Recipe: Following Up with Social Media and Online Communities

If you have decided to make the commitment to actively engage with one or more social media networks or online communities (see Chapter 7 for more on making this decision), this can be one more avenue for following up with your contacts. Regular participation in an online network made up of people in your market niche allows you to stay visible, and build relationships and trust with other network members.

Keep in mind that participating in an online network isn’t a substitute for personal follow-up with current hot prospects and active referral partners. You should still reach out to those people directly. But if you can identify, or build, an online network that contains many people in your niche, your regular participation in it can convert cool prospects to warm ones and stimulate referrals.

Here are the types of online networks that can be useful for following up with contacts, and suggestions for how to use them:

Social media networks. You’ll need to build your personal network on a social media channel before it starts being useful for follow up. See Chapter 7 for suggestions on how to do this. Remember also to add new people to your network when you make contact with them elsewhere. Post updates regularly, and make sure to provide educational, inspiring, or entertaining content, not just promotional messages. Forward, share, and comment on the updates posted by other members as well. It’s fine to include some personal information in your updates, but keep the majority of them relevant to your expertise and the needs of your market niche.

Message boards and discussion groups. When you can identify an online community specific to your niche that is maintained by a membership organization, media outlet, vendor, or volunteer moderator, you don’t have to invest the time and effort to build your own network. By posting questions, answers, and comments on topics related to the group’s theme, you can raise your visibility and demonstrate your expertise to other members. Stick to providing relevant, helpful information, and don’t promote your services directly (unless the group encourages this). Let your signature box tell people what you do and how to reach you.

Blogs. If you publish your own blog or guest blog for someone else, be sure to respond to comments posted by your readers, letting them know you are interested in what they have to say. You can also identify other blogs aimed at your market niche that have an active readership. When you comment on the posts of popular blogs, you make a connection with the blog’s author and all of his readers as well.

Because active participation is the key to getting results from using online networks for follow-up, don’t try to become active in multiple networks simultaneously. It’s recommended that you choose only one new network to engage in during the twenty-eight days of the Get Clients Now! Program.