For each growth strategy you create, you also need to plan how to acquire new and relevant leads. Sometimes, this can be the most challenging part of successfully marketing your business.
The good news here is that social media can be your most valuable lead generation channel if you know how to use it properly for lead generation. With 4.55 billion people using social media worldwide, and 400 million new users within the last 12 months, social media is the perfect channel for companies to reach and attract new business leads. In fact, it’s only a matter of using the correct tactics at the right time. The good news is that sometimes it can cost you next to nothing. Let’s say that your target audience is primarily using Instagram. All it would take is for you to put some effort to grow Instagram organic following and curate your content to draw them in.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best ways to generate business sales leads through social media, but first, let’s take a look at what exactly is social media lead generation and why you need it.
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What Is Social Media Lead Generation And Why You Need It?
As you already probably know, a lead refers to any information that you might use to identify someone interested in your offerings. This could be anything from a name, email address, and telephone number to occupation and employer details. Consequently, social media lead generation is the process of gathering fresh leads using social media channels.
The generation of leads through social media can benefit B2B and B2C marketers as it allows you to pinpoint the social media audiences that are genuinely interested in your business. For example, if you’re interested in collecting B2B leads, you probably know that most of the profiles presented on LinkedIn belong to people in business, making this social media platform the place to find targeted B2B clients for almost any business. Additionally, by utilizing tools like LinkedIn Helper, a lead generation software solution that you can try for free if you visit their official website, you can use their funnel automation software to find B2B clients and turn them into loyal customers.
Put differently, lead generation helps you establish your business as an invaluable resource to prospective clients. In that manner, social media amplifies your lead generation efforts by helping you drive website traffic, raise brand awareness, and improve community engagement.
4 Ways To Generate Leads From Social Media
Share Testimonials As Social Proof
Testimonials and customer stories can both give you the social proof you need to pick up new leads. Showcasing how existing customers have benefited from your products or services can demonstrate and lift your brand value as no other thing can. As a matter of fact, two out of three people are more likely to purchase something after watching a testimonial video that shows how a business, product, or service has helped someone like them.
For example, suppose you sell cosmetics and run an Instagram account of your company. In that case, you could collect positive customer reviews from existing clients and turn them into an animated video to share on your account as social proof. Such video content will get reshared from some of your followers, helping you reach new business leads.
Create Targeted Ads With Special Offers
Furthermore, a paid social media ad strategy is another highly effective way of generating leads on your favorite social media channels. With this approach, you can utilize the concrete targeting options of paid social media ads to show your target audience offers that are made to capture their interest instantly. For example, you can promote content on a specific subject matter, generate limited-time offers, and provide special discounts on your products or services through these ads.
The Economist utilized Instagram ads to target relevant audiences. When individuals click on their social media ad, they get a proposal for 50% off their first three months, a captivating deal that makes the ad’s audience more likely to subscribe to their service.
Generate New Leads By Leveraging Social Media Sponsorships
Suppose you’re not a fan of using paid social media ads. In that case, you can also attract new leads from the social media content that your target audience is already closely following and consuming. To do that, consider sponsoring content, shows, and even YouTube channels that are popular and viewed among your target customers.
This way, you can get a reputable content creator to showcase your brand, products, or services, which can be much more engaging to potential clients than forcing ads that they may not even notice at all. In addition, influencers and content creators help provide a form of social proof. They can offer to connect your sponsorship message seamlessly into their content, helping it reach people who might otherwise vigorously click away from an ad.
Start A Referral Campaign
Last but not least, referral campaigns can also be highly effective in growing your sales leads. Such campaigns incentivize your leads to refer to their family and friends. In other words, the referred people will get to learn about your company and what you offer and potentially become additional new leads. To make this strategy work, you should provide an attractive incentive like a discount, gift, or gift card in exchange for the referral.
Final Thoughts
Well, with the help of the practical social media lead generation ideas mentioned above, you should be able to see a considerable improvement in your social ROI and fuel your overall business growth in the long run. However, constantly measure the impact of your lead generation efforts and always look for new opportunities to improve.
