So you’ve been spending copious amount of time publishing content on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and maybe a few other social media sites. You’ve gone as far as spending a sizeable chunk of your marketing budget running Facebook ads. You can clearly feel the difference. Your audience is beginning to engage with your brand.
You have attracted thousands of likes, generated a lot of conversations and a few of your videos have probably gone viral.
“So what next?” You are wondering. How can I convert my paid social media audience into paying and loyal customers?
We are looking for ways to convert paid audiences to paying customers. That is, and should, be the main goal of every business. In order to succeed, you need new and loyal customers. It is therefore, important to have a solid strategy that will help you to convert your paid audience into paying customers.
If you do it right, social media can be a goldmine for your business. However, it is not easy. It requires patience, grit and determination. There is certainly a lot of testing required. This article focuses on how to generate leads with paid social media content.
Optimise Your External Links
Simply stated, social media is a medium through which marketers distribute valuable content to their audiences. This could be the content on your landing page, blog or a link to the resource section of your website. According to Social Media Examiner, links on social media are considered high quality links by search engines. So even from the SEO point of view, links on social media are important.
But it is not just about placing any link anywhere. Neither is it all about the quality of content. You need to be strategic when it comes to linking from your social media posts. How you format your posts really matters.
There are several possible lead generation paths for social media you could consider. Here are some examples:
- Social Media Channel --> Blog Post Containing A Link To Your Landing Page --> Lead
- Social Media Channel --> A Link To Your Landing Page --> Lead
- Social Media Channel --> Blog Post > Click-To-Action Button --> Lead
There are no wrong or right social media URL paths to be followed. What you need to do is to experiment in order to find the right path that result in highest conversion rates. Ensure that it is very easy for your prospects to convert without hurdles. Consumers tend to be lazy and if they have to go through a long process to buy from you, they are less likely to purchase.
If, for example, potential customers have to make several clicks before they can find your URL, then go figure out how you can shorten the conversion path. The rule of the thumb is to get rid of all the obstacles and leave your potential customers with clear choices.
Use QR Codes
If used correctly, QR codes can be a great marketing strategy for those who advertise via social media channels. Since QR codes are free to generate and fun to use, there is absolutely no reason why you should not try them. At the very least, they can generate a lot of interest in your marketing campaign.
With the increase in smartphone usage, QR codes can be installed as apps and used to scan any QR codes from anywhere. However, it is important to note that people will not simply get enamoured by your QR code and scan it. For you to get the best out of your QR code, you need to offer people good reason to scan your QR code. You need to appreciate that your prospect will go through a long process to scan your QR code. So it is only fair that you give your users a good reason to scan QR codes.
Ensure that your landing page is effective and its content is of the highest quality. Finally yet more importantly, QR codes are normally scanned using smartphones. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that your site is optimised for mobile viewing.
Wondering what you can use QR codes for? QR codes can be used to:
- Connect people to your social media page
- Display coupons
- Allow users to make mobile payments
- Offer product details
- Allows users to sign up for newsletters
- Create calendar events
- Provide contact information
- Confirm user details
- Send SMS, among other actions
Like all other social media events, you need to choose a QR code type that people will want to share. Do not give them what you want, give them what they want.
Shazam
For a decade, marketers have been using, URLs, hashtags and CTAs to link their ads with the web. While these tactics are still very useful, they fall short when it comes to delivering rich digital experience to online users. That is where music discovery app called Shazam comes in. With over hundred million active users, Shazam is becoming an increasingly popular marketing tool.
Why Shazam Is Popular
One might ask, “What is so special about Shazam?” Well, according to Target, Shazam removes hurdles that already exist by letting users “Buy Now” while the product is still fresh in their minds, thanks to its visual recognition technology. All you need to do is open the Shazam app on your phone, tap the camera and pass it over the Shazam logo to start interacting with the brand. You can purchase highlighted products on the spot or share them with friends and family.
In short, Shazam has not only made it possible for users to instantly see ad images, but also buy it immediately. Brands such as The Wall Street Journal, Starbucks, Harper Collins, Honda, Jaguar and Coca Cola have had very successful marketing experience with the app.
In Conclusion
After all is said and done, businesses that are already advertising through social media are doing themselves a whole lot of good because nearly 80% of internet users are on social media.
However, you can achieve even more with social media if you implement strategies that will convert your audience into paying customers. Turning prospects into customers is the real goal of any marketing effort. Your business could be missing out if your social media marketing is not turning audiences into leads. Try different tactics until you find the one that is effective in terms of cost and duration. As we have already mentioned, there are no right or wrong tactics.
Experimentations and constant tweaking is the name of the game as far as social media conversion is concerned.