Wait... I can use Facebook to gather leads for my agency?!?

3 ways to start growing your business with social media

Did you know that 70% of the U.S. population has at least one social media profile? In fact, more than one billion people are on Facebook. Your clients are logged on, scrolling through their feeds and communicating with their favorite brands. It’s time to find your audience in the social media world and let them know you’d love to connect.

We’ve all heard of agencies that are seeing tremendous success through Facebook. Their stories may seem far-fetched and impossible from where you are right now – but that’s not the case. So, how can you replicate this social media savviness for your company? Read on for a breakdown of all things Facebook and learn how you can use it to take your sales to the next level.

1.     Take it step-by-step

Before you begin promoting sales-related messages on your page, you need to assess your current Facebook efforts, your audience and what they’re looking to find in their feed. It’s very likely that they’re not looking for a sales pitch when they seek you out.

People are on social media to absorb information – whether they want to keep up-to-date on their family and friends' lives, check out what’s going on in their community or find information that can connect them with a brand they love.  They don’t necessarily want to be sold to right off the bat. Consider this article from Buffer’s blog to better understand what people are looking for from engagement on Facebook. And, while you’re learning more about what your audience wants, learn more about your audience itself by asking these five questions Forbes provides to help you better understand followers. 

2.      Don’t be intimidated by Facebook Ads

While you may find some success in generating qualified leads from your organically posted content, you will most likely reap the biggest reward by utilizing a well-strategized Facebook Ad campaign. Don’t be intimidated by the number of advertisement possibilities offered on Facebook – there are options specifically designed for every business goal imaginable and a tool to help you gather qualified leads. Check out this guide Facebook provides for business pages to gain a better understanding of what each ad type means and what it could do for your agency.

Facebook Ads are an important aspect of your marketing efforts – so you need to treat them as if they are a campaign. If you want to see rewards from all your work, take your time and thoroughly work through the process of building your campaign. Just like you wouldn’t throw together an ad for your agency in a magazine without considering the audience and publication type, you don’t want to throw together a Facebook ad and call it a day. This guide from PropertyCasualty360 can provide you with tips to consider when creating a killer Facebook Ad.

3.      Provide value above all else

Whether you choose to connect with your followers via organic content or a well-planned Facebook Ad campaign, one thing remains the same: you need to provide value to your audience.

Across the board, your social content needs to offer something of value. What that offering may consist of will depend on your audience – it could be a story, an interesting fact or a tip that will help educate them on something they find important. Not matter what the content may be, it needs to be relevant and updated often. This is where social media listening becomes vital.

Social media listening is the process of monitoring what your followers are talking about on social media. What are they sharing? What do they care about? Sprout shared this explanation of social media listening, tips for understanding what your audience is telling you and why it is so important.

If you’re ready to start crafting social media messages for your Facebook fans, here are 22 ways you can provide value.

As with any lead generation tactic, you may not see immediate results. Think of social media efforts as long-term plays. For Facebook Ads, it may take time for your qualified leads to be generated. Through organic content, you will need to build relationships with your agency’s fans. But if you stick to your plan, listen to your audience and consistently utilize your Facebook platform, you will find new leads.

Has your agency found success through Facebook efforts? Let us know by commenting below – we’d love to hear from you!