Social Networking Customer Acquisition 101
Spend Your Time Building Connections not Pushing Your Product
This is the most common mistake in social networking that almost 99% of all members of social networkers make daily. Never ever mention your product in your first email or comment.
This is the basic process that has a 10 fold greater success rate than anything else:
1) Send them a message or post a comment on their wall asking a question about their business.
2) Send out a friend request to each person that responds to your comment or message. 99 out of 100 friend requests will be accepted, and these are members that are actively checking their messages.
3) Respond to each message with a personal message and try to work in mentioning your business while writing about theirs. Once again, 99 out of 100 people will naturally take a look at your website as a courtesy and to see if you might be a potential customer for them. Now you have successfully added friends that will open your friend wide emails, and you have guaranteed that each member will visit your profile and website. Along the way, you will also find other members' products and services that will benefit you and your business. That is how networking creates customers.
Key points to remember:
+Do not blindly send out 100 friend requests every other day. If you are reaching your limit in requests, then you are wasting your time. Only send a friend request if someone has sent you a message, posted a comment on your wall, or posted a comment on a blog.
Take Care of Your Friends List
1) Do not abuse the “send message to all friends.” There is a reason why there is a limit to how many friends that you can send a message to at once. It makes it difficult to spam. Spamming on social networks does not make money period.
2) You should send only one message a month to your friends list. Make it a nice short to the point message that has some tie in to the network that you are on. Once a month messaging works. Anything more than once does not. Spend your time building your friend list, and then give them one phenomenal message a month.
3) If you are going to start a group or host an event, then the same rules apply. Once a month and focus your energy and efforts around one group or event.
Key points to remember:
+If you have more than one site that you are promoting, then you have one too many. Having 10 Ning sites, that you invite every friend to, just increases your chance of failing by 10 times. Do one thing with excellence, and you will be a success. Spread yourself too thin, and you will be lost in mediocrity.
The Right Way to Use Blogs to Get Customers
1) You should write blogs that ask questions that appeal to everyone on the site. All you have to do is put the question in the title, and then write a really good answer from yourself. These are the blogs that you want to use in site wide messages and in welcome comments to new members.
2) The goal of your blog should always be to generate comments. People that post comments are action takers and 8 times more likely to buy your product or service. Respond to each comment mentioning what you do while asking about their business, and then send a friend request the next day.
3) You should have a one really great blog that explains who you are and what your product or service does. You only give out this blog to the people that show an interest. This is the blog that you can use to close customers.
Key points to remember:
+Do not waste your time posting, sharing, or pushing blogs that are advertisements for your services. It does not work. You are wasting your time and destroying potential connections.
The Bottom Line
Social networking is different from every other marketing medium on the internet. What works elsewhere does not work in this realm, and it will not work here.
Each network is like the goose that lays the golden egg once a day. There is only one way to get the golden egg, and if you do it any other way then you kill the goose.
This is the only proven methodolgy to get a steady flow of customers via social networking:
1) Engage the member by asking them a question.
2) If they respond, then send a friend request.
3) Reply to the comment or message and politely work in what you do while tying it in to their business.
4) If they show interest, then close with a blog post that explains what you do with a link to your website and a phone number.
5) If there is no initial interest, then continue to send them one quality message a month to entice interest.
It took me two years before I learned the process, and gave in to the fact that this is the only way that works.
This is the most common mistake in social networking that almost 99% of all members of social networkers make daily. Never ever mention your product in your first email or comment.
This is the basic process that has a 10 fold greater success rate than anything else:
1) Send them a message or post a comment on their wall asking a question about their business.
2) Send out a friend request to each person that responds to your comment or message. 99 out of 100 friend requests will be accepted, and these are members that are actively checking their messages.
3) Respond to each message with a personal message and try to work in mentioning your business while writing about theirs. Once again, 99 out of 100 people will naturally take a look at your website as a courtesy and to see if you might be a potential customer for them. Now you have successfully added friends that will open your friend wide emails, and you have guaranteed that each member will visit your profile and website. Along the way, you will also find other members' products and services that will benefit you and your business. That is how networking creates customers.
Key points to remember:
+Do not blindly send out 100 friend requests every other day. If you are reaching your limit in requests, then you are wasting your time. Only send a friend request if someone has sent you a message, posted a comment on your wall, or posted a comment on a blog.
Take Care of Your Friends List
1) Do not abuse the “send message to all friends.” There is a reason why there is a limit to how many friends that you can send a message to at once. It makes it difficult to spam. Spamming on social networks does not make money period.
2) You should send only one message a month to your friends list. Make it a nice short to the point message that has some tie in to the network that you are on. Once a month messaging works. Anything more than once does not. Spend your time building your friend list, and then give them one phenomenal message a month.
3) If you are going to start a group or host an event, then the same rules apply. Once a month and focus your energy and efforts around one group or event.
Key points to remember:
+If you have more than one site that you are promoting, then you have one too many. Having 10 Ning sites, that you invite every friend to, just increases your chance of failing by 10 times. Do one thing with excellence, and you will be a success. Spread yourself too thin, and you will be lost in mediocrity.
The Right Way to Use Blogs to Get Customers
1) You should write blogs that ask questions that appeal to everyone on the site. All you have to do is put the question in the title, and then write a really good answer from yourself. These are the blogs that you want to use in site wide messages and in welcome comments to new members.
2) The goal of your blog should always be to generate comments. People that post comments are action takers and 8 times more likely to buy your product or service. Respond to each comment mentioning what you do while asking about their business, and then send a friend request the next day.
3) You should have a one really great blog that explains who you are and what your product or service does. You only give out this blog to the people that show an interest. This is the blog that you can use to close customers.
Key points to remember:
+Do not waste your time posting, sharing, or pushing blogs that are advertisements for your services. It does not work. You are wasting your time and destroying potential connections.
The Bottom Line
Social networking is different from every other marketing medium on the internet. What works elsewhere does not work in this realm, and it will not work here.
Each network is like the goose that lays the golden egg once a day. There is only one way to get the golden egg, and if you do it any other way then you kill the goose.
This is the only proven methodolgy to get a steady flow of customers via social networking:
1) Engage the member by asking them a question.
2) If they respond, then send a friend request.
3) Reply to the comment or message and politely work in what you do while tying it in to their business.
4) If they show interest, then close with a blog post that explains what you do with a link to your website and a phone number.
5) If there is no initial interest, then continue to send them one quality message a month to entice interest.
It took me two years before I learned the process, and gave in to the fact that this is the only way that works.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ana Patricia Biever on
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Great information! Will use this and see where it goes! Thanks,
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Permalink Reply by Stevie World on -
Hi,
I am new to social networking and the information you gave here will give me a good foundation.
I think you saved me from making alot of mistakes.
Do you have any other post or blogs with good information like this.
Stevie
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Permalink Reply by Dalisha Carmichael on -
This is excellent information. Thank you so much!
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Permalink Reply by Tonatiuh Cordero on -
Wow! These tips are really good. Thank you, I will take it into account. See you my friend
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Permalink Reply by Deborah McBroom on
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Thanks for the information my Friend, I'm new to this social networkng wave, this really helps me be a better networker.
Be Bless
Deborah McBroom
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Permalink Reply by C P BURTON on -
Thanks for the helpful information you give.
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Permalink Reply by Helen Fritzie on -
Thanks for all the info. and for a newbie it is definitely helpful! It seems to be the way
when you are first starting out to get your business out there! I will try to do better!
Blessings!
Helen
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Permalink Reply by Ellery Bennett on -
Your overview of Social Networking is very helpful, so many people spend 100% of their time pushing their products. I actually reached out to lady recently, she was on my blog numerous times in a short period of time with a different request for different programs. I reached out to her and asked was she successful due to the fact that she was sending so many request it probably was spam. It was hard for me to believe she was having success, her comment to me after I reached out to her was that she had to get business going. You brought up the importance establishing a relationship before pushing your product, which is right on target.
Helen stated that she is a newbie and the information is very helpful. Helen, it is important that you follow the information provided and most importantly pay attention to your belief. Helen stated that she will try to do better, there is no such thing as try to do better, commit to getting it done. Either you will or you won't, it's a simple choice. The information is provided, commit to using it and expect positive results.
I have used a 2-3 themes within my blog in the past, are you stating that one theme about your product is the best approach?
Ellery Bennett
313-590-3347
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Permalink Reply by Matt LaClear on -
Great post Ellery. I personally like to use just one theme on my blog. When you use more than one it usually creates a sense of confusion with your visitor. So keep it simple. That's my motto at least!
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Permalink Reply by Jay Rossi on -
Hi,
I absolutely agree with your comment on not pushing your products on to others because people don't like to be sold. We really have to find out what they want and then find a solution to help.
I am very new to StartUpbiz and I find the quality of posts very positive. I am a student of Matt LaClear and have found so many interesting points in Social Networking through him. One that stood out for me was that people come to Social Networking to bond with others. They come because they have a hunger to fill a need. So they're always looking to meet real people.
I am learning a wealth of information from this site. I thank you for sharing your knowledge with me.
Sincerely
Jay Rossi
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Permalink Reply by Terri Rau on -
I absolutely agree with your point about not pushing your product. I do think we have to also provide something of high-perceived value - for FREE in order to have them opt-in. Hopefully that product or information is something they will want to share with others as well!
This way, you've given them an irresistable offer they are willing to trade for their name and email address. You now have access to this prospect for as long as they stay opted in, so I suggest always give til it hurts in order to build that relationship, and more importantly - TRUST.
That's when people are willing to invest in your product or service.
Cheers,
Terri
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Bennett on -
This is excellent information. Thanks so much for taking the time to write all of this out. When I meet someone online for the first time and they slam me with websites and other ways to make money or whatever, I tend to go the other way. I want to build trust with a person and see what they are made of before leaping into something that I know nothing about. Again, I thank you and have a great week....
Take Care,
Elizabeth
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