How to Utilize Social Media for Lead Utilization
Friday May 1, 2020
Social media marketing can be an effective business strategy and lead generation tool but only if you are using it the right way. Too many small business owners choose to post content and walk away, assuming that simply having a presence on social media is enough to attract new clients. Unfortunately, there isn’t a marketing channel that exists today that isn’t flooded with businesses yelling at the public to, ‘Pay attention to me!’
It takes more than just setting up a profile and sharing a few links to convert leads into customers. Here’s the breakdown of what you need to do if you want social media to become a lead generation machine for your biz.
Platform & Audience
When looking for new leads and clients, understand the platforms you are using to reach them. Each social media marketing channel attracts different types of audiences and if you don’t understand that, you don’t really know who you are trying to start a conversation with on social.
Determine who your audience is first and then do research on which social media platforms are best to reach that segment of people. For example, if you have a younger audience, you should be on Instagram! If your ideal clients are established business owners or other B2B businesses, you should be rockin’ your content on LinkedIn.
Stop shouting out into the void and expecting to convert people. Without a targeted strategy, and an understanding of where you are and who you’re actually talking to, you’re just wasting your breath (and your time).
Consistent Content
It’s important to NOT be on platforms if you’re not 100% dedicated to producing regular content for that channel. No one wants to get to a naked profile with your logo on it. Bad for biz! (Leave naked things for naughty time…)
You get more eyes on your content when you ACTUALLY POST YOUR CONTENT!!
Business owners have to be posting AT LEAST twice a week to be considered relevant. Some channels are going to require more than that. For example, if you want to make an impact on Instagram stories (great channel) then you need to be sharing content almost daily. Twitter recommendations are 10+ tweets a day!
If someone is trying to determine whether or not you’re legit and they come to your business page and find you haven’t posted in months (maybe YEARS), they are going to seek out another biz that actually appears to be IN business right now.
Know, Like, Trust
The contacts you make on social media are A LOT warmer than you’d think. The content that you’re sharing should be personal to you and your brand because it’s there for people to get to KNOW YOU! You don’t let it all loose on the first date (if you do… I mean… you do you) but when it comes to business, there needs to be some level of trust there. Social media is a great place to build those warm leads.
To build the know, like, and trust necessary for your audience to make a qualified decision on whether or not to work with you, they need to see and hear from you often. You don’t just automatically gain trust by filing for an EIN number. That stuff is earned by showing up and sharing valuable content on a regular basis.
Social Media Advertising
If you’re doing everything you should do organically, a strategic boosting strategy could be the secret sauce you need to get more people to see your content! Every social media channel now has some sort of advertising element to it to help more people see your posts.
Putting just a few buckaroos behind your post could get thousands more people to see your content! This is especially effective if you are using a call to action to send the audience somewhere that’s been designed specifically to convert them into customers such as your services page, a landing/sales page, an online shop, or a page on your website created to persuade people into booking an appointment with you.
It would be nice if you could batch a bunch of posts each month, walk away, and have your bank account magically explode with money and your CRM burst with new lead information. Unfortunately, that’s not how the world works. Social media marketing absolutely works, but only if you use that smart cookie brain of yours to set yourself up for business success! If you are overwhelmed or want a guide to help you navigate these waters, schedule your complimentary Game Plan Analysis. This is where we shine!