When most online marketers think about social media, they think of it in terms of brand building instead of sales, but that’s a mistaken assumption. Social media is more than a way to connect with customers and grow a brand; when done properly, marketers can use sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to generate solid leads. Read further to learn the best tips on how to turn social media marketing from a branding tool to a solid method of socia media lead generation. Consider the Connection Between Lead Generation and Social Media In online marketing, lead generation is about bringing people into a sales funnel. It’s not selling; rather, it’s about learning everything possible about customers. In the past, lead generation involved mailing surveys or encouraging customers to fill out forms. However, businesses have changed their lead-gathering methods thanks to the internet. Video marketing, email opt-in and paid campaigns are great ways to get people into a sales funnel. Since it’s all online, it’s simple to track. Social media simplifies the process because people readily share information, and because there are millions of users. It’s the best place to find a target market and turn viewers into leads. Carefully Choose a Channel A common mistake is trying to obtain network marketing leads through the wrong channel. It goes back to knowing the customer; with more than one billion account holders, it might be simple to assume that Facebook is the best option. However, that’s not always true. 44% of marketers have found leads from LinkedIn, while 30% get them from Twitter. A marketer’s lead generation techniques depend on which sites they’re using. Facebook Lead Generation For Facebook, paid ads are the way to go. Algorithm changes have made it difficult to reach customers organically with social content, but Facebook’s ads can be relatively budget-friendly. Marketers can run contests, but the leads they receive may not be qualified. Custom tabs are a great place to put a contact form, which can capture leads and keep visitors on the page. Marketers who treat their pages like a website often have more success in lead generation. Building Leads on Twitter To generate the best leads on Twitter, the process is a little more complex. Promoted tweets are coming to the forefront, and marketers can leverage that power in several ways. Twitter cards use eye-catching images, but the copy has to be appealing and fit within the 140-character limit. LinkedIn For B2B leads, there’s no better place to find them than LinkedIn. This social network is geared toward networkers and professionals, and it’s a great lead generation method. Bring in new leads by offering free samples, and contact them directly through InMail. With a combination of inbound marketing and publishing, marketers can bring more leads into their funnel than with conventional outbound marketing tactics. Building Leads on Instagram In terms of marketing options, Instagram is still in its infancy. While Instagram doesn’t cater to advertisers and marketers like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook do, it […]
Category: Social
Simple to Follow Lead Generation Tips for Periscope
Simple to Follow Lead Generation Tips for Periscope The way in which businesses market their products and services is typically through engaging leads. Leads are people that show interest in a particular product or service that a business provides. For that reason, it’s not surprising that there are many different approaches and programs that have been established to help businesses generate leads. Regardless of what type of product or service is being provided, programs that can help a business entice consumers to make a purchase is going to help a business to be successful. Generating Leads Via Technology One of the great things about the various different lead generation programs is that many of them are rooted in some of today’s most cutting-edge technologies. These lead generation strategies rely heavily on Internet connections, as well as the various different devices that are used to connect to the Internet. To put an even finer point on it, various different computer applications have been specifically designed to help generate leads for a business. While these types of applications come and go, perhaps one of the most exciting and one of the newest types of applications that looks to be something that can stand the test of time is an application called Periscope. What is Periscope? This type of application can be used in a wide variety of situations. This computer application gives an opportunity for a person to live stream videos of themselves. In addition, messages can be sent to the person streaming live video and they can answer the questions as they come in through a messaging system. In a sense, this is like a live broadcast, only anyone can do it at any time as long as they have a connection to the Internet. Because this application is owned by Twitter, anyone that follows a person or business on Twitter can receive these live broadcasts and interact with the person streaming video. This type of application perhaps wasn’t initially developed for marketing and lead generation, but it has quickly become an effective tool for lead generation with social media. The question some people have, however, is how does this application correlate to marketing success and lead generation. How can Periscope Help in Marketing? Broadcasting live videos to potential clients and customers can help put a personal spin on the products and services the business provides. It’s also a way to interact with potential customers without having to be in the same room. If customers are intrigued by the products and services described via a live Periscope streaming broadcast, questions can be answered and people can be directed to business websites to get even more information on whatever it is that they’re interested in. However, simply streaming these videos is likely not going to be enough to improve website traffic or to drum up interest in the products and service the business provides. Many times people will need to use specific Lead Generation Tips for Periscope to maximize interest. Here are […]
Lead Generation Using Social Media And Your Smart Phone
Social media continues to be one of the most cost effective methods of reaching out to new clients and generating leads. Studies have revealed that the average online surfer maintains accounts on five social media sites and checks them daily. The combined total of people who have accounts on at least one site is expected to top 2.3 billion members by the end of the year. Most people will spend nearly two hours on their social media accounts each day, looking for information and entertainment. Every site benefits advertisers in some way by making it easier for them to reach more people, get more attention and track the responses their ad campaigns receive. Marketing With Twitter Twitter users are an especially active audience. 100 million people log in daily to their accounts on this site. Businesses effectively using Twitter have stated that approximately 29 percent of their offline sales can be traced to their advertising campaigns shared here. Periscope, a convenient app created and owned by this popular site, has made instantly getting noticed easier than ever. Lead generation using Periscope is already effectively working for numerous types of businesses. It allows anyone who uses the app to live stream their own videos and save them on their account for additional viewing later. Along with this they can insert searchable bios and follow other Periscope users as well. The streaming videos, known as scopes, can be shared with followers daily or whenever an updated video is created. All of this is in addition to the tweets, video ads and photos and hashtags that can be added and shared every day. Using Pinterest Effectively Many people were surprised to see the lasting power of this simple site. Not only does Pinterest have a huge amount of loyal members, these same people are some of the busiest shoppers online. Research has shown that they consistently spend more money than Facebook or Twitter members in relation to the items they search and repin. Advertising is basic because the site currently does not provide a lot of variety for lead generation. The basic method is by posting interesting content though pins and making certain that there are links from there to the landing page of the business. It is possible to add website and contact information on company profiles and boards, but it is less likely to be noticed than it would be in a pin. Users of this site spend nearly all of their time searching pins and pinning information of their own rather than reviewing profiles. Maximizing Instagram Accounts Photo sharing accounts were also considered a passing social media trend that would eventually fade away, but Instagram critics have been proven to be wrong. Instagram is a wonderful companion tool to blogs, website content and the wordy posts of other sites. It is the visual attention-getter that social media users consistently respond to. There are a number of ways to maximize the attention received on Instagram without saying a word. Using clear, […]
Four Tips for Generating Leads from Your Blog
The Four Tips for Generating Leads from Your Blog All of the industry leaders out there began with a single day. It was a single idea that set the spark, and they grew their brand one day at a time. They also went through a breakthrough. Something happened that put them over the edge, and they continued doing small steps every single day to get in front of that one massive breakthrough. Blogging professional use the following tips to build a big following. Lead generating is like that. Whether it is marketing for potential sales or building an audience of loyal consumers and brand followers, it begins with a few small tactics. Below are a few Tips for Generating Leads from Your Blog and making best use of a modernized blog space. 1. The Influence of Instagram The influence of Instagram to social media has been under-discussed. Instagram has placed both a massive short video focus on social media. Many have argued that this development was just natural and expected. Yet, Instagram certainly pushed in that direction. The majority of content on Instagram is a single image or a short video. Where is all the text? It seems Twitter is focused in that area. But, Instagram is a visual platform and it caters to those needs. A blog needs to be visual. It can also be a spectacle. A single well-placed viral-esque image has the potential to draw a large buzz. Content on a blog should be balanced between text, images, and videos. 2. Using Pinterest: Know the Marketplace How is that balance assessed? The answer to that has to do with the market. One brand is selling scientific module documentation for college-educated professionals. The other is selling eyeliner to tweens. The social media approach is the exact opposite. One would rely almost solely on detailed text. The other needs a whole lot of pictures. Pinterest is a great platform to explore what people care about. The platform is niche enough to find just about anything in small quantities, and could offer enough information to find out what people are saying about a brand. It also helps to build correlations and comparisons, and users are getting traffic from PInterest. For example, what do people who care about eyeliner doing with it? What else do they like? Are they posting videos, buying online, using it regularly or only for holidays? 3. The New Kid in Town: Periscope Many marketers have found a new and growing resource in web marketing. They are generating leads from Periscope. Firstly, what is Periscope? Periscope is basically an Instagram-inspired live feed website. Users can see live streaming footage of others when they see fit. It is similar to Twitch, expect Twitch is focused on video gaming. Periscope is a little more open-ended and limitless in its scale and, well, scope. Companies are generating leads by getting their hands dirty. They are going out there and offering informative videos, fun videos, and tips in their respective niche. […]
Five Tips for Instagram Lead Generation
Running a business successfully takes a lot more than simply having a great product or service. A business owner needs to be able to procure more and more leads to help them promote their product or service to new people at all times. The more people they can get interested in their product, the bigger their business is going to grow. Unfortunately, lead generation isn’t always easy. The following are five Tips for Instagram Lead Generation that can help any business owner find new and useful leads with just this one social media platform. Make Sure There’s an Optimized Landing Page A large part of obtaining online leads is giving them somewhere to go once they come across the social media account. The business should have a landing page on their website that’s linked from the social media account through the bio or on various posts. This landing page needs to be fully optimized to catch their attention and draw them in. It should make them what to know more about what the business can do for them and what they can do to get more information about what the business has to offer. Engaging Content on a Set Schedule It’s important to create engaging and interesting content on any social media site, but Instagram in particular. Pictures are the main type of post though it is possible to add short video clips. The pictures should stand out amongst the other pictures that might show on a follower’s feed and should make them want to learn more. Pictures can be of products or services, but don’t have to be. They can also be of customers, employees, and anything else relevant to the business. Posts made on sites like Instagram need to be done frequently, with most businesses posting at least once a day. There should be a set time for the main posts and, when necessary, other posts throughout the day. This lets a customer know when to expect to be able to see something new on the account. Set Up Contests to Give Away Free Products Most businesses find that giving away free products is a fantastic way to generate quite a few new leads. The flow of leads can be huge when a person is offered the chance to be in a drawing to win a product or service just by signing up for more information from the business. Showcase the product or service being given away on Instagram so all of your followers can see exactly what’s being given away and include information in the picture or in the description so they know how to enter the contest and try to win. Display Products With Professional Pictures Displaying products is one of the best reasons to use Instagram. A business can quickly upload images of their most popular products or services and all of their followers will see it. This is also perfect for promoting a new product or service. However, the pictures do need to be […]
How-To Guide for Lead Generation with Twitter Cards
Twitter Cards are a new way to do lead generation by using twitter followers and it can make it easier than ever for a new business to snag a ton of new leads quickly. It’s not a good idea to just jump up and get started, however. Before a business owner tries to do Lead Generation with Twitter Cards, it’s a good idea for them to understand exactly what they are and what they can do to use them effectively. When used properly, however, they can be a fantastic tool for any business. Read the tips below so you can get a good idea of what these cards are and what can be done to ensure they are as effective as possible at generating leads and converting customers. What are Twitter Cards? Twitter Cards are a new way for businesses to generate leads using a simple and small twitter post. The business posts a normal tweet with a link to their card. When the person clicks on the tweet, they’ll be able to see the entire card and can click on the call to action to easily submit their information. A business can use these cards for a specific campaign, to offer something to their followers, and to attract new customers who are interested in learning more about the business. They’re easy to use and can be adjusted as needed to make them more effective. Prepare a Strategy Before Creating Cards Before creating the first card, the business owner needs to create a strategy. They should consider what they’re trying to accomplish, how the cards can help, and how they can use the cards effectively. It’s important to remember that the strategy can and will be updated as needed, but it’s a great starting point for the business owner to begin gathering ideas and solidifying their plan. This can also include researching what potential customers might be interested in as well as what strategies other businesses are using effectively. Create a Call to Action Once the business owner starts to create their first card, the call to action is going to be one of the most important parts. This is what the reader clicks on to leave their information and what grabs their attention and makes them want to leave their information. While it’s limited to only 20 characters, there is a lot a business can say in a short space to make people want to click the link. The call to action should be clear and make it apparent what the reader will be getting. Provide Value to the Potential Customer A person isn’t going to simply send out their information because they can. They want to get something in return, whether that’s more information on a product they’re interested in or a subscription to an emailing list with money-saving offers. Think about what the business can provide to customers that the potential customers might be interested in. This gives them a reason to click the call to action […]
Generating Leads from Pinterest
When social media was in its nascent stages, businesses had limited opportunities to harness its power for marketing. Now that these tools and platforms have developed with great alacrity, companies are racing to have a place with the most cutting-edge marketing methods. Generating Leads from PInterest is an important skill to learn in a competitive marketplace where each business wants the top spot. Produce Attractive Material While it may seem obvious, some companies focus more on what they want than what their target audience members want when creating leads from social media. Target-audience analysis is just as important for online marketing as it is for traditional marketing. Companies need to sit down to figure out who their target audience members are, but it is more than that. They need to decide what these people search for online and what captivates them. Then, businesses can begin to build a board that takes these interests and passions into consideration. Select Quality Photos Some companies may think that if the concept is okay, then it does not really or fully matter what the pictures look like. That isn’t true, however. For people who have been scrolling through the internet all day conducting research for school or work are likely tired of blaring lights, yet they still need a photo bright enough to view its crisp details. Generating fast online leads also involves using photos that are easy to understand. Considering a captive image that is not bogged down with impersonal faces or tons of words. Secure the Rights Using photos to generate leads is an excellent idea; however, companies that do not have the rights to the photos will likely find themselves in a significant portion of trouble. Before adding any pictures to the Pinterest page, make sure that the rights for the photo have been obtained or that they are coming from a website that allows anyone to use the images. A great method for generating online leads is to take one’s own pictures. That way, the photos are individualized and personal to the products of the business. Include the Necessary Links All of the pictures in the world cannot help a business if interested parties do not know where to go to gain more information about the entity. While links to relevant material and products should not appear plastered across all of the beautiful images, they do need to exist. Additionally, people should know whom to contact if they would like to know more information about the products and services. Clarity is key in communication, and it also prevents potential customers from mixing up businesses with one another. Craft Captivating Words While Pinterest pages are generally not weighed down with text, companies need to provide some insight into whom they are and what their businesses have to offer. A short space for text is available, which helps businesses as customers are scrolling through and usually do not wish to read wordy entries. A pithy statement that encapsulates the promise of the […]
Generating Leads from Instagram: Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Instagram is a powerful networking and advertising medium for home-based business ventures. Since it was acquired by Facebook in 2012, Instagram has grown from 30 million users to a staggering figure of over 300 million users! It allows photos to be captured, cropped, filtered, tinted, and otherwise altered, then posted publicly. In addition, videos no longer than 15 seconds can be posted, providing a snapshot of someone’s day, what they are doing, or (as is very common) what they are eating. These photo or video posts are then disseminated across a series of social networking platforms. Instagram is like the base of a tree whose branches include Facebook, Flikr, Tumbler, Twitter, and WhatsApp. If the Instagram user has accounts with any of these other services, sharing a photo or video across platforms is instantaneous. For online business people, it is a vital, diverse, far-reaching advertising tool. Below is a brief guide that shows how business owners can be Generating Leads from Instagram, thereby increasing traffic for home-based business. With the speed and convenience inherent to social networking, these steps require a small investment of time, but high returns. Business Basics: Leads and Conversions The first step in marketing and advertising is to generate a lead. A lead is defined as any potential customer, someone who expresses interest in a product or service. For businesses with an online presence, one of the newest yet proven methods of advertising is generating leads from social media. Anyone who clicks on a link related to the business, fills our a form, puts himself on an email list, signs up for a newsletter, or in any way provides contact information is considered a lead. The more leads a business has, the better, but this is only the first step. To make money, leads must be converted. Advertising gets leads. Further advertising of individual products and services, matching them to the individual customer’s needs, and convincing the customer to make a purchase, this is conversion. The primary difference between lead generation and conversion is the higher level of personal communication. This is wear an individual’s selling chops come into play. Making the lead feel his or her needs are important, and that the product can accommodate those needs, increases the likelihood of conversion. In an internet that now hosts over 1 billion websites, this “personal touch” is the essential tool that can make online advertising successful. Instagram and the Personal Touch This “personal touch” tells potential customers many things about the product and the business that created it. It shows the business cares about the customer and wants to satisfy a need. It shows the business is constantly focused on improvement by being in touch with the latest advancements, strategies, and technologies. It also shows the business owner is human; he will make mistakes, but he will also work to make them right. The question is, how does one show the personal, relatable side of a business with still photos and 15-second videos? Below are […]
The 3 Smartest Facebook Advertising Tips for 2016
Many online marketers are turning their attention to the mobile market. For them, social media is old news. They will continue to sustain the status quo. But, they are losing sight of some incredible innovations that are happening at the turn of 2016. The Benefits of Facebook Advertising are obvious, but they are also evolving fast. Leads can be generated immediately by developing an incredibly dense and powerful social campaign. How is social media evolving? What are three of the biggest social media marketing tips that can be implemented right now that will generate many leads online? Marketers are looking into changes within the audience insights, and how the quantity of their advertisements makes all the difference. 1. The Relevance of “Audience Insights” Facebook has an incredibly versatile platform for bridging the gap between what a company expects its target market likes and what the target market actually likes. All companies are making a guess on what their target market actually wants. They assume that if their target market enjoys country music, they will also enjoy buying cheap banjo strings. It is not a huge logical leap, but sometimes a company misses the mark. Audience Insights is an intuitive system for Facebook marketers. A lot can be written about the feature, but at its heart rests an incredibly generous tool to discover what a target market truly enjoys. A company selects a certain market within the page. For example, they can choose a target market of “people who like private school education in Chicago.” They can then receive demographic information based on this niche. They can potentially discover that 85% of the market is female, 17% is under 30, and 20% do not actually live in Chicago. That information is telling. It may also provide deep knowledge about a market that may have just been assumed before. The Audience Insight feature is still being discovered and explored, and it has only been released out of beta for a few months by the end of 2015. But, the Audience Insight angle of Facebook will become an ever greater tool for Facebook marketers in 2015. 2. A Network of Connected Advertisements Out of all the Facebook Advertising Tips, this one may be the most important moving forward. A handful of advertisements really will not do it in 2016. Marketers will need to have 50 or more different advertisements running at any one time. They need to draw paid traffic from various resources. They also need to find out what works- and what does not- on an unrivaled and astonishingly fast scale. The rate of effectiveness is not high enough when a marketer is sticking o three or five advertisements at any given time. A typical corporate record label may sign 100 bands a year. They do not expect to make money on 95 of them. If Rogue Wave, Dredg, and The Great Mountain Fighters failed to make a profit, Adele and Coldplay will account for any losses from the remaining 95 leads. […]
How To Generate Facebook Leads in 2015-2016
When a business uses social media to advertise, they have several methods at their disposal to reach out to prospective clients. Generating leads via a Facebook site is not that difficult when the proper steps are utilized to get the ball rolling. Here are some Facebook advertising tips that can be used to grab the attention of prospective clients, possibly boosting sales as a result. Benefits of Facebook advertising Advertising on Facebook will draw in potential customers from around the globe rather than ones only located in the immediate area. Word of mouth travels fast via social media, making it the best way to get a business seen and known by all sorts of demographics. Generating Facebook Leads Facebook leads can be categorized as direct or indirect leads. A direct lead is the placement of a link on the social medial page which forwards the person to the business website. The customer will click on this link if they feel they would like further information about the company. A indirect lead is the sharing of a blog post, picture, or status with a link included. The customer may click on this link out of curiosity, sending them to the business website to browse. They were not originally interested in this particular website, but clicked on it because the information it claimed to share seemed intriguing. Creating A Website When someone needs home business leads, social media is one of the best ways to gather potential customers without paying large prices for advertising. The information is all available via the Facebook site, making it a snap for business owners to get the ball rolling in gathering leads as soon as they decide to open their business to the public. Having a business website can be a great help in gaining customers as it will work in conjunction with the social media site. A website will house all the information about the product or service they are offering. It will include details about the benefits in buying from this company, as well as the personal information needed to get a hold of them. The colors and fonts should be pleasing so potential customers spend more than a few seconds browsing the information. A high “bounce rate” results when a prospect comes your website, and doesn’t stay there more than a few seconds. Pictures should be included as well as frequently asked questions and answers. Starting The Lead Process When creating a business social media page, the cover photo is what will grab attention of anyone browsing the platform. Use wording in this cover photo, adding a call-to-action so people who spot the business page will see what it is about before they browse the details. This should include an eye-catching phrase, great looking font, and company name so people will see this information at the moment they see the page pop up as something they may be interested in. Make sure to place an appropriate photo behind the text. A photo in […]