Can social media help you with PRM? Part 1: Twitter

 

 

You already know that B2B prospecting can be accomplished by cold-calling, networking in person, and other means of finding potential buyers for your product or service. But what about social media? Unless you live under a rock on an undiscovered island, you’ve heard that social media can help your business. The thing is, many business owners don’t know exactly how to harness social media as a valuable sales and PRM tool. In this three-part blog series, we’ll explore how three social media platforms can help you find and nurture prospects to grow your sales.

 

Today, we’ll look at Twitter.

 

Many of the people who vowed they’d never waste time tweeting are quickly changing their tune, so if you dismissed Twitter as frivolous, you may want to reevaluate this social media tool. The trick is to look a Twitter as a way to connect with and engage your prospects, not pitch your product to them. Focus on getting your audience interested in what you have to say. They’ll naturally become curious about what you have to offer, especially if you offer useful information.

 

So what should you tweet about?

 

You only have 140 characters, so make it pithy and memorable. That’s easier said than done, so let’s look at three of the most retweeted tweets in the history of tweeting.

 

In honor of oil-soaked birds, ‘tweets’ are now ‘gurgles.’

–Stephen Colbert

 

Yes we can.

–Barack Obama, 21 March 2010

 

RT for a good cause. Each retweet sends 50¢ to help kids in foster care. #TreatitFwd

–Wendy’s

 

The first tweet is humorous (but packs a punch), the second is inspiring, and the third is a call to action. Keep this trifecta in mind when tweeting for your business. Humor wins you retweets (that is, if you’re actually funny), inspirational messages can draw followers, and a call to action (the most powerful tweet of all) gets others involved. Pose a tough question, challenge your readers, and most importantly, get them to join the conversation.

 

It’s also critical to stay on topic. Tweet about your industry, including news, trends, and surprising facts. Tweet your personal observations, give advice, and link to interesting articles and videos. Be sure to use hashtags to categorize your tweets according to topic.

 

Don’t forget to drive readers to your website. If you have a corporate blog, link to new posts in your tweets. Your ultimate goal is to get prospects to visit your site and learn more about your products and services, but you have to be subtle.

 

How does this tie in with driving sales for your company?

 

By engaging an audience, you’ll find that some of your followers are actually in the market for your product or service. If they enjoy your twitter presence, they’ll think of you when they’re looking to buy. Plus, you can build friendships online by commenting on and retweeting what others have to say. The whole point is to become part of a network, and that means a fair amount of give and take. You can grow your network by following other companies that interest you. Look at opportunities and new prospects as just an added bonus.

 

Stay tuned for Part 2: Learning to “Like” Facebook as a PRM tool 

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