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Having a hard time getting measurable results from your social media marketing?
Getting more fans, followers and engagement is important -- but if you aren’t putting any focus on lead generation, you're probably not getting the type of social media ROI you were expecting from your efforts.
It’s time to change that!
In this post, I'll show you 15 ways to get leads on social media using a combination of organic and paid tactics.
We’ll go through specific lead generation methods for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn.
We’ll even talk about the most effective way to get leads from your favorite live streaming apps!
You'll feel like a pro by the end of this post.
Buckle up. Here we go...
15 Ways to Get Leads on Social Media (Marketer's Guide)
Before getting started -- there are a few important details to consider
There are 3 things you'll need to sort out before you'll be able to effectively get leads on social media.
First, you will need to determine the type of lead you want to capture.
Depending on your business, you may want to choose one or both of the following:
- Contact Form Submission -- this is a form on your website that asks visitors for their name and contact information so you can contact them about your products or services, schedule a sales call, setup an appointment, etc.
- Email List Subscriber -- this is a form on your website that asks visitors for their name and email address so you can add them to your email list and send them regular updates, newsletters, promotions, etc.
Next, you will need a page dedicated to capturing your lead.
If your lead type is a contact form submission, you'll likely already have a page on your website where your contact form lives.
If not, be sure to create one. Make sure the page focuses the visitor on submitting that contact form or completing another business goal, like making a purchase.
This page has one purpose -- to capture your lead.
Don't make the mistake of cluttering this page with other links or info about your company. That way, the visitor won't be confused about what you want them to do.
If your lead type is an email list subscription -- you'll need a landing page (also referred to as a squeeze page) focused solely on capturing the visitor's name and email. Here's an example of one on Post Planner.
Note that most businesses get a higher conversion when requiring their visitor to fill out as few fields as possible. We suggest that you keep your form short. You can read more about that here on unbounce.
For example, maybe just ask for the visitor's name and email address.
Depending on your goals, you may want to qualify your leads by asking for more information or just capture their basic information.
There are always exceptions to the rule. If you go to download something from HubSpot's Marketing Resources Library, you'll see how they qualify leads.
In this particular case below -- the long form is appropriate since you're signing up to have someone from HubSpot contact you. The info on the form is relevant and the offer is high value.
The above squeeze page examples bring me to the 3rd thing you will need in order to to get leads on social media effectively -- a lead magnet.
Lead magnets (also called assets) are freebies that you offer your visitors in exchange for their contact info. Businesses use a variety of lead magnets -- including (but not limited to):
- Discount code, promo code, or free shipping code for future purchases
- Free ebook, report, or white paper
- Free infographic, cheat sheet, checklist, or action guide
- Free training series, email course, or webinar
- Free contest, sweepstakes, or giveaway entry
- Access to a free online tool or member's only info
The lead magnet works for both the contact form submission and email list subscriber lead types.
If you offer a lead magnet in exchange for a contact form submission, you'll deliver the lead magnet on your contact form thank you page.
If you offer a lead magnet in exchange for an email subscriber opt-in, you could deliver the lead magnet on your opt-in form thank you page or in the first email you send your new subscriber after they confirm their subscription.
While a lead magnet is not required, we highly recommend it since it's so much easier to promote on social media.
Think about it. Would you choose to give your name and email address to a business you've never heard of to join their weekly newsletter? Probably not.
But you might do it to get their free guide about how to boost conversions on Facebook.
Also, note that your lead magnet should be highly relevant to the product or service you're selling. Anyone can get people to digitally hand over their contact information to enter a sweepstakes for a free iPad.
But the only way you're going to ultimately convert those leads into customers is if you actually sell iPads or iPad accessories.
Let's recap...
- Decide on the type of lead you want to capture (contact form submission or email list subscriber).
- Create a dedicated page for the lead capture (contact form page or squeeze page).
- Create a juicy lead magnet (freebie in exchange for your visitor's contact information).
Now, you're ready to become a lead generating ninja!
Let's start with Facebook -- then we'll cover Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and even live streaming.
After reading this post, you'll be armed with 15 effective ways to get leads on social media.
How to Get Leads on Social Media with Facebook
Since Facebook is the top social network and has audiences interested in virtually everything -- you'll likely have the most success increasing your social media ROI there.
(unless you have a dominate presence on a different social site)
Here are some ways to get leads via Facebook.
1. Create a tab to capture leads
Most email marketing software companies provide a Facebook app that will allow you to create an opt-in form on a tab for your Facebook page.
Check to see if yours does too -- and design a form that either promotes your lead magnet or simply asks visitors to subscribe.
2. Use your Facebook page cover photo
Be sure that the photo description links to your contact form or squeeze page.
3. Pin a post to the top of your page
Start by posting a link to your contact form or squeeze page.
Once published, click on the arrow at the top right of the post to pin it to your page so that everyone will see it at the top.
Pro Tip: If you have a Facebook group, you can follow the same steps and pin a post promoting your contact form or squeeze page there too.
4. Use Facebook ads
More specifically, use the 'Send people to your website' or 'Increase conversions on your website campaigns' to send your ideal customers to your contact form or squeeze page.
To get the most out of your ad budget -- be sure to use a lead magnet!
There are many examples of people who have increased their social media ROI with Facebook ads. Read about how one guy spent $20 to make $2,400 on Facebook.
5. Try lead generation ads
Check inside your Power Editor to see if you have the option to create lead generation ads in Power Editor.
This option will allow you to create ads that lead mobile audiences to mobile-friendly opt-in forms to capture the Facebook user's contact information.
The 2-part form asks you for your name and then for additional details such as your email, phone, zip code, and additional optional fields. Most will come pre-filled using the Facebook user's profile information.
If you're not using one of the current Facebook-approved CRM partners (Driftrock, Marketo, Maropost, or Sailthru) -- you will either need to manually export your leads or use third party services like LeadsBridge to get your leads delivered directly to other email marketing services or CRM platforms.
How to Get Leads on Social Media with Twitter
Now, let's look at how you can get leads on Twitter.
6. Use your Twitter header image
Note that since people can't click on this one, you'll need to add an easy to type URL in your image (which leads to your contact form or squeeze page).
7. Pin a tweet to the top of your profile
Similarly to Facebook, Twitter offers the option to pin a tweet to the top of your profile.
Just tweet a link to your contact form or squeeze page. Once your tweet posts, click on the three dots at the bottom right of your tweet and pin it to your profile.
8. Use Twitter ads
Twitter, like Facebook, offers two ad types that work perfectly for getting leads.
The website clicks or conversions will allow you to get your contact page or squeeze page link in front of your ideal audience -- while the 'Leads on Twitter' will allow you to capture leads directly on Twitter.
The 'Leads on Twitter' campaign is ideal in the sense that Twitter users can subscribe immediately from Twitter.
This means you won't lose anyone between the ad click and the submit button on your contact form or squeeze page.
The downside is that if you're not using one of the Twitter-approved CRM partners (Driftrock, Eloqua, ExactTarget, Infusionsoft, LoopFuse, MailChimp, Marketo, Pardot, Sailthru, Salesforce, or Silverpop), you'll have to download your leads manually and import them into your email marketing service or CRM.
I would avoid that if you're sending a lead magnet because you don’t want your new contact to have to wait for it.
How to Get Leads on Social Media with Instagram
9. Create exceptional visual posts
Since Instagram is the land of images and videos -- you'll need to create a great image or video to get people to your contact form or squeeze page.
Since links are not clickable in Instagram posts, be sure to either send people to your bio where they can find a clickable link to your contact form or squeeze page OR include an easy to type URL in your post.
Also, be sure to use hashtags. Relevant usage of hashtags on Instagram will get your post in front of more people! (and help you increase your social media ROI even more)
10. Use Instagram ads
Now that Instagram ads are available via the Facebook Ads Manager for most advertisers, definitely give them a try.
'Send people to your website' or 'Increase conversions on your website' will be the best campaigns to choose since they are compatible with Instagram placement.
This will allow you to reach your ideal audience with an Instagram post that comes complete with a clickable call to action button.
How to Get Leads on Social Media with Pinterest
If you've got a great marketing visual -- be sure to share it on Pinterest to get even more social media ROI in the following ways.
11. Pin it
Your best bet is to have a lead magnet with a great image that you can pin like these.
To make sure people who visit your Pinterest profile find them, create a board on your profile for your freebies, guides, etc.
Make sure your freebie board is near the top and your most downloaded items are on the cover!
12. Advertise your pin
One of the nice things about Promoted Pins is that they're hard to spot out in the wild. They look very native with only a 'Promoted by' above the advertiser's name.
With Pinterest, you have 2 campaign options. Sending traffic to your website will ensure you only get charged for clicks to your contact form or squeeze page as opposed to other engagement on Pinterest.
How to Get Leads on Social Media with LinkedIn
If you're targeting a professional audience -- you can utilize the following features within LinkedIn to get leads on social media.
13. Add links to your LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn offers a few different places within your professional profile to link out to your contact form or squeeze page.
In addition to the 3 links you can add to your Contact Info, you can also utilize the Publications and Projects sections to add direct links to your contact form or squeeze page -- ideally by promoting your lead magnets.
Then add your Publications and Projects in detail.
Once you've added your Publications and Projects, be sure to go to your profile settings and enable them as visible in your public profile.
14. Use LinkedIn ads
With LinkedIn, you have two options - Sponsored Updates and Text Ads. You can use both to create ads for your contact form or squeeze page that will reach your ideal audience.
Note: You’ll need a LinkedIn company page for Sponsored Updates.
LinkedIn offers the ability to create multiple variations of your ad for A/B testing purposes.
You can also create Sponsored Updates that are hidden from your LinkedIn company page and only visible to the audience you target for your ad.
In the example below, the ad on the left is a Sponsored Update, and the ads on the right are Text Ads.
LinkedIn ads are typically more expensive than other social media advertising platforms -- so monitor your results carefully to determine whether you're getting a good number of leads for your budget.
How to Get Leads on Social Media with Video
Maybe you love live streaming on Facebook, Meerkat, Periscope, Blab or Google+ Hangouts.
Maybe you love recording video for Snapchat or Instagram.
Or maybe you're using YouTube and building your subscribers through how-to videos (that's how we use YouTube here at Post Planner).
Regardless of how you're using video in your marketing -- you know it's hot!
We even predicted that video would be one of the trends that would change your business this year. You can read more about that in this post listing the top 2016 social media trends.
But what about lead generation? How can you get more social media ROI with video?
Sure, some of these platforms have comments or chat -- but for the most part -- people will be watching you, not watching the chat.
So, to get leads using these social media mediums, you'll want to do the following:
15. Create a short, easy to say URL
It can't just be short. It must be easy to say and easy to type out. Don't expect your audience to be familiar with snip.ly or bit.ly or another URL shortener. Here are some ways to do it.
- Use a URL from your domain with no more than one word after the slash, like yoursite.com/contact or yoursite.com/resources or similar.
- Create a redirect URL on your website so yoursite.com/contact or yoursite.com/resources redirects to the longer URL you are already using for your contact form or squeeze page.
- Make sure your main website URL, yoursite.com, has an obvious banner, link, popup, slideup, or form on the homepage that will get visitors to your contact form or squeeze page.
This will ensure that the next time you're on video -- you can get your viewers to your contact form or squeeze page.
We take this idea one step further on our Post Planner Blabs. We create a sign to hold up in each Blab which makes it even easier for people to see the URL.
We talk a lot about how to get leads on social media on our Blabs. Connect with us on Blab and join us sometime!
Conclusion
Imagine what it would be like to get leads on social media every day.
That’s right -- every day you'd have new contacts from social media flowing right into the top of your funnel.
Then you can nurture those people along the buyer’s journey until they convert (and become your customers or clients).
This isn’t just a dream, it can be your reality!
Getting new fans/followers and increasing engagement is only part of your social media success.
To pay the bills -- you need to start seeing the kind of social media ROI you can measure by looking at your bank account.
Remember to build trust and credibility with your audience first -- and treasure those important relationships. Never take your social media contacts for granted!
Hopefully the ideas in this post will help you start getting a consistent flow of leads, regardless of which social network you prefer.
To continue the learning -- grab your copy of our free infographic below and learn 12 secret Facebook features every marketer should be using.
You’ll be glad you did!
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