Be ever present on your social networks, join in the conversation, provide value and offer help.

Engage with Your Target Market on Social Media

Sitting on social media sidelines (aka “lurking”) doesn’t get clients or build a web reputation. Also, inconsistent and ineffective posting can dilute credibility and trustworthiness–and render the business invisible online.

Instead, be active online, show expertise, and constantly share to let others know who you are and what you’re great at. Engaging with readers and prospective clients is a continuing, long-term tactic. It won’t happen overnight, but frequent sharing eventually builds a positive reputation.

Start by picking critical social networks where your ideal clients are, then get very active there. Post regularly, answer questions, share helpful information, comment on others’ posts, and create great content. Then, jump into a conversation or respond to a post, being mindful always to add value.

One way to think of building online relationships is to imagine attending a cocktail party: you don’t meet a person for the first time and immediately blurt out, “I sell widgets. Want to buy?” If you did, the conversation wouldn’t last very long, I assure you. The same is true online. Remember, everyone is a natural, living person sitting behind that computer or phone screen.

Be mindful too of people you are connecting to online, and review their online reputation. Please make sure they appear natural–no bots or fake accounts–are not too political or radical (unless that is your target audience) and that they generate good content, not spam. Review their profile for issues and check out a range of their posts for potential problems before engaging or sharing them.

The keys to building a positive online reputation via social media are to constantly add helpful content, connect with others, and engage with key influencers.

Use LinkedIn to Discover Ideal Prospects

There are several ways to use LinkedIn to build a positive online reputation and connect with clients. Essentially, publish consistently, as on any social network, and engage in conversations within the appropriate communities.

Try to:

• Search on LinkedIn for already contacted prospective clients, and ask them to Connect, if not already a connection.
• Share interesting articles weekly on your feed.
• Post positive and engaging comments on others’ and prospects’ posts.
• Reach out to others after sharing or commenting on a view of their posts and try to Connect using a brief customize message
• Continue daily.

Eventually, reach out and request a phone call or meeting, mentioning that you’ve enjoyed their content and wanted to get to know them and their business a bit better. Again, this could lead to new business.

Set Up Google Alerts for Content and News

Google Alerts is a great way to notify industry-related news and is an excellent source for content. Sign up for Google Alerts to be notified via email of recent information, articles, blog posts, etc., pertinent for you or your client’s industry.

Enter key phrases, specific people, or businesses to be notified of and set options for messages to be sent immediately. Then, when news happens, share these on social media platforms, such as X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc.,  or even directly to prospective clients. This shows industry expertise and that you are on top of the latest news and trends.

Here are twenty-four tips:

1. Use LinkedIn to Connect with Prospects

Search LinkedIn for prospective clients you’ve already spoken to, and ask them to Connect. Then consistently share related articles daily on your feed.

2. Engage with Prospects and Others on LinkedIn

Like, share, and comment on prospect’s posts and well others that might be potential clients.

3. Connect on LinkedIn to Discover Ideal Prospects

Reach out and request a phone call or in-person meeting after establishing a LinkedIn Connection and having several online interactions.

4. Google Alerts for Content and News

Sign up for Google Alerts to be notified of industry-related news. Then, when something happens, immediately share these on your social media platforms or directly with prospects.

5. Find and Use Hashtags for Posts

Identify key search terms related to your business and your clients, find related hashtags, and add these in social media posts.

Also, append hashtags with a location, such as [keyword]NYC, or [keyword]speaker to draw more attention to your posts.

6. Search for Interesting and Related Topics

Search using hashtags or key search terms for topics, content, influencers, or clients.

7. Discover Industry Leaders

Find “thought leaders” or recognized authorities in your field, and identify, list, and track them.

Conduct a Google search for key topics and notice who published excellent blogs, white papers, or articles and add them to your list.

Look for their X (Twitter) handle; find them on LinkedIn; see if they are on Medium.com and other platforms; and occasionally tag messages and comment on their posts.

8. Connect with Online Authorities

After developing a relationship, ask for their email address to send a helpful article or, if local, try to meet in person.

9. Follow Clients and Prospects on Social Media

For most clients, prospects, key influencers, or who met during coffee or a presentation, search for them on social media. Depending on the industry, look on X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Medium, etc. and follow them. On Twitter, organize them into Lists to easily reference later.

10. Connect Through Comments and Useful Posts

Continually post helpful posts and make comments on crucial influencers across all social media platforms. Do this daily.

11. Tag Influencers on Social Media

Whenever mentioning an influencer on social media, tag them in the post. This catches their attention and starts building a relationship.

Hopefully, if they like the content, they’ll share it with their followers, which in turn leads to additional traffic and a more trusted reputation.

12. Tweet Daily

Write at least one original, thoughtful, or slightly controversial Tweet or comment daily. Be authentic; people will respond. As usual, include appropriate hashtags and key influencers’ X handles.

13. Re-Tweet Several Times Daily

Retweet and comment throughout the day and schedule some “evergreen” or content that will always be relevant in advance. Helpful scheduling tools are Sprout or Hootsuite.

14. Answer questions on Twitter

Search for people asking questions on Twitter and offer useful solutions. Try: #[keyword] help, or [keyword] recommendations.

15. Use Twitter Search for Clients

Try different search phrases to discover potential clients and projects: [Keyword] Consultant; Hiring a [keyword]; Looking for a [keyword].

16. Review Twitter Analytics

Review Analytics (from Twitter Home page; clicking on “…” at the bottom; click on Analytics) to see which posts get the most traffic or engagement. Then, retweet some and try to determine why they were successful.

17. Use the Power of Pinterest

Use Pinterest and Pin frequently from your site, other sites, and within Pinterest. The best times are evenings and weekends. Pin and re-Pin a dozen or more images weekly.

18. Pin Popular Images

View Pinterest Analytics to find the most popular recent Pins, click on them, select Top pin impressions, scroll down for More like this, and share/re-Pin.

19. Create Pinterest Boards

Make a handful of Boards developed around a specific niche that resonates for the prospective client. Then, continue to Pin from a variety of sources and websites–including your own.

20. Post on Instagram

Use Instagram to post images or videos daily or several times a week. Follow related accounts, prospective clients, and even some competitors; like several others’ photos too. When uploading work, be sure to use researched hashtags and link Facebook and Twitter to your account to be posted there as well.

21. Use Snapchat

Join Snapchat, if you’ve not already done so, and add photos as you take there, sharing with Friends.

22. Join TikTok

The video app is exploding in popularity. Although not for everyone or every business, having a presence here can be beneficial. Add a brief ten or twenty-second entertaining video weekly, including hashtags, and search for other videos, Users, or hashtags, and Like or connect with users.

23. Participate in Facebook Groups

Join Facebook groups where your ideal clients are, then answer questions and post relevant articles frequently.

24. Create Facebook Groups

Please create your own Group, add value to others, invite people to your online workshops, offer a free consultation when they need your support, and build relationships that lead to new referrals.