximize a quicker return on your ROI.
Tips for Social Listening Success
- Use Hashtag Searches. No matter what business you are in, there are at least a handful of related hashtags you can regularly search to identify potential clients. This technique works well for both Instagram and Twitter.
- Utilize LinkedIn. Not everyone has Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, but most professionals are on LinkedIn. Use this treasure trove resource to identify who you would be working with on a day-to-day basis if you secure their company as a client. Build your relationship with the company from the bottom up.
- Social Media Stalking. This practice can be considered controversial, but it works. Being resourceful and creative pays off. Go to your competitors’ social channels and take note of who is engaging with them. Then start to slowly ease your way into the conversation by appearing in their notifications. And don’t forget about those people who already engage with your content. They are your low-hanging fruit and will be much easier to obtain as clients since they already know your brand.
Have you found any clients using social media? Tweet me your favorite tips @lorenridinger and I’ll retweet to share the love and learning.
Source: Entrepreneur.com
