On this week’s Dear Katie, I was asked a very interesting question: We’re a well-established firm with around 400 employees and are just starting to get into social media. How can we effectively target our ideal clients we serve using digital marketing?
Most smaller firms assume that larger firms have everything in order, but even those with 400 employees are looking for ways to target their ideal clients.
And this is a nuanced question because you can take so many approaches:
I’m going to pick just one approach – organic social media – and break down how to find your ideal clients on social.
P.S. My last suggestion is one of the most successful methods I’ve seen, and I haven’t seen anyone talking about it yet.
Some social media sites, mainly LinkedIn, make it easy to engage with potential clients through its Sales Navigator Feature. You can search for clients and start to have conversations by searching:
You can add your entire client profile and find people that fit your definition of “ideal clients” in seconds.
LinkedIn is a great choice, but don’t forget about Facebook Groups. Prospects often tell me that their ideal client isn’t using Facebook, but with over 3 billion monthly active users, trust me when I say that you have dream clients on Facebook.
And there are groups for all types of businesses:
Spend time looking through Facebook Groups; I’m confident you’ll find many groups where your clients spend their time.
Podcasts can be a valuable resource for finding and connecting with your ideal clients. Not only can you find podcasts in your niche, but you can also see who their hosts are and their guests. Podcast guests are likely in your niche and may even be your ideal client.
Or, they may be people you want to connect with for a collaboration.
As a bonus, these podcasts can give you some great ideas or topics to cover in your content.
But Katie – aren’t we talking about social media? Yes! But you can still use events to find your ideal clients on social media. How?
If you want to take this one step further, you could see if the event has a hashtag. If so, search for it while the event is taking place to find people who are attending. There’s a good chance that at least some of the attendees will be your ideal client.
Every niche has a top list of some kind. For example, in the accounting industry, we have:
We also have smaller lists, like this one from Financial Cents that was shared over the summer.
Whatever your niche, start looking for “top” lists and see who is on them. Then, start sending congratulatory messages to anyone who fits your ideal client profile. Congratulating them on their accomplishment is a great way to strike up a conversation via social media.
When I first started Leaders Online, I landed one of my first clients using this exact strategy, and it’s still one that we use today because it’s so effective. Even if they don’t turn into a client, you will still make connections with influential people in your niche.
And there you have it – my 5 go-to strategies for finding ideal clients on social media. Experiment with one, all or a combination of these strategies to start making connections.
And, that’s a wrap on this Dear Katie question.
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Now I want to hear from you. Do you have a question?
Until next time, cheers to your success!
Katie
You can use platforms like LinkedIn to search for potential clients by titles, locations, and industries. Engaging directly with these profiles can help initiate conversations.
Yes, Facebook Groups can be a great resource. Many of your ideal clients are likely participating in groups related to their industries, so exploring these can lead to valuable connections.
Podcasts in your niche can connect you with ideal clients. Look at the hosts and guests, as they may be potential clients or collaborators.
Attending niche events can help you find ideal clients. You can connect with speakers and attendees on social media, especially by using event hashtags.
Researching ‘top’ lists in your industry allows you to identify influential people. Sending congratulatory messages to those on the lists can open up conversations.
Experiment with a combination of strategies like direct outreach, joining groups, engaging with podcasts, attending events, and recognizing achievements through top lists to build connections.