So you’ve successfully built your social media platforms
(Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) and have a decent amount of
followers. Each day you see new followers and more “Likes,” so clearly
your work is done, right? Not so much. Social media followers are great
if they are engaging with your business and sharing your content, but
others may remain passive. Once you gain followers on your social
networks, your next step is to provide opportunities that will convert
them from being a follower to a lead and then a customer or client. Here
are some steps to take to help convert your social media subscribers
into customers.
Focus on Quality not Quantity
Many businesses get consumed with increasing the number of followers or Facebook page “Likes.” Yet solely focusing your energy on getting new subscribers can sometimes get the wrong type of follower. You could end up with a lot of “Likes” but only a core group of people who are actively engaged on your Facebook page or Twitter profile. Instead, focus more on creating and sharing great content with your followers. It shows your current followers that you are invested by providing quality content, but good content also has a better chance of getting shared with non-followers.
Engage With Your Followers
Social media is not a one way communication channel. In order for your social media marketing to be effective, you need to have a conversation with your followers. Instead of just logging into your accounts to post your blog articles and then leaving, try engaging with your followers. Pay attention to what your followers are saying. Social media is a great tool for compliments and customer feedback. By actively engaging with any comments you receive, it shows you are a business that cares about what your audience has to say.
Create Opportunities for Conversion
In order to convert your social media fans, you need to provide additional opportunities for engagement. Your Facebook page should have links to your blog as well as your email newsletter. Turning your social media followers into email subscribers moves them one more step closer to becoming customers. Keep in mind that these call to actions need to be clear and to the point. Conversion points need to be no more than two clicks away from your social media site.
Keep a Social Media Mix
Are you only using your Twitter account to promote your latest blog post? You might get lost in the crowd. Social media is very noisy and because new content is shared every minute, you need to create content that will break through the clutter. Did you know that posts with images or videos are more likely to be shared, and tend to be at the top of the Facebook newsfeed? Better yet, create a poll or an interactive post that will encourage a response from your followers. Only sharing one type of content with your followers can be boring and reduces your chances of converting your followers.
Focus on Quality not Quantity
Many businesses get consumed with increasing the number of followers or Facebook page “Likes.” Yet solely focusing your energy on getting new subscribers can sometimes get the wrong type of follower. You could end up with a lot of “Likes” but only a core group of people who are actively engaged on your Facebook page or Twitter profile. Instead, focus more on creating and sharing great content with your followers. It shows your current followers that you are invested by providing quality content, but good content also has a better chance of getting shared with non-followers.
Engage With Your Followers
Social media is not a one way communication channel. In order for your social media marketing to be effective, you need to have a conversation with your followers. Instead of just logging into your accounts to post your blog articles and then leaving, try engaging with your followers. Pay attention to what your followers are saying. Social media is a great tool for compliments and customer feedback. By actively engaging with any comments you receive, it shows you are a business that cares about what your audience has to say.
Create Opportunities for Conversion
In order to convert your social media fans, you need to provide additional opportunities for engagement. Your Facebook page should have links to your blog as well as your email newsletter. Turning your social media followers into email subscribers moves them one more step closer to becoming customers. Keep in mind that these call to actions need to be clear and to the point. Conversion points need to be no more than two clicks away from your social media site.
Keep a Social Media Mix
Are you only using your Twitter account to promote your latest blog post? You might get lost in the crowd. Social media is very noisy and because new content is shared every minute, you need to create content that will break through the clutter. Did you know that posts with images or videos are more likely to be shared, and tend to be at the top of the Facebook newsfeed? Better yet, create a poll or an interactive post that will encourage a response from your followers. Only sharing one type of content with your followers can be boring and reduces your chances of converting your followers.