social media marketing Archives - Excellerate Associates

Recently, a member of my community wrote in to say that she had her Social Media “up and ongoing” and wanted to know how to capture more leads.

Social media marketing has been widely popular because it is easily accessible to anyone with internet access. When social media is used in the right way, it can increase engagement, foster brand awareness, and bring in leads.

If you find that your Social Media Marketing is not generating enough leads or the wrong leads, you may need to look at where your system is breaking down. You may need to diversify your strategies and adjust your approach when using social media.

1. Diversify and Integrate Your Marketing Strategies.

One of the key mistakes many business owners make is that they only use Social Media Marketing to market their business. After investing hours on social media, they wonder why they are not getting more leads.
Social media marketing is one of many ways to market your business. Referral Marketing, Article Marketing, and Direct Mail Marketing are some of the other strategies that can be used in combination with social media.
If you want leads waiting for you in your inbox when you check your email every morning, then you want a Lead Generation System. A Lead Generation System is a system to attract leads from the internet and can be integrated into your social media and website.

2. Adjust Your Approach on Social Media.

Social media marketing can be an important tool to get leads as long as:

• You’re selecting the right social media platform to reach your ideal clients.
• You’re engaging your audience.

The name of the game on social media is engagement. If you’re treating social media the same way you’re treating a direct conversion; that is, people who have responded to an advertisements and have shown a clear interest in your products or services, then you may want to adjust your approach.

Social Media Expert, Laura Rubinstein, Creator of the Social Media Blast Off System as well as Co-Founding CEO of said, “Building relationships is the key to building your business. Most successful business owners do this really well offline but forget to do this online. You must meaningfully connect with your market, individuals and influencers to see your social media efforts pay off.” I couldn’t agree more with Laura.

As you implement your social media strategy, make your interactions count. Here are three tips to get started:

1. Ask your Community Questions. Create content that encourages others to comment. This approach is especially effective on Facebook.

2. Become the Discussion Starter. Start a group on Facebook or LinkedIn, invite others, and post a topic for discussion for your community to engage in.

3. Nurture the Know-Like-and-Trust Factors. Post articles that would appeal to your ideal clients, things that interest you to create that common- interest bond, and share other people’s content. If you want more shares, likes and engagement, it’s important for you to also do the same with others.
When you have a robust Marketing Mix and an integrated a Lead Generation System complete with Social Media, you not only create a valued experience for your prospects, but you’ll create a pipeline of pre-qualified prospects wanting to do business with you.

Next Week: More about Lead Generation

If you have been on the receiving end of someone wanting to connect with you on social media just because they wanted to get introduced to someone you were connected with, you might have a jaded sense of the social online networking scene.

Unfortunately, if you use this as an excuse not to integrate social media into your business, you’ll be the one losing out on opportunities to grow your relationships and your business. First, forgive those who tried (and continue to try) outdated techniques on you to buy their product the first time they meet you. Second, if social media marketing seems like a stretch for you, shift your mindset.

Rather than looking at the differences between face-to-face and online networking, apply some of the same in-person relationship-building techniques that have been successful for years:

Extend Your Hand

Inviting someone to connect with you online is like extending your hand to someone you just met in person. On one occasion, I “extended my hand” inviting someone to my LinkedIn network who also had many of the same connections. Unfortunately, instead of accepting it, I received a reply that he didn’t connect with anyone he didn’t know personally.

In response, I simply explained that I use the social networks to expand my network and get to know others particularly if we know some of the same people. Weeks later, I received a request to connect from this same person. Later, he revealed that his mindset was the result of something he learned very early on when social online networks were first coming on the scene.

By keeping an open mind to the evolution of social media, he grew his network exponentially within weeks and thanked me for sharing with him my process for social online networking. So the next time someone you don’t know says hello by connecting with you, rethink your mindset. Ask yourself: Am I pulling my hand away or extending my hand of friendship in return?

Cultivate the Relationship

After you connect with someone in person, what’s the next question you might ask them? Perhaps you would ask, “What do you do for a living?” It’s really no different with social online networking. If you’ve already read their profile, perhaps you can then ask, “Who is your ideal client?” I often ask the latter question to those I’ve just met both in person and online. It’s a good open-ended question to get to know more about them and their business. Much like developing any strong relationship, it is not about what you’re going to receive, rather how you can help the other person.

When you observe the process of connecting, social media can be a valuable tool to expand your services and expand your network. Rather than looking at the differences, look at the similarities and apply tried-and-true strategies. Before you know it, social media will feel like an old friend rather than leaving you feeling like an outdated dinosaur.

Do you have a social media strategy that has worked for you? If so, share it!

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