Social media might not be the first channel you consider as away to grow your client base, but maybe it should be. If you thinkabout it, social media networks are all aboutrelationships. And what’s more key to your business than buildingrelationships?

That’s why you really can’t afford to ignore it. Today, 73percent of people using social media as part of the sales processoutperform their peers and exceed quota 23 percent more often.Those are pretty compellingnumbers when it comes to sales.

Where do you start?

Wondering which social media channel(s) to focus on? To start,I’d recommend LinkedIn. Everybody knows LinkedIn makes goodbusiness sense. It’s a gathering place for professionals, a placewhere members connect with companies and companies connect witheach other. While some may discount it as an ineffective approach,many others would say it’s a land of opportunity.

I personally questioned it. But a few years ago, I began torecognize its value. I’d been repeatedly reaching out to a keybusiness prospect — phone, email and even a personal visit. Noluck. So in exasperation, I turned to LinkedIn and discovered thatone of my connections had a connection to the prospect. Through LinkedIn, the door was opened and I stepped throughit.

What are the possibilities?

Through social media channels, you can:

• Network with clients, prospects, industry experts andpeers
• Be a resource for clients
• Grow your own professional brand
• Provide benefit education, insights and information
• Open doors and generate leads

If it’s something you aren’t engaging in today, it’s time tostart thinking about how to make social media part of your plan.Whether you use LinkedIn or some other social media tool, here aresome tips for doing that.

Do

• Strengthen your social media profile. Just byadding a profile picture, you’ll increase views by 14 times. Addingthe name of your industry raises views by 15 times. And including asummary boosts views by seven times, according to LinkedIn.
• Post content regularly. Position yourself as athought leader your connections look to for important insights.Share case studies, real-life examples and other valuableinformation.
• Join discussion groups. They’re a great placeto pose questions, create discussions and share insights, and theyoffer an ideal forum to spotlight your own expertise and make newconnections.
• Nurture leads. Most social media tools workwell within a multi-channel approach to help you nurture leads. Usethem as one way to follow up with clients and prospects after ameeting or a phone call.

Don’t

• Sell. Instead, concentrate on establishingconnections. Engage and educate. Build trust and differentiateyourself as a valuable resource.
• Used canned responses. Be authentic with yourconnections.
• Mix personal and professional. If your plan isto use a particular social media channel for making businessconnections, stick to business on that channel. The same goes foryour personal social media channels.
• Expect all your clients to connect via socialmedia. Build social into your marketing plans, butcontinue to customize service to your clients’expectations.

In addition to LinkedIn, which has broad application across allindustries, consider branching out. Different industries andprofessions have their own social networks. For example, human resources professionals can connect viaHR.com. Legal professionals connect via community.martindale.com.Search for networks that might be relevant to your clients. Otherbusiness-oriented social networks include Opportunity.com andRyze.com.

Maintaining a presence on social media is a real investment thatcan help you build your business. Social networks are no longer anadd-on to your marketing strategy. They’re an essentialingredient.