Is your Twitter account languishing with more unfollows than follows? Have “likes” to your Facebook page disappeared in recent months? Maybe your followers are still around but they don’t ever engage with your posts. Rather than jumping to the conclusion that social media just doesn’t work for B2B lead generation, maybe you should consider the possibility that you’re just doing it wrong.
“Social media is a powerful tool for developing leads, but many B2B marketers tend to forego this particular tactic in favor of more traditional methods. The problem is often that quality leads aren’t generated, which is a direct result of using social platforms incorrectly.” – Tony Davis, Atlanta Gold and Coin.
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/carlagates247/5524789016/
Knowing the anatomy of your sales funnel is exceptionally important. Many social media posts are intended for the top of the funnel, where the audience is gathered and built. Unfortunately, the middle of the funnel is often neglected. This is where your potential clients become true leads. Once they’re leads, you’ll nurture them through to the bottom of the funnel where, if you do your job correctly, they’ll become bona fide clients.
So, how can you make sure you use the middle of the funnel effectively?
You must know your buyers intimately. We’re not talking about the people who have already made purchases, though they’ll help you develop your buyer personas. Your “buyers” are those who have a particular need, a pain point, that only you can solve. Your middle of the funnel content and social media posts should address that pain and your solution.
What else can understanding your buyers help you do?
Understanding your buyers also clues you into where those buyers are hanging out. Facebook and Twitter do have their places in B2B social media, but many businesses are also using LinkedIn. In fact, over 80% of leads generated through social media come from LinkedIn.
How can you use the right social channels to generate leads?
Understanding your buyers and knowing the various stages of the sales funnel will help you as you create compelling, quality, interesting content that your audience will want to see. This content may be in the form of images, videos, or blog posts, and all of these things can be shared through your social media channels. Of course, you also know where your buyers can be found on the Internet, so you won’t waste time posting to social channels your buyers don’t use at times your buyers won’t read them.
Have you been going about social media all wrong? How can you update your social media strategy to reach your B2B customers? We’d love to know what you think, so leave a comment!
