Social Media TRUMPS Networking Meetings!
With social media and digital technology at our finger tips, the number of people who attend networking meetings looking to generate new business has declined in the last few years.
Shocking, I know.
“Why?” You might ask? We’re living in a high-tech, digital age where business owners now realize that they have a better chance of reaching more of their target market via social media than they ever will at a business card exchange meeting.
More than ever before, we are seeing a massive paradigm shift: every day more and more business owners are tapping into social media to attract more of their ideal clients, turn them into raving fans, get more likes, shares, and comments on their content, build huge email lists, and add amazing value to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
Traditional Networking Meetings vs Social Media Outreach
If you are a small business owner who is currently attending networking meetings, let me paint a picture for you.
How much time and energy do networking meetings actually take? It takes time to get ready, and it takes time to get to the meeting, especially if there is traffic. Then the meeting lasts about 2 hours (give or take), and you never know the exact number of people who will attend. What are the chances you will have an opportunity to speak with everyone individually who attended the meeting? You talk to as many people as possible, schedule as many phone conversations or lunch meetings as possible (which in my opinion is another time waster), only to find out most of the attendees are not interested in buying your products or services.
Frustrating, right?
To me, that process sounds like hours of your precious time wasted running around, chasing after what you thought to be your next BIG sale.
Why Small Business Owners Should LOVE LinkedIn
What if you were to fuel that energy by creating a dynamic stand out brand on a platform such as LinkedIn? A platform where you now have the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of people, where you now have control over attracting your ideal clients and can reach more people in less time?
Not only is there LinkedIn, but there are many other social media platforms where your ideal clients are hanging out and where you have the opportunity to engage, inspire, and dominate your industry.
Other Client Attraction Social Platforms
Here are a few examples of social media platforms that you can be plugging into today to attract your ideal clients:
- YouTube (which is owned by google and amazing for SEO as well as organic traffic)
- Livestream video through applications such as Facebook
- Webinars are a great way to educate your ideal customer. Webinars allow you the opportunity to get in front of a large audience and present who you are, who you serve, and how you serve your ideal clients. It’s like going on a live stage, but the advantages are you’re able to reach more people around the world, put your webinar on replay, and interact with your audience….all with the touch of a button.
- Skype (this is one example of social media that isn’t talked about much, but the reality is you can communicate virtually with your potential client who may be in another country. Why limit yourself to only the country in which you reside?)
Skype is an amazing FREE tool that a lot of business owners use in order to conduct business on a larger global scale. It is also a great tool for video conferencing. If you need to have a conversation with more than one person, skype is a great way to interact with several people at once.
Leverage Your Time To Boost Profits
Your time is valuable! Business owners must learn how to leverage their time wisely to attract more ideal clients. Learning how to use social media properly can help with that. The only thing that you never get back in life is your time. Social Media (done correctly) will make the time you have work hard for you!
The fact is, if you are a business owner and you have not yet tapped into social media to attract more of your ideal clients, you are leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table for your competition to grab!
What Kind Of An Impact Would More Clients Have On Your Business?
Imagine for just one minute what it would be like if every day you walked into your office, turned on your computer, logged into your social media accounts and find that your inbox is overflowing with emails from potential clients who are asking how they can work with you.
Your ideal clients will already understand the value you bring to the table because of the information you share on social media. The brand you’ve created allows you to separate yourself from every other expert in your industry. Your potential client is now ready and willing to pay you what you’re worth. They are eager to work with you because they know how you can help them solve their biggest problem.
How would you feel if you could wake up and have people reaching out to you, asking how they can work with you vs. having to drive from networking meeting to networking meeting hoping that perhaps just once that your ideal client shows up willing to work with you?
I don’t know about you, but knowing I can reach more ( a lot more) people via social media makes a lot more sense to me.
If you’re struggling to find a way to attract more of your ideal clients or would like to learn how you can benefit from using social media, I suggest scheduling a FREE 30 min discovery call with me today so you can attract more clients, make more money, and impact more lives around the world.
Now it’s your turn – I’d love to hear what you have to say about your experiences with networking meetings in the comments below …
Click here to schedule your FREE 30 min call today.
