4 Tips to Generate Leads with Social Media

Today, more so than ever, social media should be near or at the very top of your list of priorities when it comes to lead generation.

Why? Because social media is where users are spending their time.

In fact, almost 55% of internet users are on social media. Consequently, businesses that incorporate social media into their lead generation strategies are likely to achieve better results throughout the funnel, from building awareness to boosting sales conversions.

Here are some of the key benefits of generating leads through social media compared to other channels:

• Search engine optimization is getting harder and harder, because search engines such as Google are constantly being updated, making it difficult for marketers to ensure their SEO is up to scratch
• Alternatively, if you want to bid on keywords to make your website rank highly on search engines, or paid search for ad placement on SERPs, these methods require high budgets

With most smaller businesses being priced out of the competition, social media offers a low-cost form of marketing that can help to increase brand awareness, reach out to new customers and increase website traffic.

Whether you are a B2B or B2C business, you can use social media across your sales funnel. It allows your prospects to become customers and it lets you nurture those new relationships, leading to better connections and eventually more conversions.

Social media offers a chance for businesses to establish a direct line of communication between the brand and its customers. You can directly communicate with them, listen to their feedback or even have conversations about specific topics. This has the effect of creating bonds with prospects and customers at different stages of the marketing funnel. Moreover, it helps create a sense of community for customers surrounding the brand. It’s no surprise then that eMarketer found that 59% of marketers think social media marketing is the most effective tactic for improving lead generation quality.

Moreover, it was widely agreed that the best platform for generating leads was Facebook.

How to use social media marketing for lead generation

We know why generating leads on social media is necessary, but the question that remains is how?

With that in mind, here is a whistle-stop guide on how to leverage social media to attract new customers and keep them engaged:

1. Run social media paid ads to generate leads

Once you’ve exhausted organic lead collection measures, or if you want to boost those efforts, you can always turn to social media paid ads.

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram are the four main social platforms that most businesses choose for lead generation and brand promotion. 38% of organisations plan to spend more than 20% of their total advertising budgets on social media channels.

Running paid social media ads enables you to capture data from your target audience, gain vital insights and use them to make your paid social media more powerful and effective than ever.

2. Offer personalised, human experiences to stand out

Everybody would prefer to make a purchase from a brand that looks and feels authentic and personal. You can use social media to present a human face to your brand that stands out in a sea of faceless corporate accounts.

There are many ways to achieve this, but here are just some:

• Sign-off with your first name
• Respond to questions with humour and warmth, be loving
• Put a face to the name. Post pictures of staff so people know who they are talking to
• Try starting conversations with your customers, not just liking and sharing

3. Create and share valuable content

It is not enough to create exceptional content if you don’t distribute it wisely.

Social media is one of the main channels from which you can distribute your content. Make sure your content is relevant, addressing your target audience's needs and pain points. On top of this, you want to offer them a viable solution through the products or services that you offer. It boils down to a simple exchange of value. You offer them something free, maybe some advice, and in exchange they give you their time by reading the post and, with luck, eventually buying your product.

In terms of format, it’s helpful to understand which kind of content is best for each platform: artful images for Instagram, longer text posts or videos for Facebook and so on.

Be careful of making your content too long or too short. Depending on the social media site, there are character appropriate guidelines for the length of the post that are advisable.

4. The power of video

Social media video marketing is one of the latest trends that businesses are adopting. According to the Web Marketing Video Council’s recent study, 60% of brands are now using video on social networks. If you have the capabilities, it’s well worth implementing videos into your social media plan.

How to measure social engagement

Okay, so you’ve done all the right things. You’ve implemented social media paid ads, you’ve got some compelling content out there, you’ve started to make your brand feel personable and now you're starting to see the results with more people showing interest in your brand via social media. It’s high time that you started to measure just how well you are doing.

Thankfully, there are plenty of tools out there to provide a general overview or see your various social stats in one place.

Here’s a rundown of what you can get on some of the most popular social media platforms:

Facebook/Instagram

As Facebook shuts down Facebook Analytics on June 30, 2021, they’re recommending users switch to Facebook Business Suite, if available.

Facebook Business Suite is a one-stop-shop to manage all your connected accounts across Facebook and Instagram.

Here, you can see metrics, trends and visual reports to help you gain insights about your overall account or individual posts. These insights might include…

• Engagement, including likes and comments
• Demographic information about your followers
• Reach of your Facebook Page

Twitter

Likewise, Twitter offers a robust set of tools to measure your metrics.

You can track the following metrics on Twitter:

• Engagement rate: How many engagements and impressions did it get?
• Reach percentage: How many followers saw a given tweet?
• Link clicks: How many click-throughs did a posted link get?
• Optimal posting time: When is your audience most likely to be online? What time zone do they live in?

TikTok

To check your TikTok analytics and stats, you’ll need to upgrade to a Pro account. Here’s what you will get:

• Audience demographics: What is my follower growth? What are they watching and listening to? Where do they live and how do they identify?
• Profile views: When has my traffic spiked?
• Content stats: Which videos have been viewed the most this week? How long is the average play time? How many comments, likes and shares did my video get?

And there you have it, a small but powerful guide to effective lead generation with social media. Implementing our tips and tricks is a sure-fire way to start gaining some brand awareness via social media, which you can accurately measure via the all-important tracking aspect. It may take some time to master, but it's definitely worth the effort.

To supercharge your business’ growth using social media, book a demo with Dolead today.

FAQ: Generating Leads with Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool for generating leads and growing your business. Here are some frequently asked questions about using social media to generate leads:

How can I use social media to generate leads?

To generate leads with social media, you can start by creating engaging and shareable content, optimizing your profiles for lead generation, running targeted ads, and actively engaging with your audience.

Which social media platforms are best for lead generation?

The best social media platforms for lead generation depend on your target audience and business goals. However, popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter are often effective for generating leads.

How can I optimize my social media profiles for lead generation?

To optimize your social media profiles for lead generation, make sure to include a clear call-to-action, provide valuable content, use relevant keywords, and regularly update your profiles with relevant information.

What are some effective strategies for running lead generation ads on social media?

Some effective strategies for running lead generation ads on social media include targeting specific demographics, using compelling visuals and ad copy, offering incentives or freebies, and using lead capture forms to collect contact information.

Remember, generating leads with social media requires consistency, strategic planning, and a deep understanding of your target audience. By implementing these tips, you can maximize your lead generation efforts and achieve better results.