There are around 4.70 billion social media users across the globe. While it may seem easier to generate leads from a cohort this big, it’s not as easy as you might think. But with the right methods, you can excel at social media lead generation, and that is exactly what we will discuss today.
Every 4 in 10 marketers are successfully generating 20% leads for their clients from social media. Compare this with the fact that 80% of customers look towards social media to make purchase decisions, so you have a goldmine of leads there.
Enough about the greatness of social media. Let’s delve deep into how to leverage the large social media expanse to generate leads.
How is Social Media Better Than Other Sources of Lead Generation?
Tint survey finds that 68.75% of customers have purchased something after seeing it on a social media platform. This further cements the fact that social media is a great source for lead generation.
Here are a few other reasons that make social media a better source for lead generation.
- Social Media Lead Generation Costs are Less
Compared to traditional methods, social media lead generation costs less. You can adopt a targeted approach and personalize the content to a specific audience type. In addition to this, the platform costs are less here than other sources, and you have more control over how your content is published.
- Customers Interaction is Better on Social Media Platforms
Social media users are more connected to a brand than other sources for the following reasons:
- Customers engage in two-way communication in real time;
- Brands can personalize their content and messages according to customer interest and behavior;
- Brands can provide quick customer service to enhance brand trust and loyalty.
While the likelihood of customer interaction through social media is better, it can vary with content quality and customer preferences.
- Better Tools to Analyze Strategies and Tactics
Every social media platform has in-app tools to help brands analyze their strategies. For instance, on Facebook, you can measure key engagement metrics, including Likes, Comments, Shares, Clicks, Reach, and Impressions, among others.
Then, there are options to set filters for analyzing results specific to a type of audience and content. You can also integrate these in-app analytics tools with third-party solutions to get a more comprehensive view of your social media marketing efforts.
What really sets successful brands apart in social media marketing these days is their ability to turn these metrics into actionable stories about their audience. Think about it – when you’re deep in the trenches of social media marketing, it’s not just about collecting data; it’s about understanding the subtle rhythms of when your audience engages and why they click. We’ve found that brands who take time to digest these insights end up crafting content that feels more like a conversation and less like a broadcast, which is exactly what today’s savvy social users are looking for.
Using this information, it’s easier to track social media campaign performance and identify areas of improvement. As a result, it’s easier to optimize the strategies to achieve better results.
What’s really interesting is that when you measure key engagement metrics consistently, patterns start emerging that you might have missed otherwise. I’ve found that diving deep into these numbers week after week reveals surprising insights about when your audience is most active and what type of content really gets them talking.
The cool thing is, once you start connecting these dots, you can actually predict which posts will take off and which might need a different approach – it’s like having a crystal ball for your social media strategy.
9 Social Media Lead Generation Tactics
Here are the top strategies to follow for social media lead generation.
- Optimize Account Pages on All Social Media Platforms
Potential customers are most likely to check out your account page when they are intrigued to know about your brand. When first impressions last, it’s important to get your profile in good shape.
Do the following;
- Ensure your contact information is clear;
- Add a phone number, email, and link to your business website;
- Add a clear CTA or multiple CTAs to subscribe, take a demo, etc.
- Create Targeted Ads for your Ideal Customers
For this social media lead generation tactic to work, you must have an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). To build ICP, use market research, conduct surveys, and several other data collection methods. Even though paid, targeted social media ads are highly effective in garnering the attention you need.
Targeted ads mean you can customize ad content according to customer preference. Within the ad, you can entice the customers further with customized offers.
72% of customers engage with a marketing message only if it is personalized. This means the more personalization elements you can add to your social media content, the better it is for your brand.
For instance, an apparel brand specializing in athletic wear, when selling on TikTok, must target specific users with their ads. Going further deep, targeting customers of a particular sport can generate high-quality leads, which are easy to convert.
- Create Engaging Content to Increase Customer Interest
Content has the potential to steer your target audience towards becoming a paying customer. As algorithms play a pivotal role in how content ranks and performs, we at least have a direction to follow.
Engaging content means words that resonate with your target audience. Even a single word, reel, or image can create engagement if it comes from a well-thought-out approach.
However, short-form reels are most popular among social media marketers due to their power to create an impact. This is followed by live streams, audio chat rooms, and user-generated content.
While proven strategies work, it’s recommended to try something new and take risks. You can always track a marketing campaign’s performance with the available social media management tools.
- Offer Incentives as Lead Magnets for Higher Engagement
Lead magnets offer incentives to the target audience, motivating them to complete a desired action. It’s a great method to convert, as 50% of marketers have recorded higher conversion rates when using lead magnets.
Similarly, when you create good lead magnets, it can improve social media lead generation. The key is to recognize the magnet your customers will see value in.
It can be anything from a promotional discount to offering free access or anything else. Lead magnets are also an effective way to build a customer database. You can ask potential customers for their emails and use them to send further communication.
To get more business value out of your lead magnets, you can also embed those in your SEO content like blogs and landing pages. It will help boost your rankings and organic lead generation, supporting your overall business growth.
- Host Webinars, Conferences, and Podcasts
Connecting virtually with your customers through real-time video content establishes your authority in the niche. It’s a great method for lead generation because the attendees are required to share their contact information, which can be further used for effective targeting. Initiate contact with a perfect welcome email to spice up the conversation and build a rapport with your target audience.
To host a webinar, know your target audience’s interests and areas of concern. Use this as an opportunity to further connect with your target audience, offer practical advice, and host industry experts.
Once completed, share how the webinar went with on your social media page.
You can record and transcribe your webinars to get the insights you need to follow up effectively. Use the webinar footage and repurpose it as marketing material for later use.
Check out the image above. Here’s how Neil Patel creates a social media post after conducting a webinar.
- Use Influencer Partnerships to Attract Leads
When you partner with influencers, it’s crucial to choose those who resonate with your brand or operate in the same industry. This approach allows you to leverage the influencer’s established reputation and credibility to attract leads who are more likely to convert into customers.
For instance, imagine you’re a company that designs exclusive, limited-edition t-shirts or hoodie with unique, artistic designs. Instead of partnering with any influencer, you choose to work with a popular YouTuber who specializes in fashion and has a strong following of style-conscious viewers. This influencer could create a video where they unbox and wear your exclusive t-shirt, discussing the quality, design, and creative process behind it.
Let’s say one of their subscribers purchases the t-shirt after watching the video. When this subscriber wears the t-shirt, they’re likely to wear it in various social settings—around friends, family, or even at events. As others see the unique design and hear about the influencer’s endorsement, they might become interested in your brand. This word-of-mouth effect, sparked by the influencer’s initial promotion, can lead to more people checking out your products, increasing your brand’s visibility and attracting new leads without additional marketing efforts.
- Create Sequential Retargeting Campaigns
Retargeting marketing campaigns is a proven method to strengthen brand recognition. Better recognition automatically gets more people to engage with your brand either through checking websites, following social media pages, etc.
70% of website visitors whom you approach with retargeting campaigns are likely to convert. You can use social media ads to approach customers who might have engaged with your ads and posts once but didn’t follow through.
The key is to tailor your approach and content based on the user’s previous actions.
- Launch Referral Campaigns to Generate Leads Through Customers
Referral campaigns provide incentives to your existing customers to bring leads. They can be anyone from their family, friends, or colleagues to a random person in their contact list.
The motive is to get the referred person to know more about your brand, products, or services and initiate contact. However, the likelihood of a referral conversion depends on how effective your efforts are in making them realize the benefits.
You can try anything from a monetary benefit like gift coupons to free access to services for bringing referrals.
- Use Customer Testimonials and User Generated Content for Social Proof
Success stories & reviews from your existing customers can be used across several touchpoints to generate leads. In addition to using them for social media lead generation, you can also include them on landing and product pages, and email campaigns.
As you showcase the experiences of your existing happy customers, this will create a positive brand image. This is because it will demonstrate your products as verified, viable, and usable.
A survey reveals that 90% of people will trust your customer’s words more than what you say about yourself. Reviews and testimonials from existing customers amount to social proof.
As a result, it will help your potential customers feel more confident in making purchase decisions from your brand.
Conclusion
Social media has become the most happening place today. Whether you need entertainment, information, communication or run a business, social media is the right place to be. Since everyone is already on social media, it’s the perfect place to generate leads.
Regardless of your business type, social media lead generation is applicable, but it needs to have the right approach. Follow the top tactics we have shared above to generate leads from social media.
Author Bio:
Richa is a Content Marketing Specialist with over 7 years of experience. She has worked with various SaaS brands to create content strategies that boost organic traffic and generate qualified leads. She loves testing different strategies to increase engagement and build brand awareness. When she’s not coming up with new ideas, she enjoys reading novels or playing games on her PlayStation.