Using social media for authentic lead nurturing

Authentic is a word that is all too often abused in the digital space. From a lead nurturing perspective, however, authentic connections have become crucial in a space that has become increasingly cold, competitive, and crowded.

The average consumer will receive countless messages on any given day — emails, SMS messages, social media posts, blog posts, SEM ads. Of those messages, the ones that will be heard are almost always those that do not seem like they are trying to be heard.

Think about it this way. Which do you respond to personally: a sponsored social media post or a post that seems to be written just for you?

In order to bring in leads through social media, you first need to take a good, hard look at your current efforts to see whether you are reaching your audience authentically in the first place. Some tips to keep in mind include the following:

Choose influencers carefully

Social influencers have become an integral aspect of social media marketing over the last few years, and that is not likely to change anytime soon. With that said, consumers are starting to grow weary of over the top endorsements that are nothing more than advertisements.

Choosing one or two influencers who are genuine brand ambassadors that live your values, message and image is the best way to avoid empty promotional posts that do not inspire interaction or conversion.

Nurture genuine connections

How you connect with your followers also has a direct effect on your ability to nurture leads from social.

Building a community is the most effective strategy, as this helps to inspire conversations and interactions on a deeper level. Using hashtags, live video and chats, video, images, useful content, comments, replies and reactions to engage your followers is the best way to nurture leads.

This could be as simple as getting to know your followers, listening to what they say, liking their comments, replying to their comments, and creating an experience that makes people want to connect across other channels as well as social.

Educate rather than sell

Far too many brands assume that social is the place to sell and promote.

Although sponsored posts and other advertising options are worth considering, the biggest aim of social media is to educate and engage. Many customers – potential, new and existing – follow brands to stay updated on news, get tips on using your products and services, connect with similar people, and ask questions.

Of those followers, those who are likely to contact you for further information are already primed to purchase. Taking a hard-sell approach can be off-putting and even aggressive. Instead, aim to educate your followers in a way that inspires real engagement.

Aim for holistic marketing

Social should never be seen as an isolated strategy. Instead, it should form part of your broader lead nurturing efforts. When you have a holistic cross channel strategy that incorporates social media with email marketing, mobile marketing, lead generation, SEO, and various other strategies, you will have the best shot at reaching people where they spend the most time.

When you are able to deliver a targeted post on Facebook or Twitter, which is then reinforced by a personalised email or a targeted mobile message, you have the best chance at converting leads.

When you focus your efforts on building a genuinely useful experience for followers, you will start to see a difference in your lead nurturing efforts.