Here’s Why Social Media is Your Lead Generation Best Friend

The first thought when you think of social media is about that presence; about trying to show who you are, what your life is, however misleading or exaggerated it might be.

Therefore, naturally, when it comes to businesses as well, social media is all about making your brand’s presence felt, getting that name out there as much as possible.

While, undoubtedly, social media is the number one tool for digital branding when it comes to businesses, particularly relatively new ones, the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram — even LinkedIn — can be quite useful when it comes to generating new leads, new prospects, new customers.

Social media is so relevant, so prevalent, so “everywhere you look, it’s there…all the time” right now that it is impossible for businesses to ignore this particular medium to generate leads. There are, of course, agencies that spend a lot of time on ensuring that those leads come pouring through, not just via Google or other digital marketing methods, but courtesy social media as well.

Which is why social media has become such a powerful tool when it comes to boosting a company’s sales. Indeed, some studies have shown that using social media has increased 25% of companies’ sales, while nearly 50% of businesses saw their costs come down thanks to the wonderful world of SMM (Social Media Marketing).

Here are a few ways in which social media trumps all when it comes to generating leads:

It’s not that expensive:

Running an Ad on Google can make that pocket of yours feel quite empty quite quickly, especially if you’re bidding for a search keyword that is relatively popular. When it comes to social media, though, particularly Facebook, that pocket will remain heavy for a considerably longer period.

Facebook ads — you can integrate Instagram into these as well, thanks to both of them being owned by the same company — are relatively inexpensive, and has a quite a large reach. Lesser cost means running more ads for a longer time, which is a win-win for your business.

Viral Creativity:

There is nothing quite like catching a customer’s eye than by letting that creativity of yours run wild in order to catch fire and become “viral. When it comes to Social Media Marketing, the chances of creating something that goes viral are quite high.

Be it with crazy contests, an impeccable design or by posting events with the “wow” factor, SMM has all the chances of making your brand a global name.

Insider accessibility:

If you are one of those who loves Facebook or has a lot of followers on Twitter, you immediately have a large customer base right at your fingertips. Familiarity with who you are and what you do will immediately make those leads quite viable, and through them you can target the friend’s, friend, who’s a friend’s friend’s friend as well.

Infinite possibilities, possibly infinite leads.

Popularity:

According to research, 23% of internet users spend all their time on social media and blogs — that’s 23% of ALL internet users. Can you just imagine the vast expanse of possibilities?

Tapping into that universe of social media lovers is the way to go, especially if you’re stuck in the lead generation department.

Targeted advertising:

Yes, it’s possible elsewhere as well, but when it comes to SMM, you really can cater your audience target to just the way you want it. From gender, to age, to affluence, to interests, the possibilities are vast. Using someone with experience in SMM will give you the chance to target just the kind of customers you want for your business.

Website traffic gets a massive leg-up:

SMM is not just about keeping a potential customer on their Facebook or Twitter page. Social Media Marketing is great for bringing in new traffic to your website.

SMM increases the amount of inbound links, plays a huge role in boosting your SEO, it gives a fillip to your page ranking and it also plays a key role in influencing keywords. According to some numbers, a massive 70% of companies use social media to drive traffic to their website.

It works in the short and long-term:

Social Media is most effective, when you have the long-term goal in mind. However, if you are desperate to generate leads in the here and now, that also works; all you need to be is more aggressive with your ad spends.

The best way to make full use of the power of social media, though, is by having a long-term vision, one if planned right, will churn out new leads constantly.