A stealth sales team is powerless if there are no leads to convert. Lead generation is the lifeblood of any marketing funnel.
The nature of lead generation has been irreversibly altered by digital technologies and communication tools. Yesterday’s preeminent methods are today’s antiquated practices. Here’s proof: 90% of decision makers simply don’t answer cold calls. Compare this with the 76% of buyers who are primed for a conversion via social media and the preferred channel becomes abundantly clear.
What makes social media a particularly powerful method of lead generation is its capacity to hone in on the highest quality leads; those who are most likely to convert. Furthermore, methods like cold calling don’t enable sales teams to employ engaging forms of content to make their case; social media does. And no form of content is better suited for lead generation than video.
Video is far and away the most preferred form of content floating around in the social-sphere. Facebook alone generates over 8 billion video views daily from more than 500 million users. Meanwhile, platforms like Instagram and YouTube tout equally (if not more) staggering video consumption statistics.
No matter if you helm a multi-million-dollar corporation or a small business in an even smaller town, video content on social media is the key to generating the leads you need to transform into valuable customers.
Here are 3 methods for leveraging social video to acquire quality leads.
Win Customers with Webinars
Webinars are a form of video content that have experienced a significant rise in use over the last several years. According to Content Marketing Institute, more than 60% of marketers were employing webinars back in 2014; that number has sharply increased alongside the demand for general video content.
Webinars are fantastic lead generation tools. They are interactive, informative, often free, and provide audiences with tons of value while typically making offers to engage at a deeper level. On the business end, it’s easy to learn how to use webinars and they can be lead generation monsters; especially when coupled with the reach of social platforms.
When a brand leverages social media to promote a webinar, it is best to come prepared with a content strategy and schedule as this is what will most likely engender success.
To accomplish this, create teaser videos, blogs, and informative images on what the webinar will cover and how attendees stand to improve their personal and/or professional lives. You can promote these materials to only the most relevant consumers with Facebook’s highly-refined advertising system. This will enable you to drive a greater number of highly qualified leads.
Additionally, you can leverage Twitter automation tools like Narrow.io to help identify and connect with people who are already discussing or otherwise engaged with the topic you seek to cover; this is another stellar means to generating hot leads from social media’s near infinite pool of potential clients.
Leverage Live Video Leads
Facebook has transformed itself into one of the most prolific video platforms available; this is partially due to the advent of Facebook Live. This form of video content is consumed more than three times as much as traditional creations.
Part of what makes this format appealing to businesses is that the content doesn’t need to be polished and is practically free to produce. Additionally, Live video gets a boost from Facebook’s algorithms, so that’s a big bonus.
Video content on Facebook tends to have a short shelf life when compared to some other platforms; if it doesn’t have viral appeal. While this may seem like a drawback, it makes the format perfect for producing limited and time-sensitive offers. For instance, motivational speaker Chalene Johnson hosted a Facebook Live session at the beginning of 2018 where she shared an exclusive offer for viewers who bought her PUSH journal.
This enabled her to reward her viewers with an exclusive offer which not only helped to generate leads and sales, but it also created loyalty as viewers who score a limited time offer tend to feel special.
This is a powerful tool not only because video tends to sell more products than images, but also because Americans consider discount offers to be among the top three factors that determine where they shop.
Create Video Case Studies
Video case studies are typically more polished than live presentations or even webinars; they can also be a little lengthier. For this reason, YouTube is the ideal destination for this content.
Video case studies seek to emphasize the results an organization can produce, or what their offerings can accomplish for customers. By explaining via video exactly how a brand can quantifiably improve a customer’s business or life, the results can be extremely persuasive for consumers. Pairing this type of video with a free consultation or similar offer is a powerful lead generation driver as relevant CTAs (calls-to-action) can be integrated into the video at the exact time the offer is verbally made; reducing friction in a profound and effective manner.
This is easily accomplished with YouTube cards, which can be displayed at opportune moments. It is also wise to include URLs to relevant landing pages and a phone number in the video’s description to further encourage consumers to reach out to your organization.
Social media provides an abundance of opportunities for businesses to generate high-quality, relevant leads. With basic knowledge of how to create and employ video content in a strategic manner, companies can tap into a deep well of consumers who are cherry picked for their ideal customer attributes. If you focus on just one lead gen method, video via social is a very wise move.
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