11 Secrets to Closing More Deals with Social Media
By: Tasha Cooper Coleman
When people want to know something, Google is often their first stop. Social networks have increasingly become their second stop.
Like it or not, what prospective clients find when they “Google” your name will influence their perception of your value and the relevance of your business.
What they learn on social networks from your updates and interactions with others can have a significant impact on the speed at which they hire your company to provide a solution for their needs.
This is because social networks provide a platform that makes it easier than ever to share information and engage in public conversations that add value and demonstrate your ability to solve problems.
If you want to attract ideal clients who are ready to pay for your services, it’s important to leverage the power of the social media and the Internet to (i) express your commitment to getting results, (ii) expand the number of people in your target audience who know about your ability to get results and (iii) expose your ideas and solutions for getting measurable results. When your ideal clients “find you” online providing this type of value, you will accelerate the rate at which you close deals.
Want to know how to do this? Let’s get started with 11 ways to leverage the power of social media and Internet marketing to close more deals in your business.
- Get clear about exactly what your target audience wants and needs to know before hiring a person or company to provide a solution for his or her needs.
- Determine how you want to share the information you’ve identified in #1 with your target audience. Blog posts, articles, podcasts, videos and social media updates are all great ways to share valuable content.
- Develop an editorial calendar to help track and monitor the impact of the content you share on your website and various social networks.
- Use online monitoring tools like Google Alerts (www.Google.com/alerts) and Twilert (www.Twilert.com) to track online mentions of the names of your business, current clients, past clients and prospective clients. Also use these tools to monitor online mentions of hot and trending topics in your target industries.
- Leverage “content sharing” social networks like SlideShare (www.SlideShare.net) and Scribed (www.Scribd.com) to increase the exposure of your slideshow presentations, articles and press releases. This not only extends the life of your content, but also helps express, expand and expose your credibility as an authority and subject matter expert. Tag your content with strategically selected keyword phrases to increase search engine placement for word and phrases related to your business services.
- Connect with classmates, colleagues, clients and prospective clients to accelerate the “know, like and trust factor” by establishing and actively using a social network, like LinkedIn (http://LinkedIn.com), that caters to professionals. Increase your visibility among decision makers by optimizing your LinkedIn profile to include: (i) your full name; (ii) a professional photo; (iii) a keyword rich summary description of your business and its core benefits (not features); and (iv) any awards and recognitions.
- Become a valuable resource for your community though active participation in strategically selected LinkedIn groups (www.LinkedIn.com/groups). You can do this by sharing links to your original content (e.g., blogs and articles) and also content from industry leaders.
- If the technology industry is a part of your target market, use a micro-blogging “question and answer” platform, like Quora (www.Quora.com), to build relationships and add value by asking and answering questions.
- Help members of your target audience increase the impact of their digital brands by forwarding questions you find on LinkedIn Answers or Quora that are within a person’s area of expertise. This is an easy way to create value for members of your target audience in a way that strengthens your reputation as a resource and increases your visibility.
- Drive targeted traffic to your website by establishing a public profile on Google Plus (www.Google.com/Plus). Your public profile should include a keyword rich description of your business, client success stories and interests.
- Strengthen your reputation as a thought leader by creating a YouTube channel (www.YouTube.com) that serves as a portal for the type of video content your ideal clients are likely to find valuable. You can do this by creating your own original content or creating playlists that consist of great videos created by others.
- Use Twitter (www.Twitter.com) to connect and share information with your target audience. Twitter is also a great tool for driving traffic to your website, blog, Facebook business page or LinkedIn profile.
- HootSuite (www.HootSuite.com), TweetDeck (www.TweetDeck.com) and Timely.Is (www.Timely.Is) are great tools for scheduling and automating the delivery of your social media updates. Use them to maximize your time.
Now that you know what to do, there is no better time than right now to leverage the power of social media in your business and start closing more deals.
About the Author
Tasha Cooper Coleman is the founder of UpwardAction.com, an award winning social marketing training and education agency. UpwardAction.com helps professional service providers around the world use social media and Internet marketing to express, expand and expose the brilliance of their brands in a way that is authentic and generates revenue. Their workshops, webinars, teleseminars, coaching programs and products teach a no excuses approach to leveraging the power of the Internet to build the business and life of your dreams.
To download a complimentary copy of Tasha’s audio program “How to Build a Profitable Brand with Social Media” and receive her FREE weekly marketing & mindset articles on building a brilliant brand online that dramatically increases revenue, visit http://www.UpwardAction.com.





