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To Do:

q Look up the demographics of social
media channels and focus on a few
that closely match the demographics
of your target customers.

More Social, q Go through the process of creating
a test list on Twitter. Once you
understand how it works, think
More Prospects about the easiest way to categorize
those leads and then add them to
lists. You might consider dividing
them by geography, company size,
3 or how far along in the sales process
they are.

q Find 3 LinkedIn Groups that are
You can do more with social media than just show you’re credible and related to your industry. Look for
professional; you can actually find and connect with prospects. ones with a lot of members and
regular activity. You should check in
In Dynamic Signal’s recent Social Selling Report, of the high-achieving everyday and aim to add at least 2-3
social sellers who responded, about 78% of them said they use social thoughtful comments or questions.
media for prospecting.

Do your homework first
You’ll want to research the demographics of major social media channels to see if they fit with your company’s
customer base. In order to find and engage with your prospects, you need to know which social networks
they’re on. For instance, consumer brands are likely to have a lot of success on Facebook and Pinterest, but
most B2B businesses will want to focus on networks like LinkedIn and Twitter. Those are just general
guidelines to follow though. No one likes homework, but you have to get to know your customers’ social
media habits. While you’ll miss potential opportunities to connect with leads if you don’t do your homework,
most salespeople will find some prospects on Twitter and LinkedIn, so those are good places to start.

How to prospect on Twitter
Use Twitter’s advanced search tool to research keywords and phrases that matter to your customers in order
to find leads like those customers. Once you’ve found those leads, you can categorize them into lists to keep
track of them. All you have to do is go to your profile, select lists from the sidebar, give your list a title and
description, select private list (so your list will only be viewable by you), and you’re done. You can now add
prospects to the list so you can easily monitor their conversations before making a direct touch. Listen for
social signals where you can add value, which may not necessarily be a pitch. If your prospect gives signals
that show interest in your industry or a related one, but doesn’t seem far enough along to need a solution,
you can still step in and offer an opinion or advice. You’ll start to build a relationship so when your lead does
need a solution you can provide, you’ll be top of mind.

How to prospect on LinkedIn
It’s the online water cooler for professionals, and a great way to demonstrate thought leadership to prospects.
Find and join groups related to your target customer and start sharing valuable content to assert yourself as
an expert in your field. But don’t just push content out and hope someone connects with it. Be an active
participant in discussions so others in the group see you as an industry expert, not just as a good salesperson.
Joining in LinkedIn group conversations is just the first quarter of the game. After you make some good shots,
the long game is to make more, personal connections and eventually get introductions and referrals. Don’t
expect that right off the bat, but make it a part of your long-term game plan.

Did you know?

• Women constitute 80% of Pinterest users (Search Engine Journal)
• Approximately 64% of users on Google+ are male (Media Bistro)
• Twitter’s fastest growing age demographic is 55-64 year olds (Yahoo!)
• 87% of Fortune 100 companies have a presence on at least 1 social media network (Media Bistro)

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