Many are finding that the normal in-person networking events, even if permitted, are risky for themselves or their customers. In the service business, there are two “types” of business networking that are critical to business survival, despite the current pandemic:
- Networking to find new customers
- o Networking to remind friendly contacts and customers that you are still ready to service them.
If you’re looking for new customers, it’s a great time to
sharpen your social media skills and open yourself up to new possibilities. Consider
a tool like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, which gives great access to lead lists
that fit the profile of customers you are already serving . You can also use blogs and social media content
(combined with options like Facebook’s Boost to help get fresh eyes on your business content and ideas. Both of these can
provide great intros to new contacts. Further, careful audience selection will
allow you to titrate your ad investment to the preferred customer location and
profile.
“With all the new electronic (touchless) lead generation, I
remind people not to forget the older techniques. Postcards to a tested list,
and joint venture outreach with trusted professionals serving the same market
can be highly successful,” says Service for Profit’s Tom Pencek.
But what about reaching out to friendly contacts? Well, it
turns out that it’s easier than ever to do that while staying home – especially
if you have the contact info of the people you’re trying to reach. In this case,
it is all about choosing a method of contact that is most convenient for your
audience.
I’m a big believer in periodic emails that are tailored for
your target audience. I recommend MailChimp for this, as it is free for smaller
lists (<2000 names).
Podcasting is becoming more accepted as an outreach method for some customers
as well. Walking with earphones and listening to recorded content seems to be
common these days in Silicon Valley. Google has stepped up to create an educational series on Podcasting, and provides new podcasters training on how
to get into this outreach method .
Bottom line, some contacts prefer a light touch. It’s a good
idea to make an initial contact and ask permission before routinely sending
them an ongoing series of emails or other content. Once that’s done, you can use
anything in your newly expanded toolkit to effectively market your services and
connect with customers.
