Many people don't realize Twitter can be used for lead generation and sales. Many salespeople never learn how to use Twitter effectively.

Some don't even have an account.

While it takes some time and effort to learn how to use Twitter for lead generation it can be a massively effective tool when used strategically. It's not enough just get followers. To generate leads on Twitter you need to target the right people aka your prospects.

Here's the strategy I've used to transform completely dormant Twitter accounts into a highly effective lead generation tool for salespeople and brands.

The key is to identify who your competitors' customers are and then go after them!

It's not enough to just get followers on Twitter. To get sales, you need to have followers who are interested in what your company is offering. That's why this strategy is brilliant. The people following your competitors are likely interested in what they have to offer. Because why else would they follow them unless they're a bot.

Here's how simple it is. Just go to a competitor's page, find their followers, and click on them. This will instantly reveal every account that is following them. Boom! There's your leads list.

Not every account will be a lead but many of them on the list will be and the others might be people you want following you from your industry.

Start following the ones who could be potential clients or who look like they are interesting accounts from your industry. When you do this many of them will look at your profile to determine whether or not they want to follow you back.

If your profile has been optimized with a quality profile picture, custom background image, compelling copy in your summary section, and interesting tweets in your feed. There is a strong chance they will follow you back. And if they have a business need for your product or service, they just might reach out.

Additionally, look at your competitor's tweets to see which accounts are actively engaging with them. Doing so will show you who their superfans are.

After you follow the new accounts, give them a reasonable amount of time to follow you back. If they don't follow back, you can go ahead and assume they are either not interested or inactive. Make to sure unfollow these accounts. (Never unfollow the accounts that follow you back. This can get you in trouble with Twitter and besides it's just not cool).

If your Twitter account is underperforming in the lead generation department, I highly recommend you give this method a shot!

Author's Bio: 

Author, Freelance writer