How to Transform 4 of the Most Underrated Social Media Channels into Lead Generating Machines
To gain new customers — no matter what type of business you run — you need to go the extra mile in promoting your company online. Fortunately, these days, there are many ways you can do this. One of the most effective tactics in boosting your content and gaining a more significant reach is utilizing social media.
These platforms give you access to millions of potential users, who are viewing, clicking and commenting daily and may be interested in what you have to say. While Facebook and Twitter get most of the attention as being powerhouses for promoting content, there are other platforms which can be useful, if not more so, if you know how to use them.
What to Consider Before Posting on Every Social Media Channel
Before you go posting your content on every social channel available online, there are a few things you should consider, such as:
- Your Target Audience — Review your buyer persona and determine their age, behaviors, needs, likes and more. What social media platforms will they be using?
- Your Goals — Before jumping in, you need a strategy and a purpose. Have a plan you can review, measure and update to ensure your efforts are successful.
- Who’s Using What — Not all social media channels are the same. Each platform attracts different users and those users like different types of content. You’ll need to dig in and understand who is using each platform and what kind of material do they engage with and react to — and how you can use it to benefit your business.
- Your Business Type — Sure, you know what type of business you’re in, but do you understand how your business should be interacting with others on social media? What works for one may not work for the other. Scout your competition. See what’s working for them and what’s not. Use it to your advantage. Do funny Memes work on Twitter? Do people engage with videos on YouTube?
- Who Are the Industry Influencers — You’ll need to make friends on these social channels to be successful. As you post, you also need to engage, so know who to engage with. Do your work and research industry influencers for each platform. Make a list and continue to update regularly.
Of course, this is just a starting point. If you already have a strategy for social media, you may have some of this covered. It’s just a matter of expanding at this point. However, if you’re starting from scratch, make sure your buyer personas are built out and up-to-date. Knowing your target audience is half the battle.
4 Social Media Channels You Should Be Paying Attention To … and Why
Right now, there are a few social media channels getting all of the attention when it comes to brand and content promotion. Facebook and Twitter being on the top of the list. But if you’re looking to expand your reach, strengthen your brand and drive more traffic, here are some underrated social media platforms you should consider.
1. LinkedIn
Studies show that 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn, and 94% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content.
LinkedIn is often thought of as a platform where professionals can make connections to land their dream job immediately. It’s just as effective for commercial applications as well. You can network with various clients and build long-lasting partnerships. You can also use this platform to find suitable employees. Every candidate’s job history and resume are easy to access, which helps speed up the employee search process.
Joining “groups” on LinkedIn has proven to be beneficial for many business professionals and companies. This feature allows users to join discussion boards where like-minded professionals can connect, network, and build relationships. Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth for your business.
Another benefit of the groups feature is learning about your target audience. Companies can hear directly from your audience what they like, need, and want.
Creating a company page on LinkedIn gives you another outlet to engage with followers. You can answer relevant questions and share insights about the products or services you offer.
2. YouTube
Initially, YouTube was a place to find informative, funny or just downright bizarre videos. Over the years, the platform has evolved, providing brands and businesses a place to market their products and services with quality videos.
With video being one of the most impactful forms of media to market companies, YouTube is a must-have for any company interested in producing videos to reach their customers. Also, because YouTube is such a popular social media platform, businesses have the potential of reaching a global audience — should they so choose.
Naturally, views are crucial to success on YouTube. If you’re just starting off, work on gaining followers. The more followers, the more significant your reach. Here are a few ways to quickly build an audience:
- Add a YouTube icon to your website, linking to your page.
- Announce your YouTube channels on other social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter.
- Send out an email announcement to your email list asking your audience to join you on YouTube.
- Add a YouTube icon to your email signatures, giving anyone you send emails to an option to follow you.
The story goes, if you create a viral video, you’re sure to be a YouTube contender. While that is true, creating content that’s viral right off the bat is easier said than done. Get your creative juices flowing, but don’t ignore the other quality videos you can produce that will be of more benefit to your audience than a stunt. Consider “how to” videos, audio versions of your blog posts or even product announcements or offers.
When posting any video to YouTube, make sure it’s properly optimized for search. YouTube has certain guidelines to ensure success. For example, provide a title, description and add keywords you want to rank for — and are relevant. Anything you can do to make your videos easy to find and appear higher in search results is worth the time.
3. SlideShare
Slideshows provided companies a simple and effective way to present information to their audiences. They were quick to put together and offered easy-to-read, digestible content. SlideShare decided to take these presentations a step further by creating a social platform where users from around the world can post, search and engage with content they find relevant and valuable.
The platform offers businesses the opportunity to reach millions of viewers on a single platform to promote their brand. When a company develops a presentation, they can easily upload it to SlideShare and categorize it in such a way that their audience can find, view and share it — free website traffic and brand promotion simply for utilizing their platform.
Another added bonus to using SlideShare is the ability to create unique profile pages, customized to your brand specifications and sure to attract the right audience. When a fellow SlideShare user discovers your profile, they can quickly become acquainted with your company and get a full understanding of what you offer — so make sure it’s fully optimized. First impressions are everything on social media. Set the right expectations.
Be sure to create and post presentations regularly to create credibility and increase your followers. Your SlideShare audience could be filled with potential customers, so it’s important to treat them as such. Be a reliable source of valuable content every time and engage, engage, engage.
4. Pinterest
Over the past few years, Pinterest has become one of the most influential social media platforms for businesses. However, it’s been largely ignored. Why? Most companies either don’t know enough about the platform or are under the impression there is only one type of demographic with one type of buying behavior — which couldn’t be further from the truth.
What is the truth? Although the website is widely, but not solely, used by females, an overwhelming number of them are planning to buy what they Pin. With over 175 million active users, Pinterest provides companies the opportunity to get their products and services in front of a large audience willing to buy. The key to creating conversions is understanding your demographic.
Pinterest isn’t necessarily for every business, but if you’re looking to drive sales and grow, it’s worth investing the time and resources into determining if it can work. Review your audience and see if they use the platform. If they do, consider creating a business account with a company description and website links — again, create the expectation and consistency. You can also create boards about your products and services and related content. Drive traffic to your page by creating boards where your followers can contribute posts. Make it fun and inviting!
Also, consider running Pinterest Ads. Doing so can help you target the right audience with great content and offers to help generate more site traffic and conversions. Before posting, make sure to integrate Pinterest into your social media strategy, have a plan and create a budget. Make it a habit of monitoring your success and making changes along the way. Getting your audience’s attention isn’t a set it and forget it. Like any relationship, it’s work.
Get to Work
With the ever-increasing number of social media channels and apps readily available to users comes the opportunity for businesses to get their brand in front of their audience a variety of different ways. If you’re planning on ramping up your social media efforts, make it a point to stay informed on the latest social trends and continually review and update your strategy. In fact, start today. Choose a new platform, like one of the above, and get started. See what works, what doesn’t and ask questions along the way.
Best of luck!
