Many marketers do struggle with measuring ROI on social and some businesses still view social media simply as a tool for customer engagement and brand promotion, but it really is much more than that.
Social media can easily be leveraged by B2B marketers for a steady source of leads. Here are some essential tips to get you started with lead generation for social media:
You should always have a selection of content to hand that is up-to-date, informative, and relevant to your audience as well as a social media strategy for regularly promoting it to your followers. The better your content is, the more likely you are to draw traffic to your site and convert leads. Give them something they will want to read and then share with others when they’re done!
A great thing about social media is that you can easily eavesdrop on other people’s conversations. Twitter is particularly suited for this, allowing you to search for tweets containing keywords or phrases that are relevant to the product or service you provide. This is a really good way of searching for potential leads as it’s so quick and easy to find people who might benefit from your business. Once you’ve found them, there are many options available to you for connecting with them – follow them, message them, send them some relevant content or direct them to your site. Make them aware that you exist and that you can give them what they need!
Social is a two-way street so you should be engaging with your target audience. The aim is to build one-to-one personal relationships with potential leads. Using social media for lead generation is not just about finding new leads. You also have to keep them engaged once you’ve got them! Answer their queries, ask questions and initiate discussions – the possibilities are endless! Make sure you regularly provide your followers with valuable content as well as keeping them up-to-date with the latest company developments and industry trends. You could also give them incentives such as offers and promotions that are only available to your followers – this will incentivise them to keep following you as well as drawing in new potential leads. One last piece of crucial advice is to keep your brand human. Show a personal side in your social media updates rather than just spouting out links to content and directing people to your site. This will allow you to build better relationships with your followers and make them more likely to engage with you. Adjust your tone according to which social network you are using – for example, Facebook allows you to adopt a more light-hearted approach than LinkedIn, which is more professional.
To sum up, using social media can be a valuable marketing tool. It allows you to easily reach out to potential leads, spark interest and maintain engagement and promote your content to followers.
For more information about Lead nurturing, download our eBook The Ultimate Guide to Lead Generation.