How to Connect With Prospective Clients Online

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How to Connect With Prospective Clients Online

Please read the following two scenarios, and honestly answer the question below.

1) Company X has a website and a blog. They constantly upload videos on YouTube and are on Facebook and Twitter day and night. Their method is simple: the old school hit-you-over-the-head hard sales pitches. Every blog post, video, and social media update is company centered. Rarely do they share info or photos they love. They don't comment on other blogs. They don't bookmark anything but their own stuff. They have an ezine they send out every other week, and each issue is about their services.

2) Company Y has a website and a blog. They frequently upload videos on their YouTube Channel, and they regularly Tweet and participate in LinkedIn Q&A. They comment on blogs they love, bookmark them, and share links with valuable information to their network. Sometimes they post inspirational quotes, and occasionally, they promote their company services and products. They have a weekly ezine that provides readers content to help them better their lives.

Which company does your online business activities align with Company X, which is all about promoting and selling, or Company Y, who is working to build connections and contributing valuable information to their network?

Before I continue, let me say this: there is nothing wrong with selling. Being a business owner, your job is sales. Without clients-new and existing-there is no revenue. And without revenue, your business is dead in the water. But I digress...

Ever-changing Internet technology has provided businesses an amazing opportunity to expand market share and gain more clients. Attracting prospects online is extremely inexpensive compared to traditional marketing and promotion, and it's relatively easy once you get the hang of it. And yet, with the awesome possibilities to attract new clients online, many companies still are trying to market the old way of mass media marketing.

The mass marketing approach of speaking to many at the same time no longer works. Why? Because the realm of social media-from blogs to bookmarking-is owned by the people. It's created by millions of conversations going on at any given time. If you think you can barge in, control the conversation, and expect people to listen to you, think again.

If you have been operating like Company X and speaking at your network instead of engaging them in a conversation, then it's time to reevaluate your approach.

If gaining new clients is your objective and it seems everyone is ignoring you, then you need to consider approaching your network as you would someone at a networking event. I would hope and pray that you don't just walk up to someone and start talking about your company and all the features of your great new product (if you do, I suggest picking up a copy of Miss Manners immediately). Most people aren't this rude when it comes to face-to-face networking, but this is exactly what businesses do online. They come barging into the conversation-whether on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, blogs, chat rooms, private forums, etc.-and start telling people all about their great product or kick-butt services. This is not engaging; it's harassment. It's annoying, and you are not going to build a relationship with anyone. Period.

The key to connecting with prospective clients online and converting them into paying customers is to build a relationship with them.

Off the top of my head, I can think of a few ways you, Dear Reader, can engage your network:

1) Comment on a Facebook post where the person has posed a question.

2) Retweet a blog you found insightful and loved.

3) Comment on a YouTube video or a blog post that you liked.

4) Bookmark a photograph, video, blog, or website you love.

5) Email a blog or ezine author and tell them why you enjoyed his or her article.

6) Participate frequently in LinkedIn's Q&A.

7) Ask a blogger you like to be a guest blogger on your blog.

I've been saying this for awhile, but it's time to start thinking differently about your target audience. It's time for businesses to stop treating prospects and clients as a commodity. Take some time to get to know your target market, learn what they like, ask them questions, and participate in the conversation. The more you do this, the more you'll learn a

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