Social media marketing gives brands the opportunity to build awareness and trust with their ideal audiences.
But if they know how to use their profiles well, they can also move beyond demand generation and begin using lead generation tactics to nurture prospects at the middle and bottom of the funnel.
Over time, these strategies can help brands build their email lists and inspire more sales.
If you’re ready to turn your social media efforts into sales opportunities, read on to discover seven of our top tips.
1. Hone in on your ideal client
Everything starts with your ideal client: Their hopes. Their dreams. Their problems.
You have to be the one that caters to all of it.
Because when you tailor everything to your audience, they not only feel seen and heard, they feel understood. Over time, this can help encourage an emotional and loyal connection which can lead to repeat sales.
To help you get a better understanding of your target audience, consider using a CDP (Customer Data Platform) to collect first-party data from users on social media — and then use that information to create your ideal customer profile (ICP).
When reviewing your ICP, make sure it includes pertinent insights, such as:
- What they need
- What they want
- What they dream about
- What problems and pain points do they have (and how you can solve them)
- Their purchasing history
- Their buyer’s journey patterns
Once you have these details, you’ll need to tailor all of your social media content, including your messaging, images, and CTAs, with this information in mind.
2. Share tons of value-driven content, consistently
Once you understand your ideal audience profoundly, use demand generation tactics to nurture top-of-the-funnel marketing leads.
How? By sharing tons of value-driven content consistently.
Value-driven content aims to educate, entertain, or inspire. That means using your content to solve a problem, teach your audience something they want to learn, show them how to save time or money, or give them the inside scoop on a topic they can’t get enough of.
This helps build genuine relationships with users as you’re giving them actionable tips instead of pushing them to spend money when they haven’t gotten to know you yet. Start by building awareness, then generate leads, and then ask for the sale.
In this tip, we’re focusing on those top-of-the-funnel leads. So, we just want to share lots of value.
If you‘re looking for inspiration on how to create value-driven content for your audience, take a look at this reel by Tailor Brands. By talking about new business owners’ fears when starting a business, Tailor Brands sparked a genuine conversation with its audience of aspiring business owners and entrepreneurs.
Here are other examples of value-driven content you can use to generate demand:
- How-to focused content
- List-based content
- Content that answers a key question
- Top industry insights and tips
- Future industry predictions and tips
3. Turn your social media posts into a lead-generation machine
Middle and bottom-of-the-funnel prospects are ready for a little more oomph. They trust you now and are ready for more information about what you know or offer.
Enter: Lead-Generation Marketing.
One of the best ways you can turn your social media posts into a lead-generation machine is by using them to hype up lead magnets.
To create lead magnets, your qualified prospects care about, repurpose your best-performing content or grab answers to their frequently asked questions and turn them into in-depth guides, ebooks, or assets your audience can use to get ahead or solve a problem.
For instance, if you sell cookbooks and kitchenware, you might use the following lead magnet ideas to build up your email list:
- A pdf called “5 Summer Salads Recipes You’re Bound To Get Hooked On”
- An eBook called “Embrace Whole Foods With These Core Principles”
Or, if you sell CRM software and project management apps, you might use the following lead magnets:
- A pdf called “Why Your CRM Software Is Failing You — And What To Use Instead”
- A digital slideshow called “How To Plan A Project Timeline That Never Fails”
4. Solidify your audience’s pain points and present solutions in your content
Review the pain points you outlined earlier and list key ways you can solve them better than the competition.
Then, design content that speaks to your audience’s pain points, positions you as the authority, and presents your brand’s specific solutions in the call to action.
For instance, if you sell skincare products online and many of your customers suffer from acne and rosacea, you could create content highlighting what causes these skin issues and back up your claims using reputable medical sources from the medical community.
You can then position your skincare as the go-to solution for acne and rosacea, mentioning the top ways your products benefit these ailments.
Take this tip up a notch by including science-backed evidence that your products work or, at the very least, use social proof, such as user-generated content, testimonials, and/or reviews like Rhode Skin.
5. Make your offers easy to buy
At this point, you’ve built trust, generated leads, and proved why your offers are worth investing in.
But have you made it easy to buy what you sell?
You can expect higher bounce rates if your audience has to sort through windows, links, and a long checkout flow to make a purchase.
For instance, if you sell products, be sure to tag them in your Stories, posts, and social media stores for quick purchases.
If you sell services or digital downloads like PDFs, add a link in your bio that sends users to a landing page with your main offers (remember, quick checkout flows!). You can also send them to a sales-driven website or keep it simple by using a link in a bio tool like Linktree to organize your offers.
Whichever methods you choose, make sure to test them on a variety of devices.
When conducting testing, ask yourself:
- Was it easy to find what I was looking for?
- Was it easy to find out how to buy what I was looking for?
- Was the purchasing process quick and simple?
- Did I receive an order confirmation and tracking link within seconds?
If you answered yes to the questions above, congratulations, you’ve made your offers easy to buy!
6. Run a FOMO promo
Stir up the fear of missing out by running a FOMO promo.
Use language like “limited spots available,” “sale ends Sunday”, or “ the course closes at midnight tonight” to stir up angst and urgency.
Alphalete uses this strategy to promote its 8th Birthday Sale on Instagram and generate hype for up to 80% off fitness apparel.
In Stories and segmented emails, use countdown timers, reminders, and last-minute calls to further encourage haste.
Consider your best-sellers or most sought-after services when deciding which offer to promote. You can also lock arms with influencers and affiliate marketers to run contests or announce your promo to generate a greater buzz.
Another great method to use during your FOMO campaign is sharing heartfelt customer stories and testimonials. Collect brand mentions, reviews, and user-generated content, or, ask your VIP customers if they’d consider filming customer success videos for you to showcase in your campaign.
7. Respond to all sales questions promptly
Interested buyers are bound to have plenty of sales questions on social media and may have objections. Be ready to handle these sales objections promptly and kindly.
Your goal? Inspire a sale!
If they ask you a question, consider, “how can I turn my answer into a sales opportunity?”.
For instance, if a user asks, “does your Violet Rose Patterned Dress come in XL?” don’t respond with a mere “yes!” or “it sure does!”.
Instead, say something like:
“Yes! All of our dresses come in sizes XXS to 6X! Here’s a link to the Violet Rose Patterned Dress in size XL. Let me know if you have any questions during shopping!”
See the difference a little extra intention can make? To ensure smooth and effective sales interactions, consider having a well-defined sales playbook in place. This playbook should guide your responses to customer inquiries, turning every question into a potential sales opportunity.
To ensure you never miss a sales question or brand mention, be sure to use a social listening tool like Keyhole.
With Keyhole, you can know when your brand is mentioned across online platforms so you can engage with leads and customers instantly. You can also analyze campaign performance in real-time, optimize your social media strategy, and even analyze reports on your influencers’ ROI.
Conclusion
And that’s it for now.
We hope today’s article has inspired you to get more strategic with social media marketing so you can build up your lead list and generate more sales.
Don’t forget to get your hands on a trusted social media listening tool, too, like Keyhole.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. How long does it take to see results from social media marketing?
Results from social media marketing can vary depending on various factors such as the size of your audience, the type of content you're creating, and the frequency of your posts.
However, in general, you can start seeing some results within a few weeks to a few months of consistent effort. It's important to remember that social media marketing is a long-term strategy, so be patient and keep working on your campaigns.
2. What is the best social media platform for my business?
The best social media platform for your business depends on your industry, target audience, and marketing goals. For example, if you're targeting young adults, Instagram and TikTok might be more effective than LinkedIn. If you're targeting professionals, LinkedIn might be the way to go. It's important to do your research and figure out where your audience is most active and engaged, then focus your efforts on those platforms.
3. Can social media marketing really generate sales?
Yes, social media marketing can definitely generate sales. In fact, it's becoming increasingly important for businesses to have a strong social media presence in order to stay competitive. By using social media to connect with potential customers, share valuable content, and showcase your products or services, you can increase brand awareness and drive sales.