Inside Sales Lead Management Featured Article

Social media has often been touted as the free marketing option every company should leverage. What such a statement ignores, however, are the costs that are actually involved in social media and the dedication that should be made a priority if you decide to use this channel. Yes, the platforms are free to use and are a great way to drive organic growth for inside sales lead management, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an investment involved.

The following are a few things you should have in place if you expect your inside sales lead management to benefit from social media:

Use the right channels – Don’t jump right into launching a Facebook (News - Alert) page, Twitter profile and LinkedIn company page just to get something going. Are these the right channels for your business? Are your customers using these mediums or are they more likely to find you on YouTube (News - Alert) and Instagram? Do your homework first and determine the best channels for use in your industry.

Develop a strategy – Once you know the channels that are right for use, how will you use them? Will you spend time trying to sell to your audience, or are you more interested in how social media can contribute to a healthy bottom line? Customers do want to be sold to, but not blatantly. Instead, offer them something of value by connecting with you on social media. Identify the right elements in your strategy and execute on it effectively.

Commit the time – While you can use the platforms for free, you do need to invest the time to actively participate in conversations, post information, share information, etc. If you need to spend time running the business, hire someone to do this for you. Don’t expect it to be the only thing supporting inside sales lead management, but it can be a valuable addition to the tools you currently have in place.

Build your social presence – Once you have the other three steps in place, it’s time to get engaged. This means you pay attention to what others are doing, respond to customers on social media, share valuable information produced by others that your audience will appreciate and pay attention to trends. Remember, you wouldn’t buy a pet and let it sit without food, water or attention. The same is true for your social efforts – nurture your channels and those you have interacting.

Finally, don’t forget to measure and adjust as you go. Social media is a constantly moving and changing environment and you have to keep pace just to be effective. If you want to support inside sales lead management, then monitor activity and make changes where needed to see optimal results.