When you’re pitching a new client, every little bit helps. Here are some ways you can leverage Twitter (and other social media platforms) to gain an extra edge.
Get to Know Your Prospective Client Personally
We’ve heard it over and over, but in the crush of the workday or the rush of pitching a new client, it can be easy to forget that personal connections matter. Get to know key stakeholders at your potential client as much as you can and use that information to make a genuine personal connection.
A quick glance at the general counsel’s Twitter before a meeting might reveal they’re a fellow Goldendoodle lover or Giants fan. Use this knowledge to break the ice during your meeting or find other ways to weave it into your communication — showing that you value them as a person, rather than just another business target.
Surprise and Delight
Twitter offers a relatively low-effort vehicle for making potential clients (and current clients) feel extra loved. As appropriate, follow the company and key stakeholders from both the main firm account and relevant partner accounts. Monitor what they are sharing and look for opportunities to give them a special shoutout for wins like their CEO making Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list or a new product launch.
Don’t hesitate to go all out, perhaps even making a custom social media graphic to highlight their victory. Unexpected gestures like this show that you are invested in the company’s success and are paying attention. Don’t forget to tag the company account, the CEO, founders and any other relevant contacts for maximum visibility with the people who matter.
If they haven’t had a big win recently, take other opportunities to engage — say, like an interesting post or retweet a thoughtful article they shared. Also, consider creating a public Twitter list titled “Top Blockchain Startups” or “Leading Real Estate Influencers” and adding the company or its leaders as a compliment to them — and as a way to further establish your thought leadership in their space.
Stay Informed
In addition to identifying “surprise and delight” opportunities, paying attention to a prospective client’s social media provides valuable information about company developments and the conversations they care about. Use this intel to develop a smarter pitch and appear more informed when chatting with potential clients.
Bonus: Follow your prospects’ and clients’ competitors’ social media for a fuller picture of the space they are playing in and the potential challenges they are facing. To efficiently track these conversations, leverage private (or public) Twitter lists and consider a social media management tool like Hootsuite, which allows you to aggregate tweets from chosen accounts into one stream for easy real-time monitoring. This saves you from individually visiting each company’s Twitter profile or scrolling through your full feed, spending hours hunting for tweets from a few specific companies.
Social Ads to Raise Awareness and Establish Thought Leadership
While not necessarily targeting a specific company or individual, paid advertising on Twitter or other social media can serve as a valuable partner to your pitching efforts, helping to increase visibility and establish your thought leadership in a given space.
For example, if you are increasingly trying to target companies in the agtech or hospitality industry, consider a Twitter ad campaign tied to a timely article you’ve written that addresses a topic relevant to that industry. Don’t be afraid to target a very specific audience that directly relates to the type of clients you’re seeking, using Twitter’s detailed targeting options. Also consider launching a similar ad campaign on LinkedIn, which allows you to direct ads at specific companies, industries and job titles.
While these social media strategies are certainly not a magic bullet that will guarantee success in every pitch, they can help you stand out, be better informed and connect more deeply with potential clients.
Illustration ©iStockPhoto.com
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