Leads. That’s what most business owners want right? Well, leads, or sales. Because those equal money and business growth. Many think of social media as a brand awareness and engagement tactic but social media lead generation is the logical next step. 

Before you can really generate leads, keep in mind your social media needs to be consistent, and you should have clear goals and clear messaging. If you’re not clear on your purpose, your goals, and show up only when you remember, then you’re not going to generate anything but a few likes. 

Any marketer will tell you that it’s not just about the content you produce for a solid inbound marketing strategy, it’s also about the promotion. I’m not going to get into email today, we’re talking solely about social media. Given the fact that Facebook alone has over 2.45 billion users every month - it is easily a social media platform with the largest population. As a platform, it also offers some solid business tools to collect leads. BUT if you’re targeting a more professional audience, you may want to consider Linkedn. 

This is why it’s imperative that you know your audience. You need to know who they are in order to market to them where they are. If you’re B2C, LinkedIn may not make sense for you. If you’re marketing B2B, you might not need to advertise on Instagram. Know where the people you’re trying to reach are (this article has a great demographic breakdown by platform). 

Here are five of my go to ways to generate leads on social media 

Optimize Your profiles. 

Social media profiles allow you to collect leads organically. Within your social profiles, your customers or audience should have the means to contact you, sign up for your newsletter, shop your store, or download your app. Additionally, depending on your goals, different platforms offer features that help you generate leads - for instance; use the sign up button on your Facebook page if you’re trying to get more newsletter sign ups. Or, if you’re looking for appointments or consultations add a “book” or “reserve” on your Instagram and/or Facebook profile. 

Have compelling, clickable content

If your content doesn’t wow your audience, they’re going to scroll on by. Everyone on social media is vying for attention and you have nanoseconds to capture them. Your images need to be spectacular, and copy needs to be even better than that. If you want to generate leads, your content has to be tailored toward that goal. If you create clickable content - make sure people know where to click. Each post needs to have a clear call to action, and a clear link to click on. 

Utilize Social Lead Ads

If your organic efforts are depleted, it’s worth it to try social lead ads. Facebook offers a specific lead ad form, and can be synced to whatever CRM your sales team uses. Facebook/Instagram have retargeting tools that are helpful in converting traffic that may already be visiting your profile or website. If you’re B2B, Linkedin also offers Lead Gen Forms and Message Ads - which is helpful at converting a highly targeted audience. 

Have the Right Offer

I tell people all the time that email is like currency to a marketer. As a marketer, I can do so much when someone gives me or my business their email address. BUT, you have to make them WANT to give it to you. There are different incentives depending on what type of lead you want. You can do discount codes in exchange for signing up for a newsletter or email list, this also encourages them to make a purchase. 

Utilize Gated Content 

I’m a big fan of gated content - it’s one of the easiest ways to capture  leads, nurture them, and convert them. What is gated content? Well, anything of value. Checklists, ebooks, guides, webinars, you name it. Those higher value pieces that someone is willing to give you their email address for is marketing gold. 

No matter how you generate those leads, make sure you’re clear with your audience about what’s in it for them. Why are you collecting their information and what are you giving them AND (for some) what are you DOING with their information?

Finally, once you decide which strategy you’re going to use to capture leads on social media, make sure you’re measuring and refining your strategy. Make sure your google analytics are set up so you can monitor which social platform is performing best. You don’t know if what you’re doing is working unless you measure, measure, measure. If social is a key component of your strategy, make sure you KNOW that social is a traffic generator. Make sure you have a way to know if those leads or new customers (e-commerce) are from social. Without looking at your analytics, your just throwing spaghetti at a wall and hoping it sticks.

If you’re interested in generating more leads through social media, let’s schedule a call and chat about how my social media management services can help you accomplish your business goals.