With marketing managers often under pressure to help generate leads for the sales team and raise awareness of the company brand, social media is a great tool at your disposal. But just how effective is it? It’s true that in the B2B technology sector, the use of social media is lower than in many other industries. We undertook a comprehensive survey and followed this up with a subsequent investigation to examine how attitudes had changed over time. We made some interesting discoveries that any B2B company can use to increase their business potential through the use of social media.
The fact is, social media can be a great tool for lead gen and awareness. Here are our three top tips for generating leads through social media:
Be human
Okay, so we know we have a hurdle to overcome with slow uptake in some industries. Whilst social media may be blocked at work, company employees are still human and will inevitably browse social media sites in their own time. Social media is great for building awareness, so don’t just assume that if a company is not engaging with you directly that their employees aren’t from another account.
I follow many accounts personally that I wouldn’t do so from my professional account. It’s also important to humanise your content too. Yes, our industries are highly technical, but that doesn’t mean your content has to be dry.
Have an ear to the ground
Social media isn’t just about broadcasting, it’s about listening too. Use various social media platforms and tools to monitor what is being discussed, and share online. Monitor your own channels to see what content is being engaged with, and monitor the competition to see what seems to be working for them, or where you can fill in the gaps that they have missed. Examples of tools that I use include Foller.me, Followerwonk and Tweetdeck. These tools help me monitor hashtags, trending topics and learn more about other accounts of interest, including the competition. Using these tools has definitely helped my clients find new leads, and who doesn’t want more leads?
Less is more
A clichéd phrase I know, but social media is often seen as a time vacuum, and it really doesn’t need to be. Scheduling tools are not new, but they are still highly effective. It is important, however, to use one that works for you. I personally use Buffer as it integrates with all of the key social media platforms, including Tweetdeck, so I never need to worry that things will go awry. Continuity is key, so check that your tools are working for you as well as they could. If not, try something else…Don’t fear change.
While these tips for generating leads through social media are indeed common sense, sometimes as marketers we need a little reminder on how to make the most of even the basics. For more social media tips and tools to help with lead generation and increasing brand awareness, download our free guide to using social media in a B2B environment now.
