Lead Generation Using Social Media

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Everything in social media will lead us to our ultimate goal – good, solid leads. Lead management allows you track how you are generating interest and how you are going to track those leads into and through your sales funnel.

To put it simply – it's your business process. It tells you how your customers are getting interested in you and your company. 

It is important to have a process in writing that you follow, and you should continue to review it on a regular basis. As we all know, the sales department and the marketing department are two very separate entities – and one may not always be "in tune" with the other.  Therefore, it is important,  whether you are on the sales side or the marketing side, to sit down with the other and discuss what criteria that leads should meet before being passed on to the sales department. Also, it's a good idea for the marketing department to also follow up after the lead is passed on, to find out the ultimate result of what happened.

If you attend trade shows and do get a number a leads, also clean them up before just handing them over to your sales team. It's critical that they get leads that are worth their time. Of course, this does not mean that you discard the others – just be sure that the leads with the highest chance of becoming a sale reach your sales team ASAP!

If you are gathering leads from your website or websites, be sure to use what are known as a "squeeze page" to "trap" information in order to see what is working and what is not. For example, if you are sending out Emails, have them land on a certain page of your site so that you can score how many came from this source. The same applies to LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. Incorporate "tricks" that will allow you to see where the prospect was on the web before arriving at your website. Knowing how to interpret your information will be crucial in your effective social media campaign. 

Also, be sure to match the expectation of the prospective client with the expectation of the sales rep. The more everyone works to be on the same page, the easier the process will be.

The most important thing to remember is that you should not measure how many leads there are, but rather, how many leads are QUALIFIABLE. There are many ways to generate leads, only a few of which have been covered here.  The goal is to continue to use each blog to advance your sales revenue through social media.  It is understood that social media is a lot of things to a lot of people.  The focus should be on this little piece of the pie – selling your products and services using social media.  

Your web presence is the face of your company.  You need to keep this presence engaging, professional, current, and lead-generating. 

Author

  • Marco Giunta

    Marco Giunta is a Senior Business Development Executive and the author of the book: Rethinking Sales.

    He is a leading expert in Global Outsourcing with a focus on banking, financial services and other Industry sectors and has a long list of clients. Mr. Giunta is a speaker and presenter. He has led start-ups, business strategy groups, technology think tanks and has experience as a career coach. Visit Marco’s website at marcogiunta.com.

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5 Responses

  1. George Gill says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: B2B Social Media
    Discussion: Lead Generation Using Social Media

    Absolutely true. I would only add that not only does it drive "good, solid leads" but that the leads are often our ideal customer if we are being transparent in our communication.
    Posted by George Gill

  2. Michelle Raybeck says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Writing Mafia
    Discussion: Lead Generation Using Social Media

    I've been told I should use Facebook and Twitter to attract business, but I'm mystified as to how.
    Posted by Michelle Raybeck

  3. Philip Verghese 'Ariel' says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Freelance Editing Network
    Discussion: Lead Generation Using Social Media

    Yes Social Media is no doubt a powerful and useful promotional tool to the writers as well as to the business community.
    Best. Philip
    Posted by Philip Verghese 'Ariel'

  4. Janice Richards says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media Marketing
    Discussion: Lead Generation Using Social Media

    Thank you for this terrific information. One article lead to a dozen. As a late adopter of SM this information will jump start my immersion.
    Posted by Janice Richards

  5. Shawn Lamb says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Writing Mafia
    Discussion: Lead Generation Using Social Media

    Michelle, I'm on Facebook, LinkedIn and 7 other social media sites and I can't say that I'm seeing a great results in book sales, but I am making numerous connections and opportunities to mentor, advise and encourage. So, I guess you can say the more personal side of social media is satisfying while I'm laying the groundwork for becoming known as an author. I also found I enjoy it more than I thought at the beginning.

    I suggest engaging in conversations, not solely using social media for sales purposes. Also start and build at your own pace. Blitzing is overwhelming and confusing to keep track of each site. I try to limit anything about my books to a portion of my activity rather than the bulk and become viewed as spamming. I want to be around for awhile, not a flash in the publishing pan.
    Posted by Shawn Lamb