Let’s admit it – social media can be great. But in this day and age, many business owners make the mistake of using social media as their one and only form of prospecting. Many buy into the idea that social media should replace traditional prospecting on account of the overused (and inaccurate) adage that “cold calling is dead”.
The truth is, cold calling is not dead.
In fact, cold calling is one of the most powerful marketing tools in a business owner’s toolkit. Does this mean we’re saying that cold calling should be used instead of social media? Not at all.
At York Consulting, we suggest using a combination of both social media and traditional prospecting in order to increase your lead generation – a strategy that is referred to as “social prospecting”.
Below, we’ve outlined the 3 reasons why social prospecting is so effective:
1) Research: Social media is an incredible tool for gaining insight into what your prospects want, what problems they’re facing, and what they think about your competitors. When using social media, don’t just provide content – take the opportunity to really listen to what your prospects are saying! When it comes time to actually get on the phone with them, this info will give you a huge leg-up.
2) Relationships: At its core, social media is about building relationships. It allows you to share, communicate, and ultimately connect with others – even just virtually. It’s no surprise then that social media is a fantastic complement to traditional prospecting in its ability to help you strengthen your relationship with your prospect. Once you’ve made the first introduction over the phone, connect with them online!
3) Credibility: Have you taken a good hard look at your own social media profiles lately? As a prospector, your online presence speaks volumes to your credibility. LinkedIn is a particularly valuable resource here, as many prospects will research you on LinkedIn before making a purchasing decision – so make sure your profile is top notch! Our recommendation? Instead of just using LinkedIn as an online resume, try turning it into your value proposition.
As you can see, the relationship between traditional prospecting and social media does not have to be a zero-sum game. To learn more about how you can harness the power of social prospecting to increase your lead generation, contact York Consulting today.
