how to generate leads on social media?

Social media is playing an increasingly important role in online marketing, not only in improving the content marketing strategy, but also in attracting leads and potential customers.

what is a lead and what types are there?

The term lead refers to an internet user who has given their details to a company, i.e. a registration, converting them from a user to a lead, which also makes them a potential customer as after this action they become part of the company's database.

Leads are an important element within marketing, since thanks to the sales funnel, there is a close relationship between them and the company, since through lead nurturing and a good sales funnel strategy, the company will be able to capture these leads step by step, convert them into customers, and finally make them loyal.

Within the leads we can appreciate several distinctions, on the one hand there is a first differentiation between leads considered cold, warm leads and those considered hot leads.

There are many factors that differentiate them, the first is the similarity they have with our buyer persona, a lead can have all the characteristics of our buyer persona or be completely different, this can also reach the end of the sales funnel even if it is not the same as our buyer persona, but resembling our ideal client increases the chances of purchase.

On the other hand, everything also depends on the phase in which the lead is in the buying process, it is not the same to be in the so-called Tofu (top of the funnel) as to be in the Bofu (bottom of the funnel). They will not be equally informed about the company, and most importantly, they will not be equally convinced with the final decision.

Another factor that also has a great influence is the engagement that a customer has with the brand, as it is not the same if they have just got to know the brand as if they have already bet on it on more occasions, the commitment is not the same.

Having seen these three points, we will now differentiate between the three types of leads mentioned above:

• Cold lead: We consider that we are dealing with a cold lead when that person or user is still in the research process and is trying to find out how to solve a problem or a need. It is a type of lead that is not yet ready to buy.

• Warm lead: This type of lead arises when we are in front of a user that we cannot consider a cold lead because he is one step further along, but we cannot consider a hot lead because he has not reached that point either. This lead has already researched and has several brands in mind of which he is trying to find out their pros and cons.
  
  
• Hot lead: This is the type of lead that every company wants to have as soon as possible, the one that has already decided and is ready to buy.

On the other hand, we can make another distinction depending on the phase in which the lead is in the buying process.

• Lead: According to the level of maturity, a lead would be the least mature, i.e., it has filled in the form on our landing page with a goal, whether it is to download content, register, etc. This could be equivalent to a cold lead, as it is far from carrying out the final transaction.

• MQL or marketing qualified lead: This has been generated by marketing, usually thanks to lead nurturing, this has already shown that they are interested in our brand, that they fit with our buyer persona and that they are at an advanced stage in the sales funnel.
• SQL or sales-qualified lead: This lead is at the most advanced stage in the buying process, these are the ones who are already more prepared to buy and are usually also those who have provided more data to the company.

how to generate leads on social networks?

1. Create ads on social networks
   It seems obvious, but capturing leads by creating ads on different social networks is one of the most effective techniques that will help us to get potential customers. But before this you have to be very clear about who your buyer persona is and analyse it very well, especially because there is not the same audience in all social networks. When you know where your target audience is, start using the specific tools of each social media for this type of campaign.
   
   
2. Be participative
   The most representative feature within social networks is interaction, everyone interacts with everyone, it is a space created specifically for this. So if you want to capture leads and enhance the image of your brand, what you should do is to be very active in the networks where you have a presence. A good example is to always respond to user comments, whether positive or negative. Never forget to treat everyone with the same respect and education, regardless of the comment they have posted, because a bad answer to a dissatisfied customer or an impertinent user can negatively affect your online reputation.
   
   
3. Provide valuable content
   Social networks are spaces of constant interaction, but also of continuous renewal, the contents are ephemeral and change every second. Therefore, one of the most important points to get leads within social networks is to share content regularly, always adapting the content to the formats of each social network. For example, in Instagram it is more common to see photographs, in Twitter text and in TikTok or YouTube, the video format prevails. If users perceive that the content you create is of quality and that it really interests them, you will manage to attract them.
   
   
4. Find your audience
   The most important thing when it comes to capturing leads is to know where your target audience is, so you are directly addressing an audience that is interested in what you are showing them. If your audience is made up of men over 60 years old, TikTok is not exactly the right social network to reach your audience.
   
   
5. Explore the possibilities
   There is a lot to discover on social networks, there will always be a tool or function within them that you don't know about that could be useful to you. An example could be Facebook groups, a free and very segmented tool, you can reach exactly where you want to reach, and through a good content strategy you can keep the right pace. This and many more tools exist within social networks, go out and discover them!

Getting leads within your marketing strategy is one of the most important objectives as it is the first step to get customers and build customer loyalty, companies have had to reinvent themselves little by little and social networks are booming, so looking for leads within them is a sure hit, do not wait any longer and follow our tips to convert within social media.