Be sure to set up a Twitter account and build out your profile. Make sure it is branded similarly to your website, LinkedIn Company profile and any other marketing and social media sites. Have your clients, vendors, friends and co-workers follow you, add a follow link to your website and your email signature and then get started!

1. Identify keywords that your prospects use both in their tweets and their profiles. There are a few ways to accomplish this. First, brainstorm words and pop them into search engines to see what comes up. Next, look at your clients’ tweets and check out the keywords they are using, there is a good chance more people like them are using those words.

2. Search those keywords in Twitter in the search bar or through a social media scheduler such as HootSuite. Be sure to use quotation marks if your phrases are multiple words. Ex.

“Human Resources” You will find many people similar to your client in a stream with real time results and recent updates.

3. Now it is time to listen to what they are saying. Evaluate if they are indeed someone you may be able to help, and if so follow them. You will learn what interests them, what kind of content they find valuable enough to share and you gain some insights on what matters to them.

4. Send them some of your great content with lead capture videos and downloads by mentioning them in a tweet. Ex. “Wanted to share this great HR blog on employee retention @SocialSalesLink URL”

5. Continue to deliver value by retweeting their content or identify their clients and recommend that others follow them in a combine mention – Great post by @kimgarst – Marketing Tips Specifically for #Authors http://bit.ly/HNGXV8” @Lyndonx

6. Follow your competitors’ followers. Don’t go randomly but methodically, they are already people interested in your industry.

7. Post thought provoking discussions and ask for opinions in tweets with mentions. Create and share polls through tweets with mentions requests for votes and input from targeted prospects

8. Once you have conversations and engagement, take it offline and begin to develop real relationships.

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