Follow up on Networking with Social Networking

Social networking isn’t just about reaching a completely new audience, although that is one of the great benefits. You might be surprised to find out just who is a member of the fastest growing social media sensation that is Twitter.

It’s not just old boyfriends and younger siblings. It’s clients, coworkers, business association members and, yes, prospects. If you’re having trouble getting inside the mind of that warm lead, why not find him on Twitter?

“Terrible day. Don’t want to talk to anyone,” he Tweets.  Maybe it’s not the best time to call and see if he’s looked at your proposal.

You spend a lot of time going to networking events, industry dinners and seminars hoping to meet prospects or business connections. Look at social networking as just another one of those events.

Twitter is one big party, or as Havi Brooks (@havi) describes it in her blog, “a fun productivity tool that also doubles as the weirdest but most successful marketing technique ever … and is also a bar.”

There are, of course, rules should you foray into the “business?” “personal?” “both?” realm that is Twitter. Crystal Woods (@crystalsquest) explains them clearly in her post : Top 10 Tips for Twitter … and Life, but the gist is: be yourself, not a billboard.  As explained in my last post, you are on the site to promote your company, but if you use it solely to push your products onto people-just like in real life-they’ll be turned off.

So should you be asking for Twitter handles instead of business cards at your next event? Maybe. Social networking to follow up on leads already in the pipeline just makes you that much more visible, timely and accessible.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

Posted by Sandi Villarreal on Friday, January 30th, 2009 under Sales and Marketing, Social Media