How Social Media Generates Leads

Social media is an important channel for engaging with your target audience and amplifying your message. It is also an important venue for gaining qualified leads. Whether your business is B2B or B2C oriented, social media can play an important role in your lead generation strategy.

Here are some effective ways to use social media platforms as lead generation channels for your business:

1. Carefully Select the Right Social Channels

When looking to promote your business on social media, it is important to understand the networks’ culture. Understanding the culture of the social media networks makes it easier to select the right social channel for promoting your business.

A good example for the difference between social media networks is the different approach taken by LinkedIn and Facebook. Facebook uses a casual approach for promoting posts and updates. LinkedIn has a professional touch. People use Facebook for staying in touch with their family and friends. Professionals use LinkedIn for connecting with colleagues and staying in touch with the latest industry trends.

2. Conduct Webinars and Contests

Contents and webinars are two of the most pivotal parts of lead generation through social media marketing. B2C businesses use contests on social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Brands use photo contests to connect with users. You might focus your contests on the events that are currently taking place such as the seasons and holidays.

Webinars are online discussions, where experts present their in-depth knowledge on a certain topic. Webinars are capable of attracting valuable leads because they are not only non-intrusive, but they also usually attract visitors that are interested in your area or niche of expertise.

3. Reach Out to Influencers

Influencers play an important role in promoting your brand among your target audience.  Reaching out to influencers helps in developing relationships and promoting your brand to their followers.

Influencer marketing over social media is done on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. On Twitter, you can reach out to your influencers by retweeting and sharing their posts when valuable to your community. On LinkedIn, you can do so by joining the same groups and interacting in discussions with your influencers.

4. Share Infographics and Videos

Infographics are one of the most widely used techniques for lead generation. Infographics consist of illustrations, charts and text with impressive graphic design. Sharing infographics motivates customers to go through your posts. They also offer better user engagement than just sharing simple textual posts over social media sites.

Besides infographics, another effective way for promoting your business through social media sites is the use of videos. Videos maximize the chances of effective lead generation. If you are selecting a video for sharing over your social media business page, make sure it is exciting enough to compel the audiences to watch.

If you choose to follow these strategies for doing social media promotion of your business, you will definitely be able to increase your lead quality.

To read the entire article, go to: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/7-ways-social-media-can-help-generate-leads-01057219.