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 SUp.biz, COO on -
What is interesting is the amount of time these people spend on setting up all these different groups to mass spam the friends they have collected. At the end of the day, they may make a few pennies. If they just invested the same amount of time doing it the right way, then they would be making thousands of dollars and building a residual base of friends.
Our staff actively goes through the thousands of "invites" to other networks each week to identify people to ban. I have looked through them myself, and these groups or networks never grow and offer nothing. It is sad really, because there is no one there to educate these newcomers. Back almost a year ago, there were lively forums for all ning network creators and the ning staff along with the CEO. They took it down and now all they have is a FAQ page.
We have banned 1000s of members to keep this network as clean as possible, but it is a never ending battle because every day someone sets up another 10 free networks with the belief that they are going to make money. For 30 days they build friends like crazy and send invites sometimes twice a day. After 30 days has past they realize they can not make even $5 from there networks. At that point, the networks are abandoned and become wasted space.
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Permalink Reply by Charlene L. Ragsdale on -
Exactly! This is one of the reasons I don't join groups, for the most part.
When I posted a "notice" on My Comment Wall and sent out and email to my Friends List asking to them to stop spamming me, etc - I actually had a few "friends" get mad at me because I was not open to other people's businesses.
They missed the point entirely. I have patronized the businesses of many people on my friend list - and many are my clients too - but that would of never happened if we didn't get to know each other first.
Not sure why - this subject comes up - everyone Praises and then the next thing I know those same praisers are flooding my inbox with no substance and just ads.
Thanks for trying to keep our network clean. :)
Charlene
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Permalink Reply by C P BURTON on -
I hear what you're saying but after I signed up, all i got was hey welcome blah blah blah
let me show this blah blah blah
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Permalink Reply by C P BURTON on
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And I would like to add that everyone here is doing something more important than you or has a better product or service. I'm here to learn valuable skills and hopefully be able to help someone build their business.
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Permalink Reply by Avihu (Avi) Kagan on
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I share your frustration and looking for a better way to develop a meaningful business relationship. For sure, success is a result of a healthy relationship.
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Permalink Reply by Bea Kunz on
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Those of us are building a business from a well laid foundation know the rules of both social and business...and play by those rules.
Those who are just about the next sale are usually void of guidlines and winging it from one day to the next.
Yes, it is sad and a total waste...also a fact of life.
Have a great evening all,
Bea Kunz
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Permalink Reply by Emmanuel Kennick on -
What a priviledge to have people of your caliber in small business
www.vivianjohn.myinternetbusiness.com
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Permalink Reply by Dom Mogavero on -
I was reading through the comments to this post, and came by your comment. Your last sentence about integrity was the clincher. If we treat others as we would want to be treated, and that is with honesty, genuine interest, and integrity, we would all benefit.
Thank you for your insights as I am sure others have benefited from them. I certainly have!
Dom Mogavero
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Permalink Reply by George Watts on -
Great post. Hmmm, I've definately been guilty of pushing my services and neglecting building connections in the past. It's more fun and more profitable building connections first. Many thanks! George
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Permalink Reply by SUp.biz, COO on
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Feel free to send it to your friends, but I am going to keep this article copyrighted for now. If you have a network that you want me to post it on, then just post the links, and I will personally post it so that they can use it as educational material.
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Permalink Reply by Melody Brooke on
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I have gotten so many emails from people with products and services that have nothing to do with me or my interests. If someone even read my page they might have a sense of what I am interested in and send me those things, I'd actually read what they sent me! I like what you say about building the relationship, its what networking is really all about. Thank you for sharing this because if people read it I might actually get to know some of the people in my network, and eventually, discover I need something they have and vice versa.
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Permalink Reply by Ted Duboise on -
Social Networking Customer Acquisition 101 has great insight. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge. This article is really a "best practices" guide and is explained in a "how to" lesson. Thank you for writing it for all of us.
Cheers!
>> Ted <<
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