Social media & relationships: Prospecting with your favorite social networking sites

Business connections, friendships and even romantic relationships make up many of the ways we all interact together.

Social media and relationships are more intertwined now than ever. In the last decade, social media has given us the opportunity to learn, grow and connect with the click of a button.

Not only can these sites help us connect with potential friends, they also help us to reach prospective clients. Here’s a quick guide to help you increase your reach online.

Know your target audience & their social media platforms

Before branding and marketing yourself, consider the audience you want to reach. What are their social media usage habits? Where do they prefer to get their information? What social media platforms do they use most often? Why do they use these platforms?

Then think about the role you may play in their social media experience. Who are you to them? What kind of healthy relationships do you want to cultivate with your target demographic? What service can you offer your audience that they would find helpful and unique?

Learn their pain points by searching through hashtags and queries on your favorite social media platform. Most users have other platforms they may use and tend to either link to each other or a central linking “tree” or hub.

The tools in your social media accounts can help you

Don’t be afraid to take full advantage of the tools your social media account has to offer. Many sites provide data on who’s visiting your page, what social media posts they’re clicking on and how many views you’re getting on that page.

These features are typically available on many popular social media websites and provide information on your audience’s location, interests and where they spend much of their time when they visit your page. All of this gives you more insight into their needs and what they want from you as a professional.

Data doesn’t need to be hyper-specific to be useful. In fact, plenty of social media data details important information that can be digested at a glance.

Spend quality time with your audience

Online social interactions hold weight in today’s digital age. Being positive, fun and engaging boosts your online presence.

Social media users tend to remember pages that are active and interactive. For example, posting something quick, quirky and candid is a great way to start building your audience. Algorithms start picking up on your hashtags and keywords, then display your posts to those interested in your sectors.

Once these posts are displayed, users slowly start to gravitate toward them, even going back through previous posts to get a better sense of who you are and what your business has to offer. And the more you post, the more credible and accessible you become.

Leveraging your social media sites as a business partner is also a great way to build relationships with your audience. When someone leaves a comment or reposts with their own additions, you’ve officially created an opening to communicate with them.

Small communications like reacting to a comment or even responding respectfully to them also shows there’s more than just a machine behind the monitor. It shows that there is a living human on the other side, ready to communicate with them and ease their pain points.

Being consistent with your posts and quickly answering inquiries helps increase relationship satisfaction with those seeking assistance in your field. Your familiar presence also makes you a community expert others feel more comfortable listening to.

Build a healthy relationship & inviting online presence

Remember, online activity doesn’t have to be excessive. Social media marketing with a balance between new content and interacting is often key, since overloading your audience may negatively affect relationships you’re trying to build with them.

Instead, focus on providing quality content that’s relatable and relevant to your business and that addresses any pain points you’ve discovered through your metrics. Doing so can have positive effects on your interactions with potential clients and your brand.

Ready to take a deeper dive into your social media site and personal branding goals? Maybe you’d rather connect with your audience in a way that makes you indispensable to them. Why not both?

Whatever your path, let us help you navigate the social media landscape, so you can get the best results for your business and your clients.