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 IndigoBlue on -
I hope you keep this pinned as a "must read" topic for new people, or simply keep at the top of the stack. Excellent advise and I truly appreciate your time and effort putting this together. ~Kathleen
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Permalink Reply by Brenda Thour on -
Thank you so much for sharing this information with us. I feel like I am learning alot everyday, and I truly appreciate it.
Best Regards,
Brenda Thour
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Permalink Reply by Carolyn Bird on -
This is great information, thank you, just saw a great u-tube video and thought would share it, it has nothing to do with my business.
Carolyn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t-ZDHpcKEQ
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Permalink Reply by Robert Mesa on -
This is critical information to follow. Thanks SUp.biz, COO for sharing this. If you plan on maximizing your success in a Social Networking follow the tips outlined in this article.
If I may add to this article. Once you have made the connection I've catagorized Social Networking relationship below (A-Friend's List, B-Groups, C-General Population).
Group A: These members are on your friend's list. They confirmed to be part of your friend's group and exchange information. Therefor you can communicate with them without feeling you are intruding. Group A has agreed to be your friend and exchange information, making them your primary communication group.
Group B: These are members of "groups" you may have joined. Members of groups have shared interests. If the group's interest relates to what you have to share, go for it. Key point share only "group interest" information (products/services or otherwise). Group B is your secondary communication group.
Group C: These are members of the general population. This group either does not know about you and or has declined to associate with you (don't take it personal, some members look for shared interest only). If you have "time sensitive" information to share, this is NOT the group to start with. With Group C you should build the relationship first.
Click here to read my full aritcle: 3 Big Social Networking Components
Continued Success,
Robert Mesa
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Permalink Reply by Carl Mortimer on -
Thank you for fine insight as to how the system should work to our best advantage. I have tried to send out a few blogs just for reader interest instead of product promotion. Carl Mortimer
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Permalink Reply by Robert Mesa on
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Hi Carl,
Blogging is a great tool in communication. One marketing strategy using blogs is to write about the things your product or service can help solve. For example, if you sell burglar alarms, you can write about home safety, community watch programs and the like. Offer helpful information and end with, by the way here's a product or service you might be interested in. It's a softer sell. But be genuine in your approach.
Continued Success,
Robert Mesa
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Permalink Reply by Kathy Gossett on -
Thanks for the advice. I've just entered the social networking scene, and have been bombarded with hundreds of emails a day. I spend more time deleting these spams than focusing on my business.
I don't know much about all this except that I try to follow the golden rule. I wish everyone else would too.
I'm so overwhelmed by this that it makes it hard to turn my computer on each day. Right now, I just want to learn how to do this right so I can make a living and help others along the way.
This article has been very helpful in understanding what I need to do.
Thanks again.
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Permalink Reply by SUp.biz, COO on -
If you are managing your friends list properly, then you should not be getting 100s of spam emails a day.
1) Dedicate one day to removing any friend that you have that has send you an email that you view as spam.
2) Move forward with the techniques outlined in my post about how to go about accepting and requesting friend requests.
3) Immediately unfriend anyone who sends you a message deemed as spam in the future.
Most people get caught up in accepting anyone who sends them a friend request. Before you accept a friend request send them a message and ask them a question. If they do not respond with a good answer, then ignore their friend request.
This will cut down 99% of your spam.
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Permalink Reply by Isabel on -
The Bible says something like "as you do you will find..."
So not suprised if i am polite with people, if take good care of them,
if i show some love, if...
If i only do good things to others, i get back same treatment
This low works with any kind of relation you have, even on net!
Also if you want to colect, first you must plant... (your business)
and takes a litle time before plantation has lot good fruit (work costumers)
must give water daily (keep in touch...) nutrish when they look sad...
And so on
It is all in the Bible my friends
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Permalink Reply by Norine 'Action' Jackson on -
I do appreciate your taking the time to rewrite the successful way to social network and successfully build our businesses.
I also agree with the suggestion that it should remain pinned up on the home page. But, I also think it should personally enter the mailbox of some of the common culprits who are presently aggressively pushing their business. It doesn't seem as if they are even reading the forums or blogs. They just log in and plunge right in with their template advertising.
As each new member sign up, maybe Sup.biz could send a welcome email which would contain the communication you just created here? That might help also!
Just throwing my 1/2 cents in. Thanks, again. I'm going to follow this proven system! ;c)
Norine
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Permalink Reply by SUp.biz, COO on
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We push the educational material hard on new members. It is the first thing they see. We also warn and reeducate. Then we ban 20-30 members a day that fail to get the point.
Unfortunately, some people are just lazy and that is what separates success from failure. Two extra steps could make the difference whether they succeed or fail. Sometimes two extra steps is all it takes to finish the race.
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Permalink Reply by David Foster on -
That is awesome! I have been pushing your post here in my welcome comment as well because I think it is crucial to great sites like this that people learn to do things right on these sites. I started out doing it the wrong way just like everyone else, only I learned from my mistakes and now am thriving...big difference!
Thanks again for the post Brandon!
David Foster
Let's Get Growing
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