Did you know there are around 2.7 billion social media users throughout the world?
As a business owner or marketer, this represents a treasure trove of potential leads! But with so many companies trying to grab people’s attention, it’s important for you to have a killer strategy. One key way to use social media to grow your business is by using it for lead generation.
But that can be easier said than done.
That’s why we’ve compiled 6 great tips all about how to generate leads using social media. Check them out below!
1. Promote Gated Content
Let’s start with one of the social media lead gen basics: promoting gated content. Gated content is a simple concept. It’s offering valuable content free of charge, in exchange for people’s contact information.
Then, once you have their email address, you can add them to a marketing campaign that sends them periodic information about your products and services. This is a great way to add interested leads to your database.
And social media is a great way to get this offer in front of people.
There is something important to remember here though: your content needs to be valuable. It needs to be substantial.
So start here. Work on creating an interesting ebook, whitepaper, or infographic that’s well put together and full of interesting and relevant content.
That way, when people download it they’ll have a favorable impression of your company and be on their way to become a customer.
2. Facebook Lead Ads
Typically in gated content situations on social media, this is how the process goes: someone sees your post or ad, is interested, clicks on it, and is taken to a landing page where they can learn more and then input their information in a form.
This is the way it has been done for years. But Facebook now has an ad type that simplifies the process.
Facebook lead ads allow users to input their information and sign up inside Facebook itself. In other words, they don’t even have to leave!
This removes a lot of the barriers to entry and can greatly improve conversion rates.
The other great thing about this is that Facebook automatically populates the form with the users information. And because of this, you’re getting more accurate email addresses, because it’s the email that people use with their Facebook account, not a fake one.
3. Run a Webinar or Live Video
A webinar is another great way to generate leads from social media. Promote a webinar for a week or two beforehand on your social channels and invite people to register for it.
That way, you’ll gather people’s contact information as you go, enabling you to contact them after the fact as well.
Another way to use video is by doing a live stream. You can do this through Facebook or Instagram, whatever works best for you.
During the video, you can direct people to your website to specific landing pages where you can gather their contact information.
Both of these methods (webinars and live video) can be highly effective because video is engaging, especially on social media.
4. Host a Contest or Giveaway: Another Tip on How to Generate Leads
It’s simple. People love to win free stuff.
So when you offer a contest or giveaway for something that’s interesting to your audience, you’ve found a great way to generate leads from social media.
If you own a software business, you could consider giving away a free trial. You could also create a bundle to giveaway that includes gift cards to popular restaurants or entertainment destinations.
Whatever you do, try to make your offer appeal to a wide range of people. Another great way to do this is by offering a free vacation or part of a vacation like a flight voucher or hotel gift card.
In exchange for this, gather people’s contact information. Since this is such a big offer, you could also get more information, like asking which of your products are most interesting to them. That way your leads are more qualified.
5. LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms
Do you do B2B business? If so, definitely consider using LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms.
These are similar to Facebook lead ads, in that LinkedIn will automatically populate people’s contact information so they don’t have to. This makes it simpler for them and better for you, since you’re gathering correct data.
But since LinkedIn is a business networking site, it’s also super easy to gather more professional information like job title, company name, where they went to school, and their level of seniority.
And it’s all pre-populated if you want it!
6. Utilize Targeted Social Media Listening
Last but not least, you should consider using social media listening. This refers to keeping your ears open to all chatter about your brand on social media.
It will keep you posted on what people are saying about you, both good and bad. It will also give you insight into who is talking about you. You’ll also be able to know what people are saying about your competitors, which can be highly valuable as well.
When you specifically listen for what people are saying about your industry, you can identify potential leads.
For example, if someone tweets about how frustrated they are with their current dog groomer in your area, this is the perfect chance for you to reach out to them.
Empathize with them and then offer them something. Whether that’s a piece of gated content, a blog post, or a link to one of your landing pages, you’re creating a relationship with them.
And you can even start a customer relationship by scheduling an appointment for them if you feel it’s the right time.
Final Thoughts
There you have it: 6 tips on how to generate leads from social media. Now that you’ve gone through them, it’s time to pick which will work best for you.
In no time, you’ll be blown away by the leads you’re generating!
Have questions or want to learn more? Feel free to reach out to us any time.
