Social Media works!  Are you using social media lead generation well for your business?

It's more than just posting funny photos or repeatedly pushing your products!

social-media-lead-generation

In this episode of the halftime Mike podcast I dive into moving from simply social media to social media lead generation for businesses.  There's a strategic difference! Discover the concept and what's beyond the social postings that you need to integrate and measure!

Ready to dive in?

Listen Now:

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Social Lead Gen Video:

Social Media Lead Generation Overview

You’ve heard that other businesses were having success on social media so you decided your team had better try it too. While jumping in is good and needed in order to be relevant online today, there’s the need to advance beyond the “youthful beginner stage” that is largely random and unfocused, to have a well-thought through, strategic social media and online marketing plan!

That's where social media lead generation comes into play!

Social Media without lead generation is just fun and games, not particularly a good use of your business time!

The Social Media plan I cover is unique. For true success, my experience with marketing TabSite.com and for multiple clients nationwide is that your plan needs to be more full spectrum. It needs to go broader than simply social for fun.  Your social, yes, must be engaging but it needs to all fit within a plan!

What I recommend is truly a “Digital Marketing Funnel”. It takes into account all the key areas you need to address together to succeed online. It addresses what I call “The Big Three.” This includes your: website, email marketing, and social media. When they are all working together, then the power is there to have success online!

[Tweet "Agree! The "BIG 3" for online Lead Gen: Social, Web, Email. Learn more..."]

Without a plan, any path will do, but you won’t be able to measure the results! If you are serious about growing your business online, then it’s time to dive into the details.

The Social Media Lead Generation overview:

There are six key components in the Digital Marketing Funnel, each with a specific goal and purpose. I’ll go through each component in an overview fashion.

social media lead generation

I. Attract

This is the heart of your efforts! The largest bulk of your social media efforts should be in this arena.

You are casting the net wide and trying to reach more and more of an audience that would be interested in what your business offers. Offering resource-rich, value-adding content is key here.

Did you know that not all your posts on social should be about your company and products? That’s right! You need to be social! Share fun, inspirational, helpful posts regularly. More details on that to come! All of these items together are designed to connect your business with an ideal audience demographic for your company that fits your buyer persona.

II. Engage

Posting good content on social media isn’t enough.

If you post it, and they don’t see it, does it matter? It’s like the old adage of a tree falling in the forest with no one around…. Does it make noise if no one is around to hear it? I

t’s like that on social media. If you are simply being a bullhorn and posting, posting, posting your information with no social engagement or conversation, are you really using social media?

You need to engage on social media.

For Facebook, it’s a must as their algorithm is weighted to show fans more content from Pages they have engaged with. So your business must make the effort to engage your audience! To share in such a way that Likes, Clicks, Shares, and Retweets result from your efforts.

One simple way to get started is to begin engaging on social media as your brand. Comment on posts, retweet items, give kudos and your opinion! They are “social” media networks by the way! So your company must be ready to be social, to engage and desire two-way conversations on social. This personalization of your business draws your audience in, and that’s key in the funnel!

The Attraction and Engagement areas should make up 50% of your overall social media marketing post mix.  

[Tweet "The Attraction & Engagement areas should make up 50% of your overall social media marketing post mix. "]

That means 5 out of every 10 posts should fit in this arena of being helpful, social, resource-rich, engaging and captivating!  Key post types to use will be images, short video clips, and Facebook Live Video.

III. Capture

Sharing links that drive traffic from social media sites to your website is also important. A common mistake is doing this without the attraction and engaging content noted above.

Capture, meaning posts that drive to your website or a landing page where you have some type of soft lead capture or soft call-to-action, should be about 30% of your weekly social media posting mix and not more! You don’t want to drive people away by being too pushy.

[Tweet ""Capture" posts on social should be at tops 30% of your post mix weekly."]

The key is often the soft lead capture option. It needs to provide enough related value for someone to give you their email address! Once a lead has given away some personal information, they’re far closer to becoming buyers because the nurture process can begin!

IV. Nurture

Now we are beyond social in many ways because we've moved them from social to yoru site to your email list.

That's the KEY in social media lead generation.  It's not just social media.  It involves multiple channels....social to your website to your email list.

[Tweet "The KEY in social lead generation...It's not just social. It involves....social to website to email list."]

Capture and nurture go hand-in-hand. Your offer (the lead capture offer) needs to be valuable enough for someone to be willing to give you their email address. Once they do, it’s up to you to nurture that relationship. I recommend a well-thought through email nurture series that is automated.

Once on your list, it’s now time to build more relationship and trust by offering more valuable content via email. The emails can provide information and then link out to blog posts on your website you already have.

Many times those on the list are not ready to buy right away, they need to have this drip-feed of content to ensure your business will be the first they think of when they are ready to buy!

V. Convert

Again, this happens mostly outside of social media.  This happens often best in the latter emails after a solid nurture and trust building campaign.  This is the actual moment they become customers. This is only 10% of your weekly social media posting mix. Any more than that and you’re too much “in your face” with a pushy sales approach. Overdo it on social and people tune you out. Often, I’ve recommending the actual sales offer come at the end of your nurture campaign and that it comes via email! More on that in the chapters ahead.

The key is a time-specific, clear offer to buy that is done AFTER you have built trust and rapport through the funnel cycles. It’s not the first thing, it’s not the most frequent thing. It is strategically places and worded!

VI. Measure

Digital sales conversions is a cyclical process which should be continually refined. Keep track of the results of each stage of the process, and see which methods produce the most conversions. High conversion rates for sales above 70% are a practical impossibility, but keep trying to push the percentage higher!

Understanding the social media lead generation funnel will help you gather better leads at the top, and ensure that more of them complete the journey to full-fledged customers. With this tool, you’ll be on your way to far greater conversions and ROI on your online marketing investments!

ACTION ITEM:

It's time to evaluate your social media and your lead generation together!  Social media alone cannot drive leads.  It's a strategic process of social plus your website plus email marketing to

What's the next step you need to take to sharpen your efforts with social media lead generation?

Catch my unique angle in the full podcast audio / video episode!

So what’s your key takeaway from this?  What do you need to do in the next 24 hours based on listening?

Share below!

Social Media Lead Generation Resources

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Why the Halftime theme Mike? 

I’m an Indiana Hoosier native where basketball is the top sport. Every team heads to the locker room at halftime to evaluate the first half and create an updated plan for the second half. That plan includes adjustments based on reviewing what worked and what didn't. The “halftime” is a key review point where the game stops, the team pulls away to huddle in the locker room away from the fans, and they come out prepared and ready to succeed in the second half.

That’s what this podcast is all about, taking the time to pull away for a bit to evaluate, learn, and set some strategies for your business to succeed in the second half. Join me by subscribing and let me be your “business halftime” to help you find great success going forward!

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