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Tag: Social Media Marketing

Generating Leads on Instagram: 10 Proven Tactics to Enhance Your Social Media Reach

As a social media platform, Instagram connects users by allowing them to share life stories through images and videos. Interestingly, statistics reveal that up to 80% of Instagram accounts follow a business. Therefore, if you are yet to venture into the digital space to market your business, you are missing out on many opportunities. With the above insight in mind, here’s how to get more leads on Instagram.

Why you should use Instagram for lead generation

Learning to generate leads on Instagram, a platform with over 3 billion users and a focus on high-quality, visually appealing content, is crucial for your business to make a profit. Before diving into specific tactics, it’s important to understand why Instagram is an ideal platform for targeting potential customers.

When it comes to social media for B2B lead generation, you will want to monitor other influencers and company accounts in your industry. Learning how these accounts generate their likes will help your social media lead-generation strategy. You can use Instagram lead generation for B2B through calls to action, lead generation ads, video ads and offering incentives to your followers.

READ: A Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Marketing — Embracing The Wild West of the Internet

Proven methods to boost lead generation on Instagram

Let’s take a look at ten ways to boost your business’ lead generation on Instagram.

Optimize your bio

People will see your bio as the first thing they visit your page, and it should tell them all they want to know about your brand. To optimize your Instagram bio, consider the following:

  • Keep the link short and include your brand name.
  • Promote the link in your posts.
  • Include a call to action above the link.
  • Add a UTM parameter in your URLs for traceability.

Use lead ads

Instagram lead ads collect customer information for an improved targeted marketing campaign. These types of ads are simple. They require a business account, including a Facebook page, and then selecting Lead Generation as your objective. The more you run these ads the better, because Instagram will use the customer information you collected to fine-tune your strategy with each new ad you upload.

Include an action button in your profile

Like other platforms, people will interact with your brand in unlimited ways, and adding a call to action (CTA) button is advisable for generating leads on Instagram. Instagram offers better lead generation options, including reserve, bool and “Get Ticket” action buttons. 

To add a CTA:

  • Navigate to your profile and Edit Profile.
  • Click “Contact Options.”
  • Select the Add and Action buttons and choose the provider and button you want to add, plus the URLs selected.

READ: How to Generate Qualified Leads for a Small Business — 3 Easy Tips

Build a perfect landing page

Build a page that gives a seamless visual experience and content that matches what your leads are looking for and what you promised in your call to action.

Start Using the “swipe up” feature on stories

If you have thousands of followers on your Instagram account, consider the swipe-up feature for your stories, as stories prove more effective than bio links. To add a link to your stories, swipe right on the feed and tap the plus icon. Next, upload your content and click the chain icon to add your link.

Create engaging and shoppable content

One of the tricks many successful brands utilize is creating content that their followers can relate to, which as a result leads to more sales. To create shoppable content, confirm your account is eligible, and if need be, get a Facebook catalog. After connecting your catalog, sign up for Instagram shopping and add product tags to your stories and posts.

Share content generated by users

Sharing content generated by users, especially within your locality, or reposting local content while giving credit to the owner will attract more followers to your profile. While doing this, ensure you pick content your followers will appreciate while demonstrating your expertise.

READ: Don’t Get Left Behind — Top 8 Social Media Trends for 2023

Leverage influencer marketing

In leveraging influencer marketing, go for a credible influencer with a strong brand affinity but partial follower overlap to ensure your partnership reaches new prospective leads and followers.

Use appropriate hashtags

Add clickable hashtags to your bio to increase engagement and reviews and promote your brand. After a hashtag click, the user should get a redirection to a feed where they can explore your brand.

Use Instagram contests

Request your followers to comment on a post or complete a survey for a prize, and broaden your contest scope by tagging an influencer or partner. Alternatively, run a sales or promotion on your Instagram with limited time and prompt your audience to shop, hence more leads.

The bottom line

As Instagram continues to grow in popularity as a powerful tool for businesses in Colorado and beyond, learning how to generate leads on Instagram is crucial for business growth. Now that you know the above tactics, save time and money by implementing them in your strategies to grow your business.

 

Michael MeyerMichael Meyer is the growth strategist at Leads at Scale. His main areas of expertise are communication & business growth. He loves traveling, delicious food and cars.

B2B Social Media Marketing: A Strategic Approach for Niche Industries

For many marketing folks, organic social posts are the bane of their job. Company leaders want to see activity, lots of it, and it better be good. But your customers don’t seem to care that much, and it’s hard to get follows and likes. The algorithm keeps changing, and those who do follow the brand often don’t see your posts. It’s even harder to get activity that legitimately impacts sales.

Does it matter if someone from Illinois likes your post if you’re only selling in California and Idaho? Or if tons of apartment dwellers follow you, but you sell lawnmowers? For a B2B business, it can be even harder. You’re told you “need” followers and to produce lots of content, but why? It isn’t driving sales.

READ: A Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Marketing — Embracing The Wild West of the Internet

Plus, it’s wildly time-consuming, no one internally has the bandwidth for it and it can be expensive to outsource. Especially if you’re posting varied content, on multiple channels, several times a week or even daily. The truth is that social media marketing sounds fun, and to many brands it’s imperative, but in reality, it’s hard to find the right formula.

Nearly five billion people are using social media, a massive number that gets bigger every year. With access to that many people, why are some brands only getting 10 likes on a video post they spent several hours and a decent budget on?

The truth is, the social media merry-go-round can be fun for brands with deep pockets that sell to consumers, but sometimes it’s not so easy for small brands, those that market sensitive or less engaging products (like wealth management or health insurance), or for companies that are looking to connect to other businesses. When we compare B2B brands and brands with less cultural panache to global consumer brands with strong loyalty and recognition, we set impossible expectations.

READ: Don’t Get Left Behind — Top 8 Social Media Trends for 2023

Not every company will get brand advocates to consistently like and share content from social media. Certainly, humor can be used, and there are clever ways to make more engaging content, but if you’re selling professional accounting services, let’s acknowledge you will not likely get the same consumer love on social media that Nike gets, and that this is actually okay. An accounting firm probably doesn’t need to create content that goes viral with teenagers. It doesn’t make sense to put time toward a goal that’s not helpful to the overall mission.

So, for brands that need an alternative approach to social media, what are some options to stay relevant, keep a strong social presence, and not be in the constant burn of content churn? One thing we recommend is, don’t chase what you don’t need.

You might not need a presence on Pinterest, or to post on X every day. Just because “everyone” else is doing it, doesn’t mean that’s the right use of your resources. If you sell breakfast, by all means, make a post on National Pancake Day, but if you sell sprinkler systems, don’t scramble to try to make a pancake connection. Forced content can feel inauthentic to audiences.

Consider this, write an annual social media plan (or hire someone to write it) and create the bulk of your branded social content as an efficient, consolidated project. That way, your core content library for the year is handled, and you can leave room to fill in where it makes sense with new ideas, relevant current event-focused posts, and company news. You can also concept key social campaigns in conjunction with corresponding advertising campaigns (if you utilize paid media), and block those in throughout the year.

 

Cassie Augustine headshotCassie Augustine is co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Articulation in Denver, providing insights that turn consumers into brand advocates.

The Best Loyalty Program Promotion is Your Social Media — Here’s Why

In a 2022 study, 70% of Americans considered loyalty programs a top factor in loyalty toward their favorite brands. Loyalty programs improve customer retention, the lifetime value of a customer, customer satisfaction and brand reputation.

However, simply having a loyalty rewards program isn’t enough. You need to promote it regularly and ensure customers are aware of the benefits. One of the best ways to do that is on social media, where billions of people are active every day.

How can you use the company’s social media presence to maximize the benefits of its loyalty program? Here’s what you need to know.

READ: 12 Ways to Repurpose Social Media Content for Email Marketing 

Know the rewards your customers value

An effective rewards program has to offer something the customers find valuable, or no one will be interested in signing up. One of the ways to find out what your customers enjoy and spend time on is by paying attention to social media.

Social media listening tools can help you find the voice of the customer, which allows you to discover your customers’ needs, wants and expectations. This allows you to tailor the loyalty program to meet and exceed those expectations. 

Different customer bases have different values and priorities, and by discovering these, you can offer truly valuable, targeted loyalty rewards, which will improve the positive impact of the program.

Use social media to promote the loyalty program

Social media gives you a megaphone to share your message. However, everyone else also has a megaphone, so it’s important to promote your loyalty program in a targeted way that appeals to your target market.

One way to do this is through special giveaways on social media that involve your audience sharing information about your loyalty program with friends and family. You can have different ways to enter, and each one is worth a certain number of entries into the drawing.

Keep in mind that Colorado has strong laws around privacy when it comes to loyalty programs, so the information you collect needs to be kept confidential and secure. You’ll need a strong cloud security strategy that keeps your loyalty program data safe from cyberattacks and presents clear disclosures about what information you collect and how you use it.

READ: Inside the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA) — New Obligations for Businesses Processing Consumer Data

Make social media sharing part of the loyalty program

User-generated content is a great way to turn your customers into advocates for your brand, and you can leverage social media and your loyalty program to encourage customers to create it.

For example, a customer who posts a picture of themselves holding your product on social media could get a certain number of reward points. Someone who posts a short video about your product could earn more.

When social media becomes part of the loyalty program, you’ll increase the traction and reach that your company has online, allowing you to attract new customers and remind existing customers to buy another product or service. It’s a win for everyone involved.

Boosting loyalty online

Learning how to grow customer loyalty is essential, and loyalty programs play a big role. Taking advantage of social media allows your organization to learn more about its customers, offer better rewards, let more people know about the program and turn customers into brand advocates.

Using social media the right way will build consumers’ trust in your brand, build your brand reputation and showcase your company’s values. When you add your customer loyalty program to the mix, you are able to reward new and returning customers with prizes that matter most to them, encouraging them to continue engaging with your brand.

Millions of people use social media daily — your brand can meet them right where they are! 

 

Indiana Lee Bio PictureIndiana Lee is a writer, reader, and jigsaw puzzle enthusiast from the Pacific Northwest. An expert on business operations, leadership, marketing, and lifestyle, you can connect with her on LinkedIn.

Promote Your Real Estate Business — 5 Best Digital Marketing Strategies

Digital marketing is one of the go-to marketing channels for real estate businesses, including but not limited to brokers, agents, appraisers and property managers. Outside of traditional methods, there are online platforms, channels and technologies which make promoting and selling products or services to a more targeted audience a much easier task. Various strategies are used, but they never stay static. Search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, and more are some of the main methods you can use to promote your real estate business by:

  •  Reach a wider audience
  • Generate leads
  • Build brand awareness
  • Showcase property listings
  • Engage with potential clients

This will ultimately help you attract more clients, close more deals, and grow your real estate business.

READ: LLCs and Real Estate Investing — Pros and Cons You Should Know in 2023

Put effort into SEO to promote your real estate business

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website’s visibility on search engines like Google, making it easier for potential clients to find your real estate business. Effective real estate SEO includes some of the key things to make sure you do to increase visibility. Some are very technical and could be handed to a specialist or agency, and some are very straightforward and can be done by a non-specialist.

Keyword research

Identify relevant and high-traffic keywords to target in your content.

On-page optimization

Optimize page titles, meta descriptions, URLs, and header tags for targeted keywords.

Content creation

Publish informative and engaging content related to the real estate industry.

Link building

Acquire high-quality backlinks to your website from reputable sources.

Local SEO

Optimize your website for local searches by including your business address and contact information. As most real estate businesses cover a specific geographical area, it’s important to have your listings on Google, Yelp, Bing (yes, Microsoft’s Bing as well), and other important listing sites to have the same rich information, a lot of reviews (good ones), and be actively maintained.

READ: 7 Reasons Local SEO is Excellent for Small Businesses 

Technical SEO

Ensure your website loads quickly, is mobile-friendly, and has a secure HTTPS connection. A key thing to understand is how to make the website “seen” by search engine bots.

Make your real estate website more user-friendly

A user-friendly website is essential for engaging and retaining potential clients. Some of the must-have features for a real estate website include:

Responsive design

Ensure your website works well on all devices, including mobile phones and tablets. Already, 50% of users do all their searches on mobile, in some industries, it can be as high as 90%.

Easy navigation

Organize your website with clear menus and intuitive navigation.

High-quality images

Use professional and appealing images to showcase your property listings.

Property search functionality

Include a search feature that allows users to filter properties based on their preferences.

Contact information

Display your contact details prominently, making it easy for users to get in touch.

Testimonials and reviews

Showcase positive client feedback to build trust and credibility.

Use Google Ads to get fast results

Google Ads is a PPC advertising channel that can help your real estate business get quick results by driving targeted traffic to your website. Important things for advertising through Google Ads is to make sure you have the right keywords and audience and are actively measuring results. Do not let any ads run until the conversion tracking is properly set up and you have a good idea of attribution of leads coming from different channels. Important things to remember are:

Use location targeting

Target your ads to users in specific geographic areas where your properties are located.

Create compelling ad copy

Write engaging and informative ad text that highlights your unique selling points.

Utilize ad extensions

Use features like call extensions, location extensions, and site link extensions to provide additional information and improve click-through rates.

Test and optimize

Regularly review your ad performance and make data-driven adjustments to improve your results.

You can hire a professional or an agency to handle this, but keep your eyes on two of the most important metrics.

  •    How much do you pay per lead? — CPL (cost per lead)
  •    Quality of the leads

If two of the above metrics are within your targets, then scale the campaigns as much as possible.

READ: Determining Your Business’s Target Market – Why It’s Necessary and How To Do It

Develop a social media marketing plan to promote your real estate business

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn can be valuable tools for promoting your real estate business. A successful social media marketing plan for real estate should:

Set clear objectives

Establish goals for your social media marketing efforts, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or engaging with potential clients.

Choose the right platforms

Focus on the platforms that are most popular among your target audience and best suited for showcasing your properties.

Share high-quality content

Post visually appealing images, informative articles, and engaging videos that showcase your properties and expertise.

 Engage with your audience

Respond to comments and messages, ask questions, and participate in relevant conversations to build relationships with your followers.

Monitor and analyze performance

Regularly track your social media metrics to understand the effectiveness of your strategies and identify areas for improvement.

READ: Don’t Get Left Behind — Top 8 Social Media Trends for 2023

Utilize email marketing

Email marketing is a cost-effective way to nurture leads, communicate with clients, and promote your real estate business. The best practices for a successful real estate email marketing campaign include:

Build a segmented email list

Collect email addresses through website opt-in forms, social media, and other channels, and segment your list based on factors such as location, property preferences, and engagement levels.

Personalize your emails

Address recipients by name and tailor your content to their preferences and needs.

Create valuable content

Share relevant and informative content, such as market updates, property listings, and tips for buying or selling a home.

Use eye-catching subject lines

Write compelling subject lines that encourage recipients to open your emails.

Monitor and optimize

Track key metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, to evaluate the effectiveness of your campaigns and make data-driven improvements.

The bottom line

By implementing these five digital marketing strategies, you can effectively promote your real estate business, generate more leads, and grow your client base. Prioritize search engine optimization, create a user-friendly website, leverage Google Ads, develop a social media marketing plan, and establish an email marketing campaign to maximize your online presence and reach your target audience.

 

Michael HakobMichael Hakob is the founder and CEO of Andava Digital, with 10+ years of experience in digital marketing and focus on SEO and organic channels that drive traffic. Graduate with a degree in Management of Information Systems, Game Theory enthusiast and Management 3.0 follower.