If you sell to businesses, there is a very good chance that many of your prospective customers are networking and even buying online. Online social media can offer a low-cost way to make relevant connections, access buyers and reach a wide customer base. Here are a few tips.

1. Identify which social media platforms your target customers are using. These are more likely to be business networking sites such as Ecademy and LinkedIn than personal networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter – although many firms have a presence on these sites, too.
2. If you are targeting specific businesses, or specific people within businesses, use search engines and search functions within different social media to locate their social media profiles.
3. Research the social media your customers are using. How do they use them – to make contacts, find out about industry developments, research products or services or sell to their own customers? Tailor your approach to theirs.
4. Devise a strategy for using social media in your business. Set measurable and realistic objectives and goals for your marketing, and look for ways to blend your social media marketing with your traditional marketing and sales activities.
5. Create a profile on your chosen platform, including brief, essential details about who you are and what you do, and a link to your website. Engage potential customers by stressing how your offer can help their business.
6. If you have branding guidelines for your business, apply these to your profiles to maintain consistency and establish your visual identity quickly.
7. Engage with customers in a way that is appropriate to the platform. Business networking sites tend to be more “professional” in approach than social networking sites such as Facebook. Talk in the language of your customers.
8. If targeting individuals, find out how you can use your chosen platform to make a connection with them. With LinkedIn, for example, this is likely to mean researching their profile to find out which discussion groups they belong to and joining these; or looking for mutual contacts and requesting an online introduction.
9. Use groups, forums and blogs to demonstrate relevant expertise and knowledge, and to pose and answer questions about your industry.  Don’t force your product or service on potential customers; but show them that you are a credible supplier by sharing your knowledge and helping others.
10. When posting in forums or commenting on blogs, include a link to your website, your blog, your social media profile(s), your Facebook fan page, your Twitter account, and so on. Make it easy for people to find you.
11. Some social media platforms enable you to monitor mentions of your business, product or service to track potential customers. You can find out where they talk to each other online and even what they are saying about you – and target them accordingly.
12. Convert connections into potential sales by moving the connection to a different channel at an appropriate time. Depending on your sales channels, this could mean directing someone towards your e-commerce site or arranging a telephone call, an offline meeting or a presentation.
13. Use relevant keywords about your sector, product or service frequently. These will be picked up by search engines and make it easier for potential customers to discover you.
14. Be active on your chosen platform(s). Update your profile and check and respond to your messages regularly. Show your customers that you are engaged.
15. Measure your progress against your objectives. Many social media platforms have tools that will tell you how you are doing. If you are not meeting your objectives, find out how you can change your approach.
    
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