5 Ways Social Media Drives Leads

At this point, most marketers are well aware that social media is important and that investing some resources into a social media marketing strategy could yield significant results. However, there is still some wariness over just how effective social media is as a marketing strategy and specifically how it works as a lead generating tool. Here are five simple ways that social media drives leads.

1. Social Media Ads – Most social media platforms now offer some type of ad service to marketers. Naturally, some are far more effective than others, e.g. Facebook. Facebook Ads definitely stand a cut above the rest in that they are highly targeted, offering advertisers various demographic options, such as location, age, etc. Ads can also be categorized by interest (e.g. small business owners, digital marketing, etc.), as well as the objective one is trying to achieve. For example, are you looking to drive traffic to your website, increase engagement, increase app downloads and yes, generate leads, etc. While other platforms such as Instagram and Twitter are not as specific as Facebook, their ads also yield strong results. Thus, one of the most direct and effective ways to generate leads from social media is through the use of social media ads.

• Promote Gated Content – Another very simple and direct way to generate leads on social media is through the promotion of gated content on your social media feed. Some of the most popular and effective gated content include eBooks, whitepapers, webinars, etc. Linking to a specific landing page with said content on social media is a very direct way to generate leads as individuals will be required to put in their contact information to access the content. And most individuals will not go through the trouble if they’re not at least moderately interested in the content you’re offering, which makes them at best a warm lead.

• Prospecting via Social Media Listening – One of the most important steps in lead generation is prospecting, i.e. scouting for potential and likely interested individuals. Social media makes this a little easier through social media listening. Social media listening is really as the name implies, the act of businesses listening to the conversation happening on social media surrounding their own brand, their competitors and the industry. This includes having a strategy to know the right hashtags and keywords to search for, the right social media platform for the right target audience, etc. Effective social media listening helps businesses effectively identify targets that are likely to be interested in their product and/or service.

• Remarketing – Social media makes remarketing (i.e. connecting with individuals who have previously interacted with and shown interest in your brand) easier via analytics, such as likes, follows, shares, clicks, etc. These metrics indicate some level of interest in the content you produce and potentially by that token, interest in your brand.

• Live Events & Contests – Featuring live events and various contests are also a very popular and effective way to generate leads from social media. For example, if your company is hosting a conference, space would likely be limited to a specific number of people. A live stream offer that individuals will have to register for will ensure a larger audience for the event and by that token greater reach. But more importantly, will increase the number of leads generated from the event. Contests are also a great way to generate leads. A quick word of caution about contests is to ensure what you’re offering won’t appeal to just about everyone. For example, many individuals would enter a contest for a free trip, whether or not they have any interest in your products and/or services. Make your contest prize one that only someone likely to be interested in your product and/or service would want.