Studies suggest that 54 percent of people in the world use Facebook and about 10 percent of people use Twitter. With more than 1.2 billion users worldwide, Facebook has become a powerful marketing platform that is unique and effective.
In fact, more small business owners are using social media platforms to interact with their clients and keep their community engaged. By sharing images, videos, industry-related news and upcoming promotions, you can build your community and also build relationships with existing clients and new prospects.
Inbound marketing can be a great opportunity for businesses that are looking to expand and profit—but if you’re new to inbound marketing, you may not know the first thing about converting a fan of your business into a customer. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions and the answers you can use to identify leads on Facebook and Twitter, attract these leads to interact and then turn them into sales conversions.
How Can I Direct Facebook Fans And Twitter Followers To My Site?
Likes and retweets are a great way to see how large your audience is, but if this audience doesn’t take action, then you’re not building your client book or your profits. Consumers need to know what action you want them to take. While social media profiles are not designed to be sales-oriented, the goal is to turn a fan into a lead outside of the platform. As such, you need to direct your audience to visit your website; once they reach your business website, they will see your sales pitch and what you’re about.
You can directly prompt visitors to view your website, or you can take time to develop a Facebook app that will add the customer to your leads list. Alternatively, you can focus on developing engaging content. Content creation and visuals are perhaps the most effective ways to drive customers to your site. Consider posting a link to a video on Twitter, or provide a quick tip about a service your company provides. For instance, if you run a home repair business, consider tweeting DIY tips once a day. Include a link to your website’s blog with an interesting article to your Facebook wall. Providing quality content is a wonderful way to turn fans into leads, and through your other marketing campaigns, you can turn these leads into sales and loyal customers.
How Can I Keep My Fans Engaged?
If you want to improve your customer engagement, you should develop content that people will share with their friends and family. After all, the only way for a message to go viral is for the message or post to be shared repeatedly. EdgeRank scores, which are ratings based on how many people see all of your posts, can be higher when you’re posting content, videos and interactive games and images that inspire people to comment and share. Make sure your brand has a personality and that the personality shines through when you’re posting content.
Aside from providing quality content, consider personally engaging with your fans. Ask for email captures from fans on Facebook, and send them e-newsletters or promotional codes for discounted services. Respond to Twitter followers’ questions related to issues or concerns in your company’s field. Whatever you do, keep providing your followers and fans with enticing deals and new information. The key to a successful social media campaign is perseverance, and an understanding of the interests of your fan base—and those interests may be ever changing. One Huffington Post writer put it best, explaining “understanding how best to nurture the community leads to understanding how to facilitate buying behavior within it.”
Photo credit: newmediawise.com
