These days we are not only limited to cold calling to get the message heard, there are a plethora of options for the sales team and the marketing department to make contact with their prospective clients.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a quick mention to printed media, and whilst it is fast being overtaken by its younger online cousins, there is still a huge choice of printed options to list your adverts, whether you make them specific or general. Don’t forget looking through these printed options can also give you inspiration for your Cold Calling.
Of course, next we move to the internet, within which I will cover websites. By buying more domain names and mapping them to your site you’re increasing the likelihood that a simple search will bring them your way. And of course, there are a whole range of paid for adverts that can target words your intended customers search for.
This then leads me to the big one, social media. You’re probably sitting there thinking, no, social media is not relevant in the workplace, think again, it’s common knowledge that, and I hate using these terms, Generation Y and Millennials actually prefer using social media than answering the phone. Who doesn’t sit there and stare at an unknown number until it goes away?
Then there’s actually the content available on social media, yes Snapchat and Instagram are more of an indirect marketing platform, through your adverts on there and think of your audience and they’ll either share with their friends, or just watch it because they spend a minimum of 90 minutes a day on their phones. Of course, this easy captive audience are also not likely to accept complete tosh such as Kendall Jenner joining a vague protest because a sweaty cellist nodded at her, so they could cheer as she handed a Pepsi to a policeman. You see, it’s easy to reach people, but easy to get this stuff wrong.
Moving on to the heavier platforms you have Facebook, which, as LinkedIn users say, is the place for home life and selfies and not at all for business. But, don’t forget that local knowledge can’t be beaten on Facebook, check the shout out pages, what’s going on there, are there new businesses, or jobs? And if you want to be talked about, then Facebook definitely is the place to get opinions flowing.
Finally there is LinkedIn, not just the more sensible, older brother of Facebook, but is a place to connect, not just as a jobseeker, but as a professional in a work capacity. Do you want to directly speak to the HR team within an organisation? Just look for them on LinkedIn and fire away, it’s a slightly more relaxed place to make those speculative conversations. They can read it in their own time, and it doesn’t directly interfere with their day, in fact they’ll treat reading it as a break, after all, it’s still social media, isn’t it?
LinkedIn can often give you an insight into a company’s staff and their personalities, can tell you what projects are occurring. If they’re hiring or spending money. But what this leads us to realising is, no matter what, at some point, you’re going to have to pick the phone up. You’ve got your name out there, your brand is looking good, you’re speaking with people who work there, and they know your name. But sooner or later, if they haven’t come to you, you’re going to need to ask them if they want to do business with you. In other words, there are other options to cold calling, but if you do everything right, you can make that call a warm one, because they’ll be expecting you.