With rapid advances, digitalization and technology are taking over every aspect of our lives. In just a year between January 2018 and January 2019, the world has added:

• 367 million internet users
• 288 million social media users
• 297 million mobile social media users

The number of social media users worldwide is more than 3 billion. That’s nearly 50% of the global population.

Social media has, therefore, emerged as a huge platform to reach out to prospective customers, increase reach, and boost revenues.

Social media has also eliminated the problems of geographical barriers and has managed to make the world smaller.

(Image Source – Oberlo)

Social media, if used correctly, can be a handy tool for lead generation and conversion into customers.

But how do you do that? How do you convert leads into customers?

Here are 5 essential tips:

1. Facebook Presence

When it comes to social media, Facebook is the leader by a considerable margin.

(Image Source – Oberlo)

Therefore, you can make use of Facebook advertisements to maximize customer reach. Obviously, the users who click on your advertisements find it useful, so it’s a great plan to target them.

You can also attach something called an ‘instant form’ that every user can access once they click on an advertisement.

Some of the latest techniques include automatically filling up most of the fields like name, email address, age, and gender (since they’re already provided in your account) so that the prospective lead is free to answer questions that’ll help your business target them better.

The best part is that the creation of Facebook advertisements is simple and easy. From the advertisement manager on Facebook, you can choose to do a lot of activities.

2. Strengthen Your Customer Support

Here are some customer service statistics to consider:

McKinsey found that 70% of buying experiences are based on how customers feel.

Bain & Company found that a customer is 4 times more likely to buy from a competitor if the problem is in your service, rather than price or product.

Clearly, the 21st century is the age of experiences, and customer service can make a huge difference in customer acquisition.

72% of customers will share a good experience with a business, promoting the business free of cost.

Leveraging social media, you should aim to help the customer in any way possible.

Here are some great examples to look at to understand how the industry stalwarts use social media to build their brand through superior customer service.

(Image Source – Social Media Examiner)

The key takeaway here is to respond quickly. As you can see, JetBlue airways was quick to placate their erstwhile unsatisfied customer. Now, after the company has solved the problem, the chances are that the customer would be happy to use their service again.
Here’s another example:

(Image Source – Social Media Examiner)

Another key takeaway here is that the customer need may arise at any time, so it’s important to provide service 24/7.

Furthermore, it’s also very important to empathize and have a helpful attitude.

3. Leverage Social Media Influencers

(Image Source – Instagram)

So how do you go about piquing the interest of prospective leads and turn them into your customers?

Convert their time on social media to your advantage. Make use of social media influencers to make an impression and create an impact.

30% of customers have been found to be more likely to make a purchase when recommended by a non-celebrity.

6 in 10 teens follow advice from influencers.

In fact, according to Twitter, purchase intent of new customers increased 5.2 times after influencer marketing, as compared to 2.7 times after traditional marketing.

By displaying an influencer lionizing your product on their website, blog, or article, you are creating an instance of social proof.

The simple act of highlighting this can be amplified across millions of users on social media, all across the globe, giving you publicity, building trust, and generating new customers along the way.

4. User-Generated Content

Content marketing has now emerged as one of the best ways to promote your business and attract new customers.

Using exemplary content marketing tips is not only good for attracting new customers, but it is also light on your pocket.

And when you incorporate it with social media marketing, it can be even more lucrative.

This is where user-generated content comes into the game.

Have a look at these statistics:

• 48% of new customers vouch for UGC.
• Placing UGC on product pages can increase sales by 64%.
• 55% of all customers trust UGC over other forms of advertising.
• UGC on YouTube is viewed 10 times more than those by the brands.

(Image Source – Salesforce)

• 92% of people trust online content from friends, family, and acquaintances, and are likely to make a purchase.
• 53% of millennials are influenced by UGC and make purchases.

Lenovo is an excellent example of using UGC and influencer marketing to its advantage.

The best part about this sort of content marketing is that here, you are not posting regular content. Instead, you’re posting content that is provided by your customers, which validates your brand and works as testimonials.

Here’s another example of UGC:

(Image Source – Instagram)

This is a real UGC example posted on Instagram by BMW as part of their Twitter UGC campaign #BMWRepost.

5. Host Contests or Giveaways

Hosting contests and/ or giveaways are a great way to increase your customer base.
Hosting contests has its own benefits, and you’re helping your brand take a step forward.
Take a look at these examples:

(Image Source – Instagram)

By creating a simple contest, Ipsy can increase the number of followers by thousands within no time with the number of likes.

(Image Source – Instagram)

Holding contests are an effective way to gather email addresses of prospective leads. At the bottom of every tweet or post, there is a ‘sign up’ link, which can be very helpful for future targeting and filtering for prospective customers.

Along the way, increase your brand awareness and improve your brand image.

Here are some quick statistics about the importance of contests:

(Image Source – HubSpot)

While hosting contests or giveaways, always ensure that there is an auto fill-up option. This increases conversion rates by 189%.

An average of over 34% of new customers are acquired through contests.

Therefore, this area also needs and deserves focus.

Winding-Up

With the reach of social media continuing to expand, marketers can make the most of the benefits it provides and maximizes customer acquisition. With the rise of tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Analytics, extremely effective customer targeting, segmentation, and positioning are being made possible.

They are powerful tools, and when used alongside the 5 tips we have discussed, it can become a very efficient and formidable framework for businesses to ensure customer acquisition.

However, it is also worthy to note that if not used properly, social media can lead to several downsides as well.