For most brands, generating new leads is the ultimate perk of creating and maintaining a strong social media presence. Before you get to that point, there are other steps that need to be taken.
In other words, before you transform your social media efforts into an effective lead generating machine, you need to generate a strong following on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and any other social media platforms that you and your company/brand have determined as essential to your branding.
The more followers you have, the better reach you will have. You don’t have to be the powerhouse on every network that exists, but focus enough attention on those platforms with which you want to be identified, to make it work for you.
The more people you reach results in a greater potential to generate even more leads for your business. At the very core, you must take the steps needed to expand your reach by leaps and bounds. Keep in mind that it is ok if it starts out slow and you grow momentum as you build. This isn’t meant to be overnight success (as much as we may all love that!).
What About Buying Followers?
Sure, you could buy several hundred followers to get things moving, but if you want a top quality social following, you must earn your fans and followers. It is as simple as that. Many have tried it the other way and even tried to prove that those purchased followers prove something. The question is, do we even know if all of the purchased followers are real people and not the same real person? Even if one person honestly intends to keep up ten social profiles on one social platform (assuming that was not a case of breaking the rules at that platform), how much time are they really going to have to interact as each of those profiles? It comes down to the math we all learn in grade school.
Purchased followers are usually low-quality profiles, or, as we mention above, likely fake. As a result, they serve no real purpose except to inflate the number of followers you have at first viewing of your social profile. Compare that to the followers that you truly earn. They are the followers who like and share your content, click on your links and want to know more about you. These are the followers who may do business with you in the future. They are the followers who are more likely to recommend you to their friends and associates who may become your future clients.
Three Steps to Grow the Loyal Following
To help you get things into gear, here are three tips on how to entice (should we even use the word “entice?”) more social media fans and followers.
Prioritize your social media platforms
One of the most commonly asked questions I receive, when coaching people on social media tactics, is “Which social media platform should I focus on in my internet marketing strategy?” That really depends on the brand, but in particular, it depends on the audience and target audience.
Creating and maintaining your presence on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. is important, but you also need to focus your attention on the social media outlets where your target audience spends most of their time.
It doesn’t matter what size your business is, which industry you specialize in, or who your target market is. Regardless of those circumstances, people talk, or they are going to talk about you. Many times this is done on the social media platforms. This “talking” is why it’s so important you give people the chance to get in touch with you on their chosen social media network.
So, the question is, “Where do your fans (or future fans) hang out, when it comes to social media platforms?”
Social Media Optimization
Whether you are an established business or are just getting started, you need to think of ways to optimize your social profile. You need to choose an identifiable username, upload a photo that is easily recognizable, and include clear descriptions of your business in the profile text areas. The idea is to lead people back to your website with a trackable link. Let’s shoot it straight. You are “luring” them through the social media platform. Ultimately, you want them on your site and want them as your customer.
Write Killer Content
If you’re going to tweet, it needs to be valuable content. Use the 80/20 rule. At least 80 percent of your posts need to be helpful for your target audience. The other 20 percent can be self-promotional. By gaining a substantial following with valuable content, you’ll reap the rewards of loyalty and more traffic to your website. It comes down to gaining trust. But, the very definition of trust has to do with that integrity, so it can’t be faked. Make sense?
Conclusion
There you have it. Three actionable steps that you can go out and do (or verify) right now. The first step may take some research (to find out which platform your target audience prefers), but it isn’t like you can’t change your mind when it comes to the profile. Ideally you pick the right one and go with it, but if you do find some perfect social platform (or one is created) that is all about YOUR target audience, there is no reason you cannot copy over your logo, social media descriptions, etc. (step 2) and get the new social profile up and running.
The third step >> Creating killing content? That just becomes a way of life. Or, you go out and hire someone to do it for you 🙂
