CAT VIDEOS notwithstanding, social media is becoming an essential business tool for IT business owners. Savvy channel pros, in fact, say LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms help them generate sales leads and cement client relationships. While there’s no single playbook for success, a strategic approach is key to get the most from your social media efforts.
“”On social you can talk to anybody, but it’s important that you know who your target market is,”” says Kendra Olney Lee, president of KLA Group, a lead-gen services firm for IT providers. “”It could be prospects or alliance partners. You have to align your content and messaging to them.””
Determine Your Goals
Social media can produce sales leads, but how you use it for that task depends on your goals.
When Techie Geek, a Staten Island, N.Y.-based MSP, planned an expansion in a neighboring state, it first spent two months making connections and building brand awareness there, then followed up with lead gen, explains Mike Bloomfield, president geek. “”I know it’s working because when we talk to people or come into prospects, they always have heard of us,”” he says. “”They tell us they’ve seen us on Facebook and different events, and when they had an issue, they think of us.””
Social media works for leads of all sorts, not just finding new customers. If employee recruitment is a goal, for instance, Lee suggests mixing in posts about company growth amid branding and lead gen.
Ahead of an IPO, Rick Jordan, CEO of ReachOut Technology, an MSP in the Chicago area, used social to target investors. In return, he says he received letters of interest directly from social media leads.
Put in the Time
Social platforms are free, but they do want you to buy ads and frequently tweak algorithms to incentivize businesses to do so. But even if you never spend a dime on social media, be aware that there is a cost: time.
Limiting social media activities to 20 minutes is a common approach. The frequency—once a week or daily—is less important than your level of consistency. Most social media algorithms reward consistent, attractive content, so dropping in with an occasional deluge of posts is a waste of time. It also looks bad to your audience.
“”Imagine if you walked into a bar and shouted, ‘Hey, who wants a drink,’ then ran out the back door,”” says Dave Seibert, CIO at IT Innovators, an MSP in Irvine, Calif. “”People will wonder, ‘Who was that? Will they ever return?'””
Seibert adds that posting isn’t enough. If you don’t tag other people and use popular hashtags, you are losing “”90% of the benefit,”” he stresses.
Getting your staff to engage increases your impact but is notoriously difficult. Lee suggests creating a sort of internal campaign to get them on board. “”Let the staff know how important it is. Put a ticket in ConnectWise to go look at your LinkedIn,”” she says. This can be particularly helpful for sales reps, who should use their individual accounts to offer content that is more targeted and personal than what company feeds allow.
Also, slide into a direct message (DM) when the time is right. “”DMs are pretty much the secret sauce of social media,”” says Jordan. “”Comments tick you up in the algorithm so that you get more attention. But you do want to bring things to a personal conversation.”” To that end, his company invests in an app that sends text alerts when people comment or send direct messages.
You might need a dedicated social media manager to engage with other people’s posts and ensure quick responses to others’ engagement. Seibert says any new marketing hires should be well versed in social. He suggests requesting a screen shot of candidates’ LinkedIn social selling index (linkedin.com/sales/ssi) to see how well they engage.
Risky Investment?
As this story was being written in October, Facebook and its subsidiary, Instagram, suffered a total meltdown. Both platforms went down for several hours twice in one week, impacting more than 3.5 billion users. The outages highlighted the importance of moving social media relationships off the platform and into the normal sales process.
Social is “”an investment in somebody else’s property,”” notes Seibert. On the other hand, he says, it’s valuable beachfront property that puts small businesses on equal footing with large corporations (ad spending aside).
“”I have an account and you have an account, just like the CEO of Cisco, IBM, or Oracle,”” he says.
Where to Post
Most channel pros use multiple platforms, but the successful ones are clear on the purpose of each. Here are some ways each of the most popular social media networks can help you achieve clear goals.
- Facebook: Results vary, but its ginormous user base means you can get in front of people you might do business with, even if they’re not in work mode. Don’t bother to boost posts, though. If you have cash, ads have a better ROI targeted reach.
- Instagram: This platform is excellent for showcasing your company’s personality to business owners in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. It’s also great for reaching that same crowd as you search for talent.
- LinkedIn: The top network for B2B, it’s the best place to start or focus limited resources. Good for all-around brand building, direct outreach, sales messaging, and recruitment.
- Twitter: This platform is a good format for showing your technical chops and sharing industry news. For larger companies, it has also become a customer service channel.
- TikTok: Videos go viral quickly, but attention fades just as fast. Geared toward younger audiences, its reach is growing, and TikToks are often shared on other platforms.
- YouTube: Video performs great on most platforms, but a YouTube channel can garner fans. Mike Bloomfield of Tekie Geek says he developed a general interest YouTube show during COVID lockdowns that generated attention and new business.
What to Post, or Not
While most people agree social fosters the kinds of personal connections that lead to business relationships, opinions differ on how personal subject matter should be.
“”We see more success when we’re not trying to sell,”” Bloomfield says. That’s why his company posts helpful advice on residential IT, even though he only sells B2B.
Seibert advises staying away from politics. “”Controversy sells, as the expression goes, but that’s not my model,”” he says.
Jordan, for his part, believes it’s important to let people know what you stand for, so he doesn’t shy away from politics. “”I’m fairly down the middle, personally. I put it out there by making a definitive statement, but not a definitive statement that actually tears somebody down,”” he says. However, he warns, potentially divisive comments might be suppressed by the platforms, which means you’ll have to buy ads to remain visible.
Whatever your approach, authenticity is important. Lee says posts must align with your brand values. Meanwhile, Bloomfield has created spur-of-the-moment Facebook Live videos with his daughter visible in the back seat of his car.
“”I show my clients a real person,”” he says. “”Other business owners know the grind. We’re all doing the same thing.””
Finally, be sure you’re adding value to existing conversations, not just barging in with your own message. That’s another thing that doesn’t go over well in a bar, or on social media.
