We’re all familiar with the concept of lead generation – “the initiation of consumer interest or inquiry into products or services.” You can accomplish this in many ways, but let’s face it. This is entrepreneur and small business 101 level stuff. What you may not fully comprehend, however, is that one of your primary sources for lead generation very well could be your business’ X (formerly Twitter) profile.
Many entrepreneurs and SMB owners think that X serves one of two purposes. One, it’s a customer service too, and that is true. Two, it’s great for branding and establishing a brand voice, which is also true. However, X is one way you can get your products and services seen by millions of people with very little effort, and that’s a dream scenario when it comes to generating leads.
You can turn your own X into this lead generating machine of your dreams, but first you have to know how.
Focus on a strong, loyal follower base
This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to try your hardest to get 10,000 followers in order to be successful at lead generation. When it comes to leads, the proof is in the pudding – you want engagement that actually clicks the links you post and converts because of your marketing strategy.
Make your follower enticement a question of long-term loyalty, not quick clicks for one promotion. Overall, marketing to uninterested parties and those who leave your account on their follow list just because won’t get you those lead numbers you want. In order to see how your followers engage with your tweets, it’s ideal to map out their growth and decline, as well as listen to what they do and don’t like from your account via analytics.
Achieve the above with an enticing offer
Remember how you have to make sure your follower base is filled with loyal customers in order to get those lead numbers constantly climbing? The best way to do that is through a CTA promotion. Hone in on one target product or service that you know is truly popular, or pick a product or service mentioned in a tweet that you know did very well. Advertise a free sample or discounted service based on this product, and get creative.
If you’re an ad agency, offer a free Marketing 101 ebook. If you sell mineral water, offer a special coupon code for 25% off a purchase. Make your followers fill out a hassle free form and the goodies are all theirs. This gets you leads, more potential loyal followers and also gives you bonus engagement potential, like asking for an email address for newsletter offers.
Promoted tweets can do the trick
Most X lead engagement strategies are free, but sometimes that’s not enough if you want your lead generation numbers to truly soar. Through promoted tweets, AKA tweets you pay for to make them appear in user’s X feed, it’s possible to reach millions of new potential customers.
These promoted tweets are shown based on a demographic, and this can be decided upon in numerous ways. First, it’s always important to understand who your followers are and of these followers, what big demographic trends do you see? From here, you can now tell X who to aim these promoted tweets at – from users with specific interests or keywords relevant to your business, the demographics you choose to promote to matter a great deal to your lead generation success.
X isn’t just a social media website – it’s a powerful business tool that you can use to your advantage. When you use analytics and marketing knowledge combined with X’s massive social reach, your ability to generate business leads will soar like never before.