One of
the most frequent questions I get from people at all levels is whether or not social media is an effective way to prospect.
My response to the question varies based on the type of prospect you’re trying to reach.
Recently, I was asked to participate in a study regarding social media and prospecting.
I’m pleased to say the full results of the study are now available by going to this link.
A key finding in the study is how Twitter has replaced LinkedIn as the preferred prospecting tool. There is a ton of valuable information in the study, but let’s keep something in perspective.
The most important element of an effective prospecting strategy is to ensure you have a general platform people can access to know more about you.
The platform is LinkedIn and the specific element is your own profile. This is the first thing you must do.
When I run into salespeople who ask me to assess their social media prospecting strategy, I ask them about their LinkedIn profile. What I hear shocks me.
Too many times the salesperson tells me they haven’t looked at in months. When I visit their profile, it shows!
Using social media as a prospecting tool is effective, but it needs to go two ways. You reaching out to prospects and prospects being able to reach out to you is what social media is all about. Prospects want to know who it is they’re connecting with, and the most authoritative way to do it is by looking on LinkedIn.
If you’re wondering what your LinkedIn profile should look like, the easiest way is to look at the profiles of people you respect. Chances are what you see is what you should do too.
Let me get you started. Check out my profile at this link.
Download the report. Let me know your thoughts, but before you do anything, make sure your LinkedIn profile is doing all it can to promote you in the way you want to be seen.
