How to properly use Social Networking sites for Sales Professionals?

Sales professionals can increase potential leads and sales through social networking sites. But the question is how?

Direct sales pitching on social networking sites can somehow negatively affect you (but not in all cases). Chances are, either they will hide your posts or erase you from their networks, if the people within your network feels awkward by your hard selling techniques.

Some of the best practices of using the social networking sites are:

• to gather information of prospect audience
• to use as a starting point of your links, videos, articles and photos towards your website (purely dedicated for selling)
• to be visible to a set of audience
• to gain credibility from people

Now, here are a few tips on how to properly “network” on social networking sites.

1. DO NOT SPAM

Network only to people you know. It is proper etiquette at the same time more credible for you and your networking page. And although the main purpose is to “network”, there is a thin line in networking and spamming. Even social networking sites have anti-spam system to lessen if not eradicate spamming.

Stop acting a SPAM-BOT and start acting like a human being, that way you can earn other people’s respect as well.

2. SHARE STORIES

People will read your articles, listen to your podcasts or watch your videos if you tell them real stories.

However, let me make it clear, tell relevant and useful stories to your target audience.

If you are selling houses, stories like:

• How to pick the right property for your family?
• What are the ways to get house loans?

Or, if you are selling cars, stories like:

• Ways to check before buying a used car
• When to properly change oils

There are so many stories you can think that you can share your target market. The more helpful and relevant you are to your audience, the more chances you gain their trust.

Besides, there’s nothing more irritating than being sent with unsolicited HARD-SELL SALES PITCHES. Right?

3. USE PHOTOS and VIDEOS

Photos and videos can increase the chances of your clicks on your social networking page.

Just imagine how many shoutouts, links, updates, news and information are being fed by other people in the social networking sites. So it is just makes sense to be “more attractive” by using eye-catching photos and videos to spice up your articles.

But be reminded, that photos and videos alone can’t do it all. The message and content is more important than the presentation.

3. DO COMMENTS

In essence, social networking is socializing or networking to other people. One good way of socializing to others is by commenting or dipping into discussions of another person’s page.

Like content, comments need to be sensible and related to the discussion. Do not act like a spam-bot that randomly posts comments irrelevant to the discussion.

Commenting is one good way of subliminally introducing yourself to a larger or unfamiliar crowd.

4. COURTEOUSLY ASK FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

Ask from within your network to “introduce” you to their network of contacts through recommendations.

Almost all the social networking sites have this feature, particularly Facebook wherein a friend can actually recommend you to his or her networks.

This gives you a little push so that other people will add you to their network as well.

The best way to this is just ASK. Ask your friend to recommend you to his or her friends. I am sure that you can get that easily.