Integrating social media into the sales process should be a goal for any company in today’s content and hashtag-driven world. Gone are the days of simply using Twitter as a tool to let the world know what you’re eating for breakfast; now it’s all about lead generation, branding, and content. Twitter can be a company’s best friend when it comes to business development, but first you’ve just got to know how to utilize its sales tools.
Prospects
One of the most overlooked but helpful tools that Twitter offers is its “Lists” function. But before you can start your list, it is important to find the right users who would be ideal prospects. Twitter has almost 650 million users, so it is vital that you sift through the weeds and find your target audience. Start by searching for keywords that your prospective buyers might use, then follow them and add them to your list. Segment lists by industry, professional function, or what ever makes most sense for your business. Simply put, lists allow businesses to cut through the noise and clutter of their usual Twitter feeds and focus on what’s really important. Kind of like a party for select friends over social networking. Businesses can then track these lists and be on the lookout for any potential sales leads.
"Following” Page"
Ever wonder what your leads are looking at on social media? Well, ponder no more. Looking at prospects’ Twitter timelines, along with other social channels such as LinkedIn or Facebook, gives your company a way to gain deeper insight. This can help you learn more about another company as a whole, figure out what their goals are, and ultimately build rapport and credibility as you pursue them as a client. There’s no need to feel like a cyber-stalker for that one prospect, you’ll learn tons of information about a company by following a couple of its internal employees and just paying attention to tweets about their company.
Build Relationships and Converse
Unlike old school cold-calls, Twitter makes it easy to converse and share information with others. Use simple methods, like searching relevant hashtags and comment with an opinion or an announcement you think they’d be interested in hearing. It’s that easy to begin building a relationship. What’s most important, however, is that hashtags allow you to see what your prospects are interested in – so pay attention. Try to identify key influencers as they will be the ones who return the most value from your Twitter-relationship. These users already have established credibility, so re-tweeting and responding to their content can help you become an influencer as well. Once you’ve begun learning all about your prospects and began your journey to becoming an Influencer, share the wealth. Add the insight you’ve discovered into your CRM tool and get a more rounded view of your prospects not just for yourself, but also for your entire sales team.
Whether your brand is concerned with B2C or B2B sales, Twitter is a great tool for boosting your company’s profits, connecting with clients, and generating leads. As a top Atlanta and News Orleans Tech PR firm, we understand the role social media plays in our clients’ public relations as well as sales playbook.
Is your brand ready to make news or do you have other ideas as to how Twitter can help your company’s sales? Tweet or direct message us @alloy_crew!