5 Ways to Find (and Land) Clients on Social Media
Social media has reinvented how professionals network and market themselves. However, the ease and magnitude with which billions of people can participate can make it difficult to cut through the noise and figure out how best it can serve your business. With a growing multitude of social media coaching and courses, there are a few simple steps to take as you incorporate social media into your business’s growth strategy.
1. Set your own goals
Since social media enables us to witness others accumulating followers in real-time, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking about what your growth “should” be. While it is important to consider what fellow professionals are doing right, you know your business and brand first-hand. Your perspective on what a good trajectory is for you is what matters most.
For instance, if your goal is to grow your brand awareness, you may choose to focus on metrics like post reach. If your goal is boosting positive perception, you may be keener on comments and engagement. As you incorporate social media into your business, make specific long and short-term goals for things that matter to you. These may include your follower count, posts per week, engagement metrics, and so on.
2. Find the right platforms
On one hand, the variety of social media platforms may seem overwhelming when starting. It can be challenging trying to build a solid community without being able to focus on one avenue. However, this presents the opportunity to strategically position yourself in front of an audience that makes the most sense for you. You get to choose platforms depending on the industries where your current and prospective clients are.
If your existing or desired clientele is within the beauty industry, visual-focused media may be the best option for you to engage effectively. Similarly, if you are seeking out clients in accounting or fintech, career networking platforms may present a better opportunity for you. Take some time to research, find your niche, and show up accordingly.
3. Curate your profile
Your profile and feed as a professional looking to grow your business serves as a virtual business card. As the era of social commerce grows stronger, most consumers use social media to discover new products and brands to support. People are also more likely to patronize businesses they follow on social media, and your business page is the first checkpoint potential clients will likely witness. Conversion from a simple profile view to brand awareness relies on having a page that appeals to your target audience in terms of content and aesthetics.
Also, make sure to take advantage of the various content formats available to you. A large part of his process will be exploring different content from static imagery to reels and interactive stories to see what works best for you and your audience. A tool like Unfold allows you to build templates for stories and posts to keep your aesthetic consistent. Ask yourself: what would my ideal client like to see? What content are they searching for? What hashtags are they using? Make a list of common themes and start to authentically incorporate those as you build your online presence.
Explore mastering social posts across multiple platforms.
4. Attract clients by building connections
As mentioned before, with social media it can be very easy to fixate on numbers like likes and followers. While followers and likes should be a priority to get the awareness you need, sustaining engagement is equally important. Similar to how you pursue leads off social media, you want to make sure to maintain communication with those who have expressed some form of interest in your work and content.
If a potential client left a comment on one of your posts, be sure to respond or send a direct message with a brief introduction. Participate in group discussions where you can display expertise and gain visibility, such as Facebook groups and LinkedIn comment sections. This allows you to stay top-of-mind where it matters and drive direct interest in your work.
5. Use promotional tools
A huge business perk of using social media is the marketing tools available to you. Platforms offer promoted content, which allows you to target your content towards very specific demographics you want to reach. From promoted stories to timeline posts, you can maximize the impact of your social media content and repurpose videos and photos showcasing your services.
This is especially important as a small to mid-sized business with a potentially limited marketing budget. Social media marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to execute an advertising strategy. When using paid promotions, start small, access results, and work your way up. By simply putting in a little extra time and resources, you can significantly boost conversion rates and secure those clients.
Conclusion
As you strategize growth for your business and expand your clientele, be sure not to overlook the value of social media as an easily accessible but effective marketing tool. Take advantage of the ability to position yourself virtually in front of different audiences by setting goals, choosing where to show up, curating your content using Unfold, gaining effective engagement, and using paid promotions.
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