Social media is doing nothing for your business. Here’s why.
It’s time for businesses to realize that social media isn’t just for teenagers or time wasters. It has officially emerged as an effective tool for generating leads. Two-thirds of online adults use social networking, and almost half use it daily. And they aren’t just watching cat videos and updating their personal status. Today, prospective customers are using social media to discover new offerings and educate themselves through the buying journey. This makes social media an important channel to engage with your target audience, with the end result being greater amplification of your message and more qualified leads generated.
Unfortunately many businesses aren’t using social media in the right ways. Do you fall into this list? If you’re guilty of the problems, below it’s time for a social media check…
You don’t understand your buyer
It’s critical to understand how your buyer uses social media. Do your homework and get to know your audience. Reach out to your community, partners and trusted customers, either through a structured outreach program or via your social platforms, and give them an opportunity to provide feedback on what’s working, and what’s not. Ask them what social platforms they use, how they use them, and what behaviors they exhibit, in order to determine your best social media mix.
Your content is boring readers
Buyers are much more likely to engage with you on social media when you offer compelling content. Types of content formats that work well include blog posts, white papers, webinars, infographics, slide presentations, and videos. Any type of content with the ability to inform or entertain can be used; the common denominator is providing value to your customer. The content you share should be helpful, relevant, and engaging. For some products and services, comical and playful content is effective.
If you choose to offer content behind a form on a landing page, it will give you an opportunity to gather contact information and generate a lead when someone accesses it. Here’s an example of a solid piece of content that is offered on a landing page and entices readers to download.
You aren’t using the right social channels
There are many social media sites you can use to support lead generation. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn receive a lot of attention and deservedly so; they’re the big four of social, with massive memberships ranging from LinkedIn’s 313 million members to Twitters’ 271 million and Facebook’s 1.3 billion. Despite a late start, Google+ has rocketed to second place in total users, with over a half-billion. When starting out, you should focus on one or more of these networks. The social channels you choose to pursue first will depend on your industry, your product or service offering, and where your customers/prospects are hanging out online.
As you gain experience and grow your content database, expand your efforts to other social sites that appeal to your buyers. Look in particular for brand-agnostic community sites and forums where your buyers spend time. You should use every channel that is relevant to your buyers, but make sure that you have the bandwidth to execute well in any and all channels in which you decide to have a presence. You’ll have far more impact going deep than going wide.
You’re focused on quantity, not quality
Numbers of followers and fans, by themselves, aren’t necessarily the only thing you’re after. Ideally, every connection you make would somehow be linked to your goals and objectives in business, both now and in the future. Fewer targeted connections are better than a bunch of people who will never actually purchase what you’re selling. Keep these firmly in mind as you create your social strategies and execute them.
Get started with social media lead generation
Now is the time where we say “if you answered yes to one or more of these questions, your social media is not being used as effectively as it could be for lead generation.” So we’ve prepped a little guide called 11 Steps to Social Media Lead Generation.