Social media can be a powerful tool to attract quality leads that are looking to your business as the solution. Most people don’t realize this. They see social media as a great way to connect with people, which it is if you’re a personal brand, but for businesses, we need more than just engagement. We need quality leads.
If your social media strategy includes using content to aid in lead generation, you want to create content that visitors want to share with others. The better the quality of your content, the more likely a visitor is to click on an image or share a link via their own social media platforms. The purpose of this article is to outline some general guidelines for creating compelling content that prospects will want to share.
There are several methods on how you can generate new qualified leads for your business. We are going to go over some of the most effective methods that are used by many SMM experts.
#1. Know your audience
Understand who your audience is and what their interests are. This means knowing their demographics (age, gender, income, etc), what their goals are, and how they spend their time online. This will help you create relevant, useful, and interesting content for them.
Spend time getting to know who your target market is, as well as their needs and interests. Once you have this information, think about what kind of content would appeal to them. For example, if you’re selling a product or service aimed at mothers then creating posts on parenting would be relevant.
Don’t just post what you would find interesting or important – think about your target audience and what they want to see on social media.
#2. Use visually appealing graphics and images
Many people think that text is more powerful than images, but in reality, it’s the other way around. Images are processed 60,000 times faster by the brain than text, so your audience will be able to process them more easily and retain them longer.
The second thing you should know is that the best kind of content for social media is visual content. A picture is worth a thousand words, so it makes sense that an image can convey more information than a single word or sentence.
Use visually appealing graphics and images. Simple graphics like arrows pointing towards certain aspects of your product can help boost engagement by directing attention towards areas of interest for your audience members. If your product has multiple benefits or uses for different types of users in different situations, then consider creating several types of graphics to use as social media posts — one for each type of user.
#3. Keep it short and sweet
No one wants to read a novel on their mobile phone or tablet. You have about 30 seconds to grab the attention of your followers, so make sure that you don’t waste it by writing long-winded posts. Use bullet points or short sentences when possible, and keep your paragraphs short and sweet.
Even though we’ve all become accustomed to scrolling through endless streams of text-heavy content, most people still have a limit as far as what they’ll read on their screens before getting bored or frustrated and moving on to something else. Try using images and videos instead of text whenever possible so that your posts aren’t too time-consuming for your followers and readers alike.
#4. Use hashtags
Hashtags are a way of grouping posts together by topic. They’re used on Instagram and Twitter, but they’re also supported on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. They add value because they let people know what’s popular and trending in your niche.
Hashtags work well when you use them in the post itself or in the caption of an image or video. Use hashtags sparingly — no more than two or three per post.
#5. Ask for engagement
When you ask for engagement from your followers, they feel more involved in the conversation and are more likely to participate in the conversation. For instance, what would you think of our newest product, if you asked someone? or “Which color is better?” then it’s likely that other people will chime in with their opinions too.
Encourage participation by asking questions or encouraging comments on specific posts (for example: “Leave a comment below if you agree with me!”). This allows people a chance to react to and participate with what you have shared, giving them additional motivation to interact with your material.
#6. Stay current
The best way to keep your audience interested in your content is by staying current with the news in their industry and in the world at large. You don’t have to be an expert on everything, but you should be aware of what’s going on in your industry so that you can share relevant information with your audience members when they need it most — when they’re looking for answers or guidance on how to solve a problem.
#7. Use humor
Humor is a great way to get people interested in your brand and help them relate to it better. It also helps you connect with potential customers and build brand loyalty.
In fact, 88% of consumers say they’re more likely to purchase from brands they find entertaining, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Even better, those same consumers are three times as likely to recommend brands that use humor in their content marketing efforts.
#8. Tell a story
Don’t just post random updates about what you’re up to or what happened at work. Instead, craft a narrative that captures people’s attention and makes them want to keep coming back for more.
One of the best ways to engage your audience is by telling a story about your brand or product. When you share an anecdote about what makes your business unique or why it’s so special, you’re giving people something they can relate to in their own lives. You’re also creating a sense of trust between your brand and its followers. And as we know from studies like this one from Harvard Business Review, trust is key when it comes to building relationships with customers — especially online.
#9. Use calls to action
Call To Action (CTAs) are an important part of any content strategy, and they are especially important when you’re trying to drive traffic from your social media accounts. If you want people to click on your links, use CTAs that make it clear what you want them to do.
Add a call-to-action button that tells them what action you want them to take (for example “click here” or “share this”). Make sure the language is appropriate for the platform — Facebook doesn’t allow clickable links so you’ll have to put in some extra effort there!
#10. Experiment and test
Don’t be afraid to try different things on your social channels. The worst thing that can happen is that your experiment doesn’t perform as well as you’d hoped, so there’s no harm in trying something new. If you find an angle that works well, then keep doing it!
Experiment with different types of content . You never know what will resonate with your audience until you test it out. Try sharing different kinds of posts — e-commerce updates, product recommendations, event announcements — and see which ones get more engagement from your followers. Experiment with different types of images as well — try posting photos vs. GIFs vs. videos vs. live streams (if possible).
Conclusion
By keeping a few key factors in mind, you can work to optimize social media for maximum engagement. It takes time and effort, but it’s certainly worth the effort. We know that creating truly engaging social content can seem a little intimidating at first. But by following our guide, you’ll be well on your way to creating magnetic content that brings your brand to life on social media.
