How to Maximise Social Media Lead Generation

29/10/2017 | Share:

When thinking about what social media is typically used for, gaining leads isn’t the obvious answer. Social media is generally used for brand building and communicating with your customers.

B2B clients are not likely to make the decision to invest in a product or service on a whim (unless you’re me and you have a problem with impulse buying… but that’s another story).

Using social media as a B2B sales channel won’t work as well as it would for a B2C company. However, social media, when used correctly, can be a great tool for generating quality leads for your business.

What is Lead Generation?

Lead generation is gaining information about your potential customers that you can then use to meet their needs in the best way possible. This could be by signing up to a mailing list, filling out a survey or signing up to a free trial.

From Customer Engagement Tool to Lead Generating Machine

In social media, your content needs to reflect the interests and needs of your target audience. Your content shouldn’t be just about you and your services, it should be about building relationships and trust with your audience. The rules of lead generation are no different.

Below are 5 tips on generating leads through social media:

1. Create Gated Content

Gated content is content that is valuable to your customer. It is made available to them once they provide some information about themselves. This can be anything from a case study to a video.

Post a link to the landing page where they will be asked to provide information. Some will leave once realising they have to do this but those who are truly interested will fill out the form and you will gain a quality lead.

2. Build Relationships

You are probably already using your social media channels to connect with your customer. But if you want to generate leads you have to be more proactive. LinkedIn is one of the most popular channels for generating B2B leads. Introduce yourself to potential customers and clients, join relevant groups and keep your business page up to date.

For all social media channels, make sure that you are active. If someone comments on your post, reply to them. Engage with potential clients content and actively search for potential clients to follow.

3. Build Your Brand

Social media is a great tool to reach out to your potential customers and clients. It’s important to make sure that all your content is on brand and your tone of voice is appropriate. If you can create a strong, memorable personality around your brand, you are more likely to resonate with people and stand out from your competitors.

4. Social Media Ads

Social media advertising is a great way to specifically target the people the most interested in your products, so make sure you know your target demographic. Content such as gated content and exclusive discounts are both effective in gaining leads.

Different channels offer different ad formats, most include a call to action button, explaining to the user exactly what they need to do to access the content. As well as creating qualified leads, this will reduce costs as uninterested people will be less likely to click through.

5. Quality Content

It seems obvious, but it is vital that your social media channels are regularly updated. Make sure your content in valuable and interesting to your audience and when relevant, includes links back to your website. If your content is valuable and interesting to your audience they will be more likely to share and engage and new people will be more likely to follow. Whether it’s a blog post or a funny Gif, make sure its relevant to your business and people will engage.

By following these tips you will be able to generate plenty of qualified leads for your business. Social media, when used correctly, is one of the fastest and cost effective ways of creating leads. The most important thing to remember is to keep your customer’s needs in focus. Pasting your product all over their timeline will do nothing for your lead generating success. Get to know your consumer and they will begin to trust you and be more willing to show genuine interest in your service.