Networking your way to success is one of the best strategies you can use when you’re just starting out in your business and you’re in need of more social proof. If you lack social proof, it’s going to be more difficult to sell your products and services without getting your brand out there, so how do you do it? You network.
The idea of six degrees of separation tells us that we’re all six or fewer social connections away from anyone in the world. That means that we’re all more connected than we think. Your next client is right around the corner, but you have to put yourself out there.
Putting yourself out there is going to help you build more trust and more social proof in your business. There are many different strategies as to how you can network.
Sending cold emails and cold DMs can change your whole business game.
Cold messaging is when you send unsolicited messages to potential customers through direct message via social media or email. When you target a specific niche, this can be an effective way to generate new leads.
You probably have seen brands randomly sending you cold DMs on Instagram and cold emailing you. How many times have you googled that brand or checked out their Instagram profile? Every time that you have read a brand’s cold DM or cold email is a win for them.
This is one of the best strategies you can use because it can help your business reach new customers. You don’t have to be too salesy either. You’re simply bringing more awareness to your brand and services to people who didn’t know you existed.
This can also be a cost-effective marketing strategy. It can be an inexpensive way for you to reach out and generate leads for your business without paying for ads.
It also allows for more personalized outreach rather than just screaming into the void when you’re first starting out your business. It’s a great technique to use when you’re not getting the response you want from your audience as you’re growing too.
You can start by sending a simple “Hello, I love your page” over Instagram. Actually, state something about the page you’re checking out.
Read one of their captions and tell them how meaningful it was to you. Be authentic and state your intention. Talk about how you’re connecting with leaders in your industry. The fact that you’re calling them a leader will peak their interest.
Put yourself in the shoes of the other individual. You want to emotionally connect with them at least a little.
Keep in mind that there’s a person on the other side of the screen. If they ignore your DM or email, you can send a follow up after a few days, but don’t overwhelm them. If they don’t answer the second time, let them go.
2. Free services or products
Offering your services or products for free is going to help you gain a wider reach in your business.
This can be a great way for you to test the market before you go full scale on something. This is a form of market research for your ideal client.
Offering free products or services will also help you build brand awareness. You can get your name out into your niche and attract new clients.
You can also establish yourself as a thought leader with this technique. By offering free services or products, you build trust with potential clients and become memorable.
I suggest sending using the cold messaging strategy we talked about above.
If you’re a service-based business, tell them about how you’re noticing how they can improve their brand and invite them to hop on a free call with you. You want to get them on a call so you can craft your sales pitch. This is where you can give them free value and then state your program or service at the end.
A face to face zoom call allows you to connect with your client more and understand what their emotional needs are. Tell them you’re conducting market research and you would like to offer them your free service. Being honest and authentic will help you get better results.
If you’re a product-based business, it’s a good idea to reach out to influencers to collaborate with them. Tell them how you think they’d be a good fit for your product and explain why. Then offer to send them one for free for an honest review. The fact that they’re getting something for free is already using positive psychology and they’re more likely to give you a positive review.
They just want to make sure there’s no catch. Let them know there’s no strings attached, you just want them to try out your product.
When they receive their product in the mail, reach out to them again with questions on how they like it and how you could improve your product. This also grants you an unbiased third person perspective of your product and what you can do to make it better.
3. Engagement
Engagement is when you are interacting with someone else on social media.
High engagement in a business signifies that the business has a high level of trust and a strong audience. This helps your business build trust with potential clients and can help your business reach a wider audience.
Engagement can also help your business gather feedback and insights. It shows you what type of content is most popular with your audience so that you can understand your audience more.
With more engagement, you will also begin to build more trust and interest in your offerings. It’s important to approach this in a genuine way.
Using engagement as a strategy is actually how a lot of my clients get new clients. You start by identifying your target audience and targeting profiles that you feel would be a good fit for your brand. You go into your niche and engage with them, but make sure you’re being authentic.
A heart emoji does nothing for engagement. Actually, read their caption and respond something that adds to the conversation. Write engaging comments that add to the conversation.
This will also allow you to research your audience and create content that will appeal to them. It can be more time consuming but can grant you better results.
Your potential client will start to notice your profile, follow you, and maybe will eventually buy something from you.
Personally, I like to go into the likes and comments of accounts that I enjoy so that I can interact with those people. This how a lot of my clients get their first customer.
The key is to create high-quality content and to actively participate with people in your niche by commenting, liking, and collaborating with them.
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