Social media platforms can provide an extremely effective way of generating leads and sales for your business.
All you need is the right strategy.
In this post, you’ll find several proven social media lead-generation strategies that you can use to sell more products.
And the best part? They’re not that hard to implement.
So why not give these tactics a shot?
1. Optimize your social media profile
You only get one shot at leaving a good first impression with social media users. That’s why you want to optimize your social media profile to get people to follow you and engage with your posts.
How do you do that?
You can start by using a clear, high-quality profile picture. You want a photo that best represents your brand. If you’re the brand, it’s best to hire a photographer to get professional headshots. Businesses that use a recognizable logo should consider using that as their profile photo.
Your bio should be compelling. Explain what your business does and why people should do business with you. Try to keep it as short as possible though. And include hashtags where relevant.
Leave a link to your website and other social media pages. If you’re using Instagram, you can only insert one link. In that case, consider linking to a landing page that includes all your other links.
Your top posts will determine if people follow you or not. Make sure that the most visible posts are some of your best ones. Make sure that they’re visually appealing and show lots of engagement. Also, it would be great if your posts are consistent. That means they should have the same tone and energy.
2. Launch a contest or giveaway
Social media contests and giveaways are great ways to generate leads for your business. And while that may seem like a lot of work, there’s no need to worry. You can use a giveaway app like SweepWidget to facilitate the whole thing.
One of the advantages of using giveaway apps is that they let you choose the conditions your followers need to meet to enter. So if you want the entry method to be to follow you on Snapchat, you can do that.
But for a contest or giveaway to be successful, you’ll need a couple of things.
You need to have a clearly defined goal. Understanding your goal will make it easier for you to come up with the appropriate call to action.
You’ll also need prizes. You don’t want to go overboard with the prize as that could mean going over your budget. But you don’t want a lackluster prize either as that would disappoint your social media followers.
The key is to choose a prize that your followers would love to have. That could mean offering one of your own products or partnering with another brand to provide the prize.
Coming up with the rules is also part of the job. If you’re going to require interested parties to buy a product to join the contest, you’ll need to clarify which products they should buy or how much they need to spend.
3. Share social proof
If your followers trust you on social media, they’ll have no problem buying products from you.
That’s the reason why social proof is so important. Potential customers need to know right away that they can trust you. And you can do that by displaying customer reviews and feedback.
You can do social media posts showing comments from happy customers talking about how easy it is to order from your online store. Sharing comments about how great your customer service team is can make all the difference.
Do you know what else is good social proof? User-generated content. Share posts from satisfied customers. Ideally, you’ll want to share posts that include photos or videos for maximum effect. Not only are these great social proof but they’re also a fun way of thanking them for their support. They’ll appreciate the recognition.
Here’s a great example of this tactic in action from Funny Little Boxes, a guitar pedal manufacturer based in the UK:
This sort of social proof becomes even more powerful when it comes from influencers in your industry.
Seeing well-known figures in your field will reassure your followers. If your product is good enough for the people they respect, then it should be good enough for them.
The best social proof though would be your social metrics. If people see that you have a ton of followers and plenty of engagement on your posts, they’ll know that you’re the real deal. So do your best to keep getting more followers and engagement.
4. Use targeted social media ads
If you have the budget, you can use targeted ads for generating social media leads. Lead generation ads are by marketers because they want their posts to be seen by a relevant audience. They know they’ll get their money’s worth because their products will be presented to people who are predisposed to like them. This leads to a better return on investment or ROI.
It’s also great because it’ll make you more efficient. All that effort you put into your social media posts won’t go to waste because you know they’ll get seen by the right people. And if you’re not getting the kind of performance you expected, then you can make tweaks to the ad campaign to correct it.
When you launch a targeted ad campaign on social media, you have to see which platform to advertise on. Ask yourself: Which platform will most likely help me reach my target audience and generate leads?
If you’ve never launched an ad campaign before, you should work with a team that can help you write ad copy and create visuals. If you’re doing video ads, it’s even more important to find people who have experience in this field of advertising. You want to look professional.
Remember to set a budget. It’s so easy to overspend on social media advertising. That’s why you’d want to keep an eye on your marketing dollars. You can adjust your budget based on the results you’re seeing.
And always keep in mind that you’re doing targeted ads — that means you have control over the demographics. If you’re having a hard time reaching people, try targeting people by interest, behavior, or other factors.
5. Post substantial content
Everyone knows that the key to a successful social media marketing campaign is engaging content. And if you want to generate leads for your business, you’ll need to come up with content that your audience finds valuable. Your feed needs to be more than a ‘pitch fest’.
You should have a good understanding of what your audience wants. Since they’re following you on social media, they’re clearly interested in what you have to say. But what type of posts would they benefit from the most? Should you post infographics? Do you post news related to your industry?
What if your followers follow you because they find your brand entertaining? Should you post funny videos and memes? Do you post livestreams?
If you’re having a hard time figuring out what to post, you can always ask your followers directly. Listen to what they have to say. They’ll let you know what posts they’d like to see on your social accounts. Better yet, you can do a poll so your followers can tell you with a click of a button.
Use relevant hashtags to find other social media users who might be interested in the content you’re providing. The more people discover your brand on social media channels, the more it’ll help your lead-generation efforts.
Note: Quality is important but so is quantity. You need content that will grab people’s attention and plenty of it to help feed the algorithms of social media platforms.
6. Host webinars and other virtual events
You can do a lot with social media marketing these days. Did you know that you can post virtual event recordings like those from webinars on social media channels? Well, you can.
There are benefits to using social media to share virtual events. For starters, you get additional content for your channels. You also get more engagement from users, especially those that want to participate in the discussion. Featuring social media influencers gives you some much-needed credibility in your space.
Best of all, virtual events give you a chance to promote your products and services. Even if the event isn’t about your business, you can mention them at certain points in the video.
They’re incredible for lead generation.
Whatever event you’re doing, you’ll want to make sure that you choose a topic that’s relevant to your community. This will give you a better chance at hooking people in.
It’ll be better if you can promote the event on social media days or weeks before it’s recorded. That way, some of your followers can attend the live recording and watch it afterward.
You can use the presentation materials you use as additional content. For example, the slides you used in your webinar can be uploaded later on as image files or you can compile them to make an infographic that people can like and share.
7. Research trending topics
Research is one of the less interesting parts of creating social media lead generation campaigns.
It’s not enough that you post consistently. If the goal is to generate leads, then you’ll need to post timely content across all social media platforms. That’s why your lead generation strategy should include researching trending topics.
One of the easiest ways to research trending topics is by using hashtags. Some social media sites have built-in tools that let users search for topics by hashtag or keyword. You can use that to see what people are talking about online.
You can also try following influencers and celebrities in your space to see what they’re posting on their respective social media pages. This will give you a clue about what you should be posting on your own accounts.
There are also social media sites that have analytics tools. These do a good job of telling what your followers are saying about a given topic. It’s a good way to gauge what’s trending and what others feel about it.
Explore online communities and social media groups. People there actively discuss topics that are near and dear to them. And they’re mostly updated on the ins and outs of the industry they belong to. If you want to know what you should be discussing in your social media posts, that’s where you want to go.
8. Create landing pages that convert
Landing pages are a key component of any lead generation campaign. Whether you’re generating leads from social media or leads from another marketing channel.
But, for generating social media leads specifically, certain aspects of landing page optimization become more important.
Imagine linking to a landing page that’s not optimized for mobile devices. Or using language that’s confusing for potential customers. You’ll never generate sales no matter how many times you link to them on your social media posts.
The first thing you should do is to make your landing pages simple and clean. Don’t use jargon or introduce technical terms if possible. You want your audience to feel comfortable when they visit your landing page. So don’t intimidate them.
You also need a compelling headline. Grab their attention with a strong statement. Let them know the benefits of using your product right away. Make sure that there’s a call to action and let that be the focal point of the page.
What else can you do to make your landing pages more exciting?
Use high-quality videos and photos. Great media assets will make your site look professional. Have your web developer do everything to make your pages load faster. Add social proof like testimonials, reviews, and awards if you’ve received any. And be sure to have all your contact information available for people who’d like to ask questions.
If you need more help, check out our article on landing page optimization basics. I’d also recommend checking out Adam Connell’s in-depth article on landing page best practices.
9. Tease gated content
Gated content refers to articles and other assets that users have to sign up for to access. Most people use gated content as a means to earn extra income from the content they provide. However, a business can use gated content to gain qualified leads.
For example, some businesses provide downloadable assets like white papers, brochures, ebooks, webinars, and annual reports in exchange for email addresses instead of money. They will then use the emails they collect to promote products and services.
But for gated content to work, you’ll need to provide assets that people really want access to. Online courses are a safe bet as they’re always popular. Just be sure to create courses that your audience will appreciate. It should be a topic that your target audience would be interested in. And as a presenter, you should be qualified to teach the online course.
Use social media to tease your gated content. Let people know what you have in store for them. You can even release a trailer to give everyone a glimpse of what the course is like.
If you’re releasing white papers or annual reports, you can give your followers key takeaways. Sometimes that’s all it would take for them to download the file.
Just remember that in order to generate leads from gated content. For most content types (e.g. PDFs), you’ll need an email capture tool and the facility to deliver the content.
A good way to handle this would be to use an email marketing tool with automation functionality. This means, you can create an automation sequence to deliver content to new leads/subscribers.
If you choose to offer an online course, most course platforms will allow you to offer free courses – so the platform will handle the entire process. Most of them will integrate with popular email tools and CRM’s.
Most importantly, be sure to disclose how you’ll use the data that people enter to receive your gated content. People don’t want any shenanigans occurring with their data. And you’ll need to comply with online privacy laws such as GDPR.
10. Build a community
You have to engage your social media followers to make them feel part of a community. When they feel like they belong, they’ll be more than willing to buy your goods and services.
Start by commenting on people’s comments. Don’t do canned replies though. Personalize your replies so that your followers know that you’re taking the time to talk to them individually. And talk to them like a real person would. Nobody likes talking to someone who speaks like a robot.
Conversations don’t have to end with your reply. Keep conversations going by asking questions of your own. Or say something that would make people want to continue talking. Ask for their opinions.
Not only will this help with generating leads, but it will also lead to increased social media engagement. You could help your customer service team as well by answering frequently asked questions about your company and products.
All of this will make loyal customers out of your followers. And that could be infectious. Their enthusiasm can lead to new followers becoming new customers. You can create a sense of belonging.
If you’re lucky, your community might start sharing your social media posts with their friends. That could translate to increased site traffic down the road.
11. Leverage videos
You can gain new leads by posting more videos on your social media pages. There’s no denying that social media content has been heavily leaning more toward videos than it used to. TikTok and Instagram are just two examples of platforms that heavily rely on video content.
Keeping up with the times means embracing that fact and posting more videos.
There are different types of videos that you can post. You can never go wrong with product videos. But you can also do tutorial videos, especially if your product is highly demonstrable.
You don’t have to talk about your product all the time either. Posting behind-the-scenes videos is a good way to engage with the community. Some businesses post customer testimonials which helps earn the trust of new followers.
And there are other video types worth exploring. Have you thought about doing Q&A videos? How about doing interviews with industry leaders? You can also post user-generated content if you can get them.
Even a timelapse video of your retail store during working hours can be a good source of entertainment. As the owner, you can even do short, daily vlogs and give your followers something to look forward to each day.
12. Livestream events
Livestreaming is no longer a trend. It’s here to stay. And that’s great for businesses that want to start generating leads and sales. Why? Because you can engage with people in real time. You can promote your business live and get immediate feedback.
You can even answer questions right away to keep potential customers interested.
One of the best things about livestreaming today is that you don’t need highly sophisticated technology to pull it off. You don’t need to buy expensive cameras and microphones either. It is possible to do a livestream using your smartphone. All you really need is a fast and reliable internet connection to get started.
Broadcast your livestream directly on one of your social media platforms. However, you can livestream on YouTube or Twitch first then save your recording and upload the file on social media after the fact.
You’re going to need to promote the livestream, of course. You want as many people to join you when you go live. It’s important that you have some topics and talking points ready before you start the stream. It’ll be awkward if you run out of things to say before the show is over.
Some social media creators split their streams into chunks and upload them as Instagram or TikTok clips.
13. Launch a referral campaign
You know who can help you with generating leads? Your followers. Yes, you can launch a referral campaign that will see your social media followers find new customers for your business.
How will that work?
You start by offering your followers an incentive to participate in the campaign. These incentives can come in the form of discounts, freebies, and other rewards. All you need to do is to promote the referral campaign on all available channels — this includes your website. Some businesses have landing pages to explain the mechanics of the referral program.
It’s important to make it easy for people to refer their friends, family, and colleagues. Provide everything they might need to close the deal. This can include assets like codes or links to product pages made specifically for the campaign. Give them everything they’ll need to promote your products on their social media pages.
You should get in touch with leads that your followers manage to refer to you. Just to give them the final nudge they might need to convert into paying customers.
14. Use chatbots to answer common queries
Businesses have started using chatbots to automate part of their social media marketing. They are pretty handy. If someone wants to ask a frequently asked question, you can have a chatbot answer for you. So even if you’re away, someone will be there to entertain every potential customer.
You can set up scripts, triggers, and actions. That means you’re in total control of the chatbot’s actions.
If you’re new to the whole thing, however, you might want to enlist the help of a social media agency, freelancer or knowledgeable friend to help you set it all up. It’s a worthy investment though. It’s going to save you a lot of time and effort.
Chatbots improve customer service. They’re also capable of personalizing conversations with leads. You can also save on labor since you won’t have to pay for additional customer service agents. Best of all, it makes you available 24 hours a day on all social media platforms.
But which chatbot should you choose? There are a bunch of great solutions on the market. Check out our post on chatbot builders to learn more.
Final thoughts
Social media marketing is one of the best ways to generate leads.
It all starts with understanding your business goals and your target audience. Once you have all of those details, you can craft a social media lead generation strategy that gets results.
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