By Mike Austin

Social media marketing is the next big thing. Over the years, social media has grown to be a major platform for communicating. It is safe to say that social media has changed our lives. From keeping in touch with our loved ones to obtaining information, hearing news, purchasing products, and getting ideas for all sorts of projects – it is hard to separate social media from people’s lives nowadays.

And because it is so intertwined with our lives, social media has also evolved to be a powerful online marketing platform. Aside from helping businesses promote their products and services, and raise brand awareness, social media is also a major source of leads.

However, it is important to remember that not all leads are qualified leads. In order to drive high-quality leads from social media, you need to be aware of the right strategies, from advertising to lead distribution.

Promote Gated Content

When you advertise on social media, you aim to make your customers take action. Gated content includes online materials such as articles, webinars, white papers, videos, and photos where users should fill out a form before they can access them. Gated content is your way to obtaining information from potential customers. However, for them to work, they should be valuable enough for people to take time signing up to get access.

Develop a Solid Content Strategy

With the stiff competition in the online marketplace, there’s a great pressure for businesses to publish useful, original, and high-quality content. When creating a content strategy, think big. You should not only focus on your social media posts, but also on all aspects of your online marketing, from your website to your blog, and other advertising platforms.

High-quality content not only boosts a brand’s reputation, it also helps a company earn customer loyalty, attract more clients, and influence people’s buying decisions, which all leads to successful lead generation.

Keep People Engaged

Customer engagement is perhaps the biggest tool in driving leads from social media. There are many ways to boost engagement on your social media pages. They include:

Running contests or giveaways

Holding contests lets you target people who have the highest potential to be your customers. It’s also a great way to obtain contact information from your prospects. Additionally, giveaways and contests are a great way to promote your business.

Publishing posts regularly

Your posts or tweets shouldn’t always be about your products or services. To connect with your customers, you want to make them feel that you’re not just here to make business. You also care about them. Whether it’s supporting advocacy, sharing a feel-good video, or posting an inspiring quote, the more people hear or see you, the more engaged they become.

Employ Lead Distribution

Lead distribution is a critical component of any online marketing plan. It’s not an easy feat though. Investing in lead distribution requires money, time, and hard work. Nonetheless, the results are worth it as you get to create the right audience for your brand.

Utilize Push Notifications

Whatever action you want your target customers to do – whether you want them to subscribe to your mailing list, share your content, or provide their contact details, using push notifications is an effective way to do just that.

Push notifications enhance the user experience, increase customer engagement, acquisition and retention. They are a great marketing tool for businesses that have mobile apps because they let you send messages quickly and strategically to your prospects. However, using push notifications has to be used properly so your notifications don’t end up being muted by your customers.

Use Facebook Ads

Facebook ads are a great way to promote your business and get qualified leads. One of the major benefits of Facebook ads is their ability to help you reach your exact audience. You can advertise to people on your selected demographics, including age, behavior, interests, and location. 62% of local businesses make use of Facebook ads to promote their products or services.

Social media is a great venue to obtain qualified leads. But for you to be successful, knowing the right strategies is the best approach.

Featured photo credit: Depositphotos