Since the advent of social networks, new opportunities to connect with our clients and prospects online are popping up everyday. Twitter and Facebook are among the two most popular ways to connect with LinkedIn not far behind.
You’ve spent time online and worked the social networks. Your followers are following, your friends are friending and your links are linking, now what? What do you do with this new community you’ve built? How do you convert them from a casual contact to a committed client?
Think of social networks as the first step in your sales funnel. You connect online by first listening to what the community is talking about. Answer their questions, offer tips and suggestions, provide links to information and become the expert advisor they’ve been looking for. Now it’s time to cash in a little of that trust equity you’ve build with your community and move them to step 2 of the sales funnel, the email list.
Some social media pundits out there will try to tell you email marketing is dead and you should spend your time interacting online. That my friends in not true! The two go together hand in hand. Social networks offer the introduction, the handshake, the conversation at the party, and email marketing is all the subsequent dates you go on before the wedding day. Think of it as a courtship to seal the deal. Read More→
Founder of Current Photographer, co-host of The Digital Photography Cafe Show, Designer, Photographer, and overall tech geek.