Social media marketing has become a pinnacle of all types of marketing campaigns.
Many businesses, big or small, use social media to consistently boost their brand’s visibility and awareness, propelling customer engagements.
It can be a powerful marketing tool for developing leads, a goldmine rather. However, the only problems, most businesses don’t leverage social media platforms optimally to generate new leads.
If you’re among those businesses, read on to know what you can do differently to get the results you desire.
5 foolproof strategies you can implement to generate more leads through social media
Select the right platform
Today, if your brand is not visible on your target audience’s timeline, you can be sure that your competitor is.
It is vital to have a powerful social media presence in today’s corporate stratosphere. However, it is also true that we see an increasing number of social media networks that people use. So, it is unwise to engage with your customers using multiple platforms.
Apart from the fact that you are going to be wasting time, you won’t be getting the leads you hoped for. So, the best thing to do here is using a social media scheduler to make the most out of your marketing strategies on popular social networks such as Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram.
You will need to narrow down all the viable options and focus on your efforts on social channels that can help get you the results you want. That also depends on the type of product or service you are offering.
Content will always be king
In the era of social media, there are plenty of people that think blogging has gone out of fashion – that it is no longer relevant. And because of the speed and simplicity of using social marketing tools, most have abandoned blogging and just focus on using social media ads to generate more leads.
This is unwise!
As per studies, it was identified that businesses that invest in blog content are able to make 67% more leads than the companies that don’t. Despite the demand and popularity of social networking platforms, it is hard to deny the increasing demand for quality content.
Diversity is what is going to help you generate leads. Sure, all the photos and videos that you post on your social media will help with social media engagement, but never stick to doing one thing.
Mix things up, throw in quality, yet relevant blog or two to spice up your engagement. You can establish yourself as an authority on the type of service or brand you are marketing. And once your fans and followers see you as the industry expert in your niche, you can be sure more leads will flock to you!
Market gated content
Gated content is an excellent way of gaining more leads. You can use gated content to request users to fill out short forms in return for content.
You may have come across gated content on social media every now and then, where you have to like the page or fill out a form to access the content or to avail of an offer.
According to research, it was discovered that 80% of business-to-business products are gated. However, this will only work if you are offering valuable content (such as webinars, case studies, or ebooks) in exchange.
Users must trust the source of the content; it should be valuable enough that they give you their email. But if you are a startup, then you aren’t visible to your target audience yet. So gated content is not going to work for you here. You are going to have first to develop a relationship with your prospects and gain their trust. Think of a blog!
Word of mouth campaign
In the digital stratosphere, customer referrals or word of mouth marketing has become a critical source of generating new leads. As a matter of fact, many people actively seek consistent and sure-shot recommendations from their friends and family.
They are of the view that if their friends recommend them a product or service they trust, it must be great. How often have your peers or friends recommended that you try a lunch menu from a restaurant you have not heard of?
Similarly, you must have also purchased a product just because a social influencer or a family member recommended it. And chances are you may have also shared your experience forward.
Consumers today are smart and savvy. They don’t easily get enticed by brand advertisements; what they look for are good and bad reviews or feedback left by other customers. That is what drives them to make their buying decision.
That is also why, as a business, you should always ask your customers to leave you honest feedback or review. Many would be happy to recommend your product or service to their group of friends or family. These are the people who are going to help you expand, gain momentum and popularity in a competitive market.
Invest in giveaways and contests
Another great way of developing leads is to post social media giveaways and contests frequently. Apart from helping you generate leads, this is also going to help increase your brand’s visibility, awareness, and overall engagement.
However, if you want this to work out the way you hope, you have to give your users what they want, something that appeals to them.
You may have come across multiple giveaways saying how you could win the new iPhone or iPad if you participate in a contest. This is an excellent idea, but remember, be sure to run a giveaway that is related to your business. The point is to attract new prospects, not new entrants.
Your ultimate goal is to generate leads and boost sales. That means you must offer a contest that focuses on your ideal audience.
Bottom line
Generating new leads is not rocket science; you need to know what works for you. These are amongst the top tips you can implement to expedite your sales and propel your company into the future.
