Don't imagine that social media will directly win you business. They might. Just like face-to-face networking might. But just as it's unlikely that you'll meet someone on day one who says: "Hoorah, you sell exactly what I need, let me give you my money", it's unlikely that a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ or Twitter will automatically result in increased income.
Face-to-face networking works because of what you do and say in between your one-minute presentations and weekly or monthly meetings. Social media can work for profile-raising, SEO, inbound links, customer research in order to change your service offering, and monitoring mentions and sentiment.
If engagement is the key, then you have to be engaging. If you want to attract business, you have to be attractive. And if you want to charm people into buying, you have to be charming.
Perhaps surprisingly, one of the tweets that generated business for me recently was a link to a kids' game on the Innocent Drinks website, where you had to squeeze fruit into cartons (so it was a logical fit with the product but it was fun as well which is consistent with the brand personality). The phone rang, and the caller said: "Can you hear that music playing in the background?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Do you know what it is?" he asked.
"No," I said.
"It's the music to that Innocent Drinks game you just tweeted. Will you rewrite my website?"
Networking is not right for every sector, business or individual. It absolutely works if you do it right. But for some people, industries and brands, it's not a suitable route to market. Similarly, social media marketing is not compulsory or appropriate for everyone, but depending on your objective, it can absolutely work.
Tip: Before you start, be clear about why you're doing it and what you want to achieve, then measure the time you invest against what you get back.
Follow Jackie Barrie on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@jackiebarrie
Jackie refers principally to what we at Solicitor Networking refer to as ‘formal groups’, namely the BNI’s and 4Networking of this world – groups that have tight systems, obligations to
There are also ‘informal groups’ such as business chamber mixers, non-membership business get-togethers and even conference break-out groups. At these one is less likely to regularly meet contacts so we need to make an impact quickly.
It is with these informal groups that I believe SocMed adds some fantastic value. Unless the prospect is sociopathic or a total ‘hunter’, I would encourage people to connect via MicroBlogging sites and business social network sites, even if there is no immediate commercial benefit from connecting.
As per the apocryphal Theory of Seven Touches, social media is a way to get into your prospects’ consciousness. It is one of the touches.
The prospect will occasionally see your posts, questions, reTweets, polls and event invites over the coming months. When they next meet you they will say the sort of things they say to me – “Oh, I saw your Tweet on X” or “I see you are now doing XYZ event”.
That is when they are closer to buying and the power of social media in commerce is really evident.
As with any marketing strategy it is imperative to have a clear goal before investing time and or money.
Social media is an important role in raising brand profile and long term seo strategies however if your target audience is not represented then social media is not the correct route to market.
Fish where the Fish are!
James
Thanks for making such a good point. Funny you choose the 'fish' analogy – I have a couple of books on Amazon, 'the Little Fish Guide to DIY Marketing' and 'the Little Fish Guide to Networking' (thye made it to top 10 and top 20 in the sales & makreting category). I plan to launch 'the Little Fish Guide to Social Media' too, but think it will have to be an ebook as things change so fast.
Jackie