What’s your ‘next step’ on social media?

There’s no point in spending your time tweeting and building your online presence unless you make it useful to your practice. When prospective clients find you online, create a defined process that helps them get to know, like and trust you, says Stephanie Sammons, founder of Wired Advisor, a digital marketing firm for advisors. Prospective clients are doing their homework online more than ever, Sammons says; most need to have seen or engaged with you seven to 10 times online before they’ll take the next step. “It's important to have a process in place that enables you to be consistently visible and valuable with your target markets, in order to build familiarity and trust,” she says. To move that process along, offer compelling offers -- a complimentary guide, for instance, or an email coaching course, webinar, or consultation. It’s all about drawing prospective clients in. Your strategy should help you attract and nurture digital online leads to your business, Sammons says: “Understand that social media marketing is about building influence with your target markets and ‘pulling’ them in.”