Generating leads is nothing new. Professionals have been knocking on doors, sending out mail, and making phone calls to generate leads long before it became main stream online. The internet has changed a lot, including the way companies generate leads. Those older tactics are still relevant to a large degree, but businesses must learn to accommodate for the new generation if they want their marketing efforts to be successful.
At the same time, this new generation is less responsive to advertisements than any before, including online advertisements. How then do businesses generate leads and attract new customers if their advertisements aren’t having their full effect? (Check out these website optimization techniques to increase business leads.)
They must turn to social media and peer-to-peer influence. Social media has always been viewed as a tool for increasing brand awareness, which it is, but it is also a great source for lead generation.
The Power Of Social Media
In 2015, 82 percent of adults between the ages of 18 to 29 were members of Facebook (Source). [Tweet “In 2015, 82 percent of adults between the ages of 18 to 29 were members of Facebook”]Everyone in this age range was born after 1980 and before 2010, which places them in the “Millenials” generation.
How do businesses know what social media platforms to use? How do they know whether they are generating quality leads and earning a decent Return on Investment(ROI)?
Choose Your Social Media Platforms
Do not make the mistake of thinking Facebook is the one and only solution for social media lead generation. There are quite a few social media platforms available and they each have some unique benefits. If you want your sales team to find high-quality prospects, then they need to know which of these platforms to utilize.
– Facebook
– Pinterest
– Twitter
– Youtube
These are five of the best social media platforms. Choosing the correct platforms will require knowing your audience, your goals, and your business. You also have to pay attention to the statistics. For example, if you have an e-commerce website, then you need to have Pinterest on your side. 87 percent of Pinterest users have purchased a product they discovered while using Pinterest (Source). [Tweet “87 percent of Pinterest users have purchased a product they discovered while using Pinterest”]
Does using Pinterest mean you put other social media platforms to the side? Absolutely not. In fact, effectively managing a presence on multiple platforms is crucial. For instance, Instagram can be a powerful tool for visual storytelling and reaching a younger audience. Utilizing a tool to manage Instagram accounts can help you schedule posts, track engagement, and analyze performance metrics across all your profiles, making your social media efforts more efficient and impactful.u should use multiple platforms and find ways to measure your statistics collectively.
Consider that businesses using Twitter for lead generation generate about twice as many leads each month as companies that do not. Using cool Twitter icons and Twitter cards helps with this—for example, use a “call-to-action” button to take people directly to a landing page when they click on your icon or card. Thus, if you’re running an e-commerce site, then you already know you need to use Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Pinterest Shops offer huge benefits for brands looking to capitalize on the growing trends in social commerce.
Facebook is always included primarily because of their massive user base. More people use Facebook than the entire population of China. At the same time, Facebook can be difficult to use at first because most people use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, not to find new businesses. It is a slow and steady source of lead generation compared to other platforms.
Measure The Quality Of Your Leads
Not all leads are of the same quality. How do you know what leads are qualified and what leads are not likely to convert? By implementing user-friendly forms that encourage visitors to supply some basic information. You do not need to gather their medical records and family history, just some demographic information that will let you know whether a person who followed your link fits your target audience.
– Full Name
– Age
– Work Email
– Company
You can accomplish this fairly easily with gated content. This is content that cannot be reached without filling out a short form. Of course, visitors will not fill out this form if it seems long, intrusive, or boring. You have to make it short, sweet, and creative. You also need to have it gating information the visitor actually wants to read.
You or your sales team will post the media on the appropriate sites with a link. The link brings them to the gate page where they are encouraged to fill out the form if they want the entirety of the information. The information you gather will be extremely useful by allowing you to track your ROI, as well as develop more appropriate content in the future.
Combining Your Sources
Your goal should be to use social media to perfect your lead-generation strategy. Do not throw your telephones away or delete your email lists just because Facebook seems more relevant. Instead, use social media in conjunction with your existing lead-generation tactics to achieve the best results.
