Over the years in social media, the best networks for me to generate leads have come from LinkedIn, Twitter, and Rumble. Now, of course, my own business is more of a B2B type of business.
Though I do not own a retail store or anything like that, though I did years ago. I now provide services to small and medium-sized businesses.
(But when I did many years ago, Pinterest was the go-to place for me as well as Twitter.)
How Engagement Plays a Big Role to Generate Leads from Social Media
To generate any leads on social media, you have to engage with others on the network. You can no longer push content out and expect returns to come back for you.
But if you engage with others, share their content, and help them when they have questions, you can generate leads. It takes time and that time can = years. 1-2 years before you begin generating clients from your social media efforts.
You really have to put the work into it or hire someone who will.
Become an Authority on Social Media
When you consistently post on a social media network, you can become an authority. People will begin to follow you and learn from you. This is a great way to generate leads in the feature. Now, I have seen it happen for several of my clients. But do not expect it to happen on all the social media networks.
Pick one or two networks that you can really farm and shine on. Then, pick the one you enjoy being on as it usually helps! You will find that you spend more time on it.
Pro tip: Avoid blatant self-promotion, especially early on. Nothing erodes trust and authority more than liking yourself a bit too much.
Having Your Own Blog or Website to Showcase Your Knowledge
Having your own website or blog helps position you more as an authority too! You can share more long-form content that can be used on social media too.
Thus, it will help build up your website and SEO as well. You can write about topics to help potential clients who may later become your client. Even better, you can answer questions from potential clients and solve their problems in a blog post.
Oftentimes, people will become a client when you solve a problem for them. – Lisa from Inspire To Thrive.
Trust Factor is Key to Generate Leads from Social Media
People who will become clients trust you. They feel like they know you already. When they see you on social media, they think “There’s John again!” “I like him and like what he has to say and offer.”
That is how you build up a following on a social network.
Make Videos to Share on Social Media
When people see you in a video, they feel like they get to know you better. When people get to know you better, they are more likely to trust you. Even if you are not in the video but they hear you talking, like in a podcast or vlog, they will pick up on your mannerisms.
Moreover, this helps them get to know you more than just reading your blog or social media posts online. Here is one of my YouTube videos with some tips for using social media.
Return Messages and Comments Quickly
If people ask you questions or comment on your social network, make sure you respond quickly. No one likes to wait for answers anymore today. They will move on to the next person to ask, who may happen to be your competition.
Be sure to have your notifications on for messages and comments on your social media networks. You don’t have to have them on loud or you could keep them on silent but the important part is to change your settings so you see the notifications on your mobile device or desktop.
Advertise on Social Media to Generate More Leads
Now, if you want to make the time under 2 years to generate some leads for your business, you can purchase ads! Facebook ads are generally not expensive.
But be careful not to spend money on them unless you know how to – otherwise you will be throwing money away. With most digital ads you have to learn by trial and error.
Even experts are always tweaking digital ads which is why it is a time-consuming task today.
Keep at it Consistent on Social Media
Being consistent is the hardest part of it all on social media. You have to do it day in and day out. There is no vacation or rest. Of course, you can use tools to automate some of this for you.
I love Agorapulse and MissgLettr to do it for me. Both tools allow you to schedule out social media posts on the big networks.
With Agorapulse, you can listen and reply to comments on their dashboard as well as generate reports to see how well you are doing on engagement and clicks.
Lastly, do you a checklist for all your social media planning! If not, you need one, so put one together to ensure you’re checking the boxes and staying on track.
Clicks Are Not the End All for Leads
Many people think clicks are the end-all, but they are not. People can click away, but if they don’t fill out a form or call you, they are not going to become a client.
Therefore, you need people to fill out a form, message you, email you or call you to begin a real conversation with them. From there, you can convert them over to a client.
Growing Leads is Like Growing Seeds of a Garden
Have you ever begun a garden from seeds? That is what social media is – the seeds of a garden. You have to nurture it and work at it to grow it. Keep track of where you start and how things are going by tracking everything in a spreadsheet of each network. Then mark when you get leads so you will actually see them and keep count.
There is no better way to grow the leads when you know where you have been and where you are going. Learn what works and what doesn’t. Spend your time wisely on social media to generate leads.
Your Turn to Generate Leads from Social Media
How do you generate leads from your social media networks today?
We would love to know more in the comments below!
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The seed analogy is spot on Lisa. Bloggers cannot see beyond today or tomorrow, totally ignoring how what we do now correctly plants a seed to be nurtured, day by day, over years. Social media is a fabulous means of growing seeds but patience is key in sharing value and speaking to human beings via comments, @replies and all that jazz. Excellent post my friend and thanks Anthony for inviting Lisa to guest post.
I like reading your comments, Ryan. I find myself wondering how long do you spend reading blogs and writing these great comments? haha, I need some consistency for my social media and blogging content. Thanks for the inspiration Lisa, I’m going to work on planting seeds and nurturing them! I’ll get to work on my spreadsheets.
Devin, great to see you. Thanks much for checking out my comments and also for sharing your thoughts on Lisa’s rocking post, via Anthony’s equally rocking blog. Anthony; great new look! I love it!
Ryan
Hey, Devin. Thanks for reading! I agree. I’m always amazed by how active Ryan is online, and beyond that, how much high-quality content he’s able to produce. It’s truly magical!
As far as spreadsheets, while they are not pleasant to work in, they can be your best friend. Once I get one all set up and populated, I find tons of value!
Thanks Ryan. Yes many bloggers cannot see beyond today and they want everything now. It all takes time as many good things in life do 🙂 Thanks for your insights on this Ryan 🙂
Hey Ryan, I’m more than happy (and fortunate) to be able to share advice from talented people like Lisa, you and others! This is another great piece for sure. Social media is a great way of planning seeds. And patience is key here as it is with so much of what brings success in the blogging/marketing space. Thanks for reading!
Hi Lisa,
wonderful tips here.
I think the best way to get leads for your business on social is to be human, and not a faceless brand, to engage engage and engage some more, and to do it over the long haul.
Like everything worthwhile, it takes work, but it’s doable.
Thank you Nikola. Yes, being human is a must. I see many on social media that don’t have their faces as a profile and with an image instead. It does take time and work but like you say it is worthwhile. Thanks for coming by Nikola.
Yes! Being human, real and genuine on social is so important, Nikola. I like to post a lot on social, but if I don’t have time, I cut back because I don’t want my posts to come off robotic. Then I jump back in more when I have more time.