When you’re looking to expand your brand’s success, keep your eye on potential customers. Staying in contact with individuals who have shown interest in your products and services is vital. But how do you find these leads and establish contact? Social media offers some answers.
With the right social media strategies, you can direct potential customers to pages where they can enter contact information and even subscribe to email lists. From there, it’s easy to make your sales pitch through product promotions and service updates.
Pin a Sign-Up Form
A quick, initial step is to pin a post at the top of your social media page that leads to a contact form. For example, on Twitter you can pin a tweet with a link to your site at the top of your feed. You can use a similar strategy on Facebook. This makes it easy for individuals (those who don’t need any further incentives) to immediately give you their information.
Post Links to Gated Content
So, what about those individuals who need a little more incentive to pass you their contact information? Some businesses like to post links to gated content—content that’s only accessible after a person fills out a contact form. Contact information is usually a small price to pay, as long as the content you’re offering is of value. Some examples include:
- Ebooks
- Reports
- Infographics
- Workbook or checklist
- Case studies
- White papers
- Webinars
- Product demos
When trying to generate ideas for gated content, just ask yourself, “What will be of use to potential customers?” If your brand specializes in bicycle repair, you could create an infographic that outlines bike laws or safety tips. If you have a dog-walking service, an ebook on the importance of canine exercise could be useful (plus, it would emphasize the need for your business).
Gated content might not get you the same amount of leads as contests or giveaways. But the people who do sign up for gated content will likely have an interest in your brand’s industry and a sense of curiosity.
Host Contests and Giveaways
Even people who aren’t necessarily interested in your brand or product might sign up for a giveaway if the prize is generically valuable enough. This is great news if your goal is to simply collect a lot of leads. But if you can’t convert those leads into sales, what’s the point? Aim for quality over quantity when pursuing leads.
When coming up with a contest prize, think of something that will be enticing to the right people. If your brand specializes in cookware, offer prizes like knife sharpeners and utensils for people who love cooking. This will ensure you’re drawing in leads that are actually receptive to your sales pitch.
Social media contests should be easy to participate in. Just share a link to your contest landing page, and then use an entry form to collect participant information.
Contests can do more than just help you gain leads. You can also use contests to leverage user-generated content and spread brand awareness on social media.
For example, if your brand specializes in fashion, ask social media users to submit pictures of themselves wearing your products. Collect submissions via a landing page or email. Not only will this help you make in-roads with consumers, but you can also share their content on social media (with their permission, of course).
Whatever contest or giveaway you decide on, make sure the rules are clear to participants. Explain how you will select the winner, even if you just intend to randomly choose a winner. If the rules are vague, less people will sign up, and your brand might appear unprofessional.
Host a Webinar or Other Live Stream
If you really want to engage with an audience while gaining leads, host a live webinar. Talk about your product or service in-depth and give a live demonstration. Get some feedback from current customers. Or bring in an industry expert or influencer to take questions from potential customers.
If you’re running short on webinar topic ideas, simply find inspiration in your gated content. Perhaps you can use the subject of an infographic or industry report to guide the discussion.
Be sure to advertise the webinar well before the date. People can sign up for the event, offering you their contact details in the process.
Other Options
The aforementioned strategies are effective, but they’re not the only ways to gain leads on social media.
For example, you can promote discounts on social media to nudge potential customers toward your products. Discount codes should feature a time limit, so people are more likely to act ASAP. And an effective call-to-action is also helpful.
Different social media channels also offer various advertising opportunities for your brand. Targeted ads can be especially effective. Get to know the specific ad requirements as well as the tools at your disposal.
