This blog post was updated on 2 May 2024.
More and more global brands are becoming interested in harnessing the power of lead generation on social media.
Lead generation aims to warm up potential customers to your business, nudging them on the path to eventually making a purchase.
These people are already aware of your brand and have shown some interest in your company, product or service – they just need a little extra push to become a customer.
It is possible to run lead generation advertising campaigns on social platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook.
When a user clicks on a lead generation ad, a form pops up asking them to fill in their details in exchange for some kind of asset. The user gets the asset, and the advertiser gets their details – a win-win scenario!
This blog post will look at three tips for lead generation on social media.
1. Make sure that lead generation is actually your best option
Despite the fact that lead generation on social media is increasing in popularity, it is not always the best path to take, depending on what you are trying to achieve. Sometimes, your brand might not be ready for lead generation just yet, and a brand awareness campaign might be more suitable. If your short-term goals are about driving traffic to your website, and getting people familiarised with your brand, a brand awareness campaign will be the best way for you to go. With brand awareness, you want as many people as possible to click on your ads. With lead generation, you want the right people. Lead generation campaigns are most appropriate when your audience is already familiar with your brand, and just needs that extra little push.
2. Choose the right platform for your niche
The two main platforms for lead generation campaigns are Facebook and LinkedIn. But which one will result in the best outcome for your particular brand? The key is knowing where your audience is and knowing which type of audience is better suited for the product/service you are selling. Is your product/service better suited for B2B or B2C? LinkedIn is known as the B2B platform, and Facebook is known as the B2C platform. Now, I am not saying that you cannot run B2C campaigns on LinkedIn or B2B campaigns on Facebook, but something like business software would benefit more from promotion on LinkedIn and something like beauty products would be better suited for Facebook.
3. Promote the right asset
Arguably the most important part of your lead generation campaign is your asset, i.e. the thing you want to promote. Choosing the asset depends on your objective, but the important thing is that the asset brings value to the reader. For example, if your end goal is to get people to buy a product/service you provide, you could attach a report or case study that demonstrates how a customer used your product/service and benefitted from it. Alternatively, if you are hosting an event that you want people to sign up for, you could use the lead generation form as the actual registration form for the event.
Want to learn more?
I hope this blog post has given you a useful introduction to lead generation on social media. For more in-depth information, read my full-length guide here. The guide covers:
- what lead generation is (in the context of social media)
- when to go with lead generation versus brand awareness
- how to choose the right social media platform
- how to create a successful lead generation campaign
Anlieka Marconi
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