Just because a business has built a website and social media presence doesn’t mean that it is going to generate any leads.
The power of social media needs to be leveraged the right way if lead generation is the main goal behind creating an online presence.
Here are ten ways to get more leads through your social media strategy
1. Seven Key Assets
There are seven key assets that can be used for achieving full social media engagement online:
- People
- Locations
- Words
- Audio
- Images
- Video
- Stories
Here are some live examples:
A comprehensive and effective online marketing campaign should leverage all these elements in a balanced way to create complete engagement.
2. Relate to Your Target Market
The ability to relate with a brand is what makes people convert into leads. This is a major factor you should focus on when using social media. Create a strong brand message and convey it, directly and indirectly, through your social media posts.
Think about it for a second. Would you purchase from someone online if you didn’t relate to them in some way? I would argue a majority of consumers wouldn’t purchase.
Build a relationship with your target market first. You know they are going to copy and paste your company name in Google do a bunch of research on you before they even purchase. Relate to your target market and make it easier for them to trust you.
3. Don’t be a bore
Creating compelling communications is important on social media. The message you create for these platforms should be irresistible, easy to relate to, and laid out in the simplest of words.
Write as if you are talking to another live person rather than creating messages that come off like marketing spin.
Remember to follow the Seven Key Assets from point #1. This will be the corner stone to every piece of communication you send out.
4. Your Competition is Doing It – Be Better
Competition between businesses on social media is thick and the need to stand out from all the muck is critical.
If you want to get noticed, you have to become a good friend to your audience. While brands might be forgettable, friends always have distinctive places in a person’s life, no matter how many friends they have. That is what you should aim for with friendly messages.
How to do this?
If your target is baking a cake or took a picture of a meal they just ate or maybe they are on vacation and are tweeting about it. Ask open-ended questions, this is critical.
Ask “That cake looks delicious, do you have a recipe?“
Ask “That meal looks fantastic where did you get that?“
Ask “The beach looks amazing where is that?“
Simple open-ended questions crates engagement. Continue this to build the relationship then after a handful of tweets. Send them a link to an article on your site.
5. Have some Common Sense
Communication etiquette should be observed carefully in your social media interactions. When communicating on these platforms, you shouldn’t only focus on your content; instead, you should promote others liberally as well. This will only show your audience that you are confident about your own product.
Sharing other content doesn’t mean your competitors. It could be a great recipe you just found (if its related to your target market) or an effective way to build a website (if it is related to your target market)
6. Don’t Take Feedback Personally, Learn From It
The most important thing on social media platforms is acknowledging your audience’s feedback. If someone asks a question, make sure that it is answered at the earliest. You should always make time to respond to your audience’s feedback on social media platforms. The same applies to your customer service!
Wait to sync as we polish up Nike+, but don’t wait to get in that workout. | http://t.co/ChCJWt05bi
— Nike Support (@NikeSupport) January 15, 2014
If someone is attacking the company or “Trolling” DO NOT try to dismantle their argument They wont back down. Simply take the message offline by asking them to PM you.
7. Search Engines Love Content
Remember that your social media content shows up in search results on search engines. Therefore, all your content on social media should be keyword-optimized to an extent so that it can show up in search results.
8. Knowledge is King
Knowledge sharing is what counts the most when it comes to online marketing. When connecting with your audience on social media, don’t be reluctant in sharing as much information as possible. Your knowledge is a valuable asset that can be used for gaining the trust of the audience on these platforms.
9. Listen All the Time and Never Stop Listening
Monitoring conversations that are related to your brands on social media is definitely an effort you shouldn’t slack off on. You can use social media listening tool and learn what people talk about in relation with your brand. This can help you respond to their conversations more swiftly.
10. Calls-to-Action It Is Worth Doing
Integrating as many call-to-action tabs as possible on your social media platforms is a good way to encourage people to become leads. These call-to-action tabs on social media can be a multiple of things: a small sign-up form, a sharing feature or a plug-in leading to other platforms.
If you leverage social media campaigns for your brands the right way, you will have higher chances of converting your audience into leads.
