If you’re not using your social media feeds as a source of sales leads for your business, you should be. If you’re already on the various social media platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, then you’re off to a great start. But, if you’re not actively participating in engaging your followers, then you’re really missing out on some of the best potential in the new digital age. It’s one thing to have followers and fans, but it’s certainly another to monetize them and turn them into active prospects. Here are a few things you can do to help funnel these people into your sales pipeline.
First, understand what your sales pipeline is and what the process entails. It’s pretty difficult to place consumer leads into a funnel if you’re not clear on the sales process that supports it. Understanding how the leads get into the pipeline, what the follow-up procedure is and how long it takes for the sale to close are all very important aspects you need to know. Then, figure out how your social media fits into this process. As with most tactics and marketing strategies, it’s probably best to start with some testing to understand how these various sales leads differ in response and conversion rates than those that come from traditional marketing tactics.
Another tip to converting your followers is to optimize and make as simple as possible their path to purchase. People want the simplest, easiest means by which to buy so don’t make it confusing or difficult. If you can, create a tab that allows your fans on Facebook, for example, to convert sales within Facebook and you’ll see a spike in revenue. Testing multiple calls to action offers is a great way to find out which ones are the most effective.
There are certainly many ways to leverage your followers and fans in effort to turn them into successful and potential telemarketing leads and sales leads. No matter what you do or how you get them to convert, always be sure to measure your results and understand what the associated costs are. The more data you can collect and the more testing that can be done, the more opportunity you’ll have to figure out how to best take advantage of your social media presence.