Okay, let’s say you’ve been reading each installment of our “How To Create Amazing Social Media Content” series and putting all you’ve learned into action. You’ve started publishing more often on your social media platforms and putting extra care into the content you share. You’re enjoying the increase in engagement and forming an authentic connection with your followers. Now what? How do you take things to the next level and start generating & converting leads from your social media content? The last part of our series is going to focus on answering these questions—and more!
Be an active participant in your social media
Social media can be a powerful tool for inspiring not just clicks, but conversions, too. But like most good things in life, getting to that point takes time, patience, and a little bit of know-how. Fortunately, that’s something we can provide you with! To generate leads with social media, you have to treat that content as an essential part of your overall marketing plan. You should be aiming to distribute high-value content to your audience via your social media platforms, including information found on your blog, in the resources section of your website, or another important landing page.
You don’t want to simply link to your site’s homepage and keep your fingers crossed that it will produce conversions! When you post intending to generate and convert leads, you always want to link to a page that has relevance, like a blog that has information your audience will be looking for or a landing page that links to a PDF guide your visitors may want to download. This alone won’t guarantee clicks, leads, and conversions, however. If you want your audience to take action, you need to create high-quality content and promote it in an entertaining way that’s native to each platform!
Create native content that works for your brand
Native content is adapted to the language, culture, and style of the platform on which you’re publishing. For instance, a compelling image and creative copy that kills on Facebook may not find much of an audience on LinkedIn. A stylized square with text won’t evoke the same reaction on Twitter as it would on Instagram. People visit these platforms for various reasons, and the way we communicate within each one is unique.
In order to create native content that guides people to your targeted page, pay attention to what’s popular on each platform you use. Facebook and Instagram are the social media sites brands use the most, and both of these tend to favor interesting images paired with high-quality copy. In fact, research has shown that this combination consistently increases clicks and overall engagement. When you create content that is native, engaging, and links back to a relevant page, you’ll be generating leads and conversions before you know it!
Don’t link and run
That being said, you don’t want to just drop links to your content and run. Sharing your content is an important part of any social media strategy, but it can’t be the only thing you do if you want real results! Using social media as nothing more than an RSS feed means missing out on the unique benefits each platform offers. By sharing enjoyable content along with your links, you optimize your engagement with followers and also increase the number of shares, likes, and comments your posts will receive. This will help your brand’s posts show up in more news feeds, including the ones that link to your content.
Use what you know about your social media platforms to fine-tune your content. On Facebook, try interspersing your linked posts with entertaining ones that will grab the attention of your audience. This includes relevant memes, fun gifs, images, quotes, or short videos—anything that stops your followers from scrolling! With Instagram, image reigns supreme. Choose photos that have real impact and engaging short videos, and don’t forget to take advantage of existing hashtags for increased reach.
Contests and giveaways are also popular on social media platforms. Nothing gets an audience more excited than the prospect of winning something! These are an easy way to increase brand awareness, gain new followers, and engage with your target audience. You need to be clear about what your goals are before running any kind of contest, though.
For example, if you’re looking to increase the number of followers you have, you would want participants to like your page and tag a friend to be entered. If your goal is to generate leads, you would ask participants to enter their email address for the chance to win. By tailoring contests and giveaways to your ultimate goals, you’ll be able to provide exciting content that benefits both your brand and your audience!
Social media conversions don’t happen by accident
Having a solid social media conversion strategy is essential to any brand that wants to convert leads from its platforms, and these content optimization techniques are a great place to start! It’s important to be realistic with your expectations, however. In any business, leads need to be ready, able, and willing to buy into your services. What does that mean?
Ready—This is the right time to introduce your services into their life.
Able—They have the necessary funds to invest in your services.
Willing—They trust you enough to invest in your services.
Smart targeting on social media will allow you to increase your visibility among people who are ready and able to work with you, but you can’t rush the willing part! For that, multiple touchpoints are required to get leads to a place where they will trust and want to work with you. You can do this by following up with them in a variety of ways, including social media, email, live events, campaigns, etc. Some will come to trust you more quickly than others, which is normal and expected. In the meantime, be patient and focus on how you can build more trust. We’re happy to help you devise strategies and tactics for that if you’re not sure how to make it happen!
As always, we appreciate your trust in us. We’re excited to work with you in building a better brand, expanding your reach, and increasing your conversions!
Kyle Fagala, DDS, MDS
Co-Founder, Neon Canvas