Somebody described and aptly that social media is a charter fishing trip in a vast ocean of potential customers. With the hugely popular communities on various social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, you can get to where the fishes abound using the right tools and with some professional advice.
In business-to-business (B2B) scenarios, the major social media platforms can help you land a sale or a potential lead. With selling to other businesses as your target, here are some tips to make your fishing more successful.
Regardless whether you’re using social media or not, the first thing you will need to correctly identify your target. Not just the company you hope will buy your product, but the decision-maker in that company who will matter to you. Use the company’s website and LinkedIn to ascertain the concerned executives.
If you just “Follow” or “Connect” with the business’s main page, you will most likely to engage only the company’s social media director. This will be purposeless if the one who makes the buying decision is different.
Once you find out the decision-maker, use Twitter.
Twitter is the most powerful social media tool for targeting B2B sales because you can find, follow, and engage specific individuals in ways that other social channels make a bit creepy.
Before tweeting them learn what their interests are, what they share and then re-tweet and start using your account to share similar things.
Use social media platforms to share industry news as well as original material. A favorable ratio for B2B is 2:1. That is, two re-tweets or shares of existing content to one unique–even if it’s simply a comment on something else.
For your potential buyers, re-tweet what they tweet if it’s related to your business. Twitter tells them when someone re-tweets their message. So it’s a great way to get on their radar without a direct introduction or sales pitch.
Identify the thought leaders in your industry and follow those people and engage them–ask them questions about their work. Set up Twitter chats with potential buyers. Make some noise till you catch their attention.
If you share a good mix of information and re-tweeting your key targets, it will not be long before they start following you.
Even though, you are pursuing a B2B business deal, let that not stop you from being human. Be interesting, informative, and engaging on Twitter and all other social media. Your customers may not only be buying your product, but they will be simultaneously building a relationship with you.