Social media is the rage, there is no doubt about it. With the Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and pictures all catching the attention of a huge number of people, it does have a lot of potentials for a professional lead generation campaign. It is new, it attracts a lot of prospects, and it can certainly help you engage them in a conversation. Surely, this is the best way to attract more B2B leads. It could very well replace telemarketing, right? Well, some marketers might disagree. Before you start saying that those who beg to differ are relics of the past, we must first identify the reasons why social media could not replace telemarketers in generating qualified sales leads.

For one, social media is just that, social. It is merely a platform in which to engage prospects in a conversation, probably about things in common and interests. While it is good to talk to business prospects, the problem here is that some marketers are tempted to replace their entire campaign process with social media – which is a very bad move. Social media is meant to communicate with prospects. Other methods like telemarketing is meant to convert prospects into qualified sales leads. Believe it or not, calling people on the phone is a much needed medium for inside sales people.

Another point to consider are the required steps in qualifying business leads. Social media will help you find prospects, yes, but it is not that efficient in qualifying the prospects. Indeed, there will be some details that will not be clear through this medium. If you want to be sure that your prospects will indeed become viable leads, then you need to perform a more in-depth check on them. And you can only do that by talking directly to them. Even if you cannot do it in person, at least you can use the phone for the job. A skilled lead generation specialist will be able to wring out the true details when the call.

Of course, there is no reason to look at social media as below telemarketing. Indeed, both should be working side by side. You can only say so much on the phone without the prospect losing you. In case you need to say a few more details, social media services can provide that. You have to admit that these can be very powerful tools for inside sales. There are a lot of opportunities that can be found this way. And there are other tools available, like email and blogging. These can help you bring more customers to your business. Which will be all good for you.

Basically speaking, the aim here is to make talking to prospects easier to make. Sure, cold calling may have its detractors, but this is where social media can help. While talking to prospects in blog posts and tweets, you can create there an opportunity, an opening in which you can directly communicate with them on the phone. That will help you get the job done better.