Does Social Plateau with Lead Generation?

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We’re past the idea of engagement. Brands and C-Suite want to know that you will have objectives, strategy and tactics that ultimately lead to the bottom line.

You need to bring in sales, retain customers and intrigue new ones. Yes, you can measure engagement. It’s a soft metric.

Soft metrics: Comments/Interaction, Sentiment/Tone, Awareness, Impressions

Hard metrics: Customer Satisfaction Scores, Volume, Subscribers, Fans/ Followers/RTs/Comments

Amber Naslund told me, “We build relationships to engender trust, affinity, loyalty which all drive sales.”

Bingo.

Awareness and Engagement (two words thrown around frequently) are two puzzle pieces in the model. This is why social can’t replace a customer service model. It enhances it, yes – but even those with great customer service and engagement (@comcastcares) can be named the worst business in the world by Consumerist.

Platforms such as Twitter and Foursquare can support a sales-oriented model in a market-oriented approach. (English: They are way more geared toward lead generation, which is why tactics vary on their models.) With the launch of Facebook Open Graph, the need for Fan pages will be minimized, depending on name recognition, size of brand and how niche the market is.

So what’s a good approach for the sales oriented in the market oriented scheme? Those that grasp social media and utilize it to engage + create what the market wants + drive sales.

So why is it that Twitter follower numbers show a plateau after several hundred when it comes to leads? (Below graph is from research by Hubspot and copyright.)

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Remember how we talked about a sales-oriented mindset? Social lets us mash the two.

Sales oriented: The main objective is sales and customer’s needs/wants take the backseat. Tactics on the sales side are usually a bit more aggressive.

Market oriented: Company focus primarily on customers needs and wants based on reliable data.

So why is it that it’s plateauing? It could be one of two reasons:

a.) Companies aren’t doing enough outside of just engaging
b.) Too many followers doesn’t create enough of a niche of brand ambassadors, ie. too much noise.

So how do you combat it? How can you make sure that you’re driving the bottom line? Let’s discuss.

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  • ryanstephens
    I think Danny really hit the nail on the head in that the novelty is wearing off and consumers and fans now expect social to be embedded in everything that an organization does. I think, and the Chevy example is a good one, that companies have to weave themselves into the fabric of people's lives instead of passively send one-off messages disguised as authentic engagement.

    Like you've pointed out in the piece, these social tools and strategies should compliment and be integrated within your standard business approach - they are not a substitute. I also think it's imperative that companies understand their goals from the onset, and the realities of building a following vs. building a community.

    Thanks for sparking this conversation, and thank you Danny for providing some great insights to think about moving forward.
  • laurenfernandez
    But here's the real question: Is social always meant for everyone? Just because you're a brand doesn't mean you get social. And just because you're a brand doesn't mean you're on it. You have to be specific with platforms you choose, which spurns off your strategy, objectives and tactics.

    THEN, you can break it down into model, metrics and end goal - which honestly should be sales and new customers/retaining current.

    The Chevy example is a basis that is probably driving awareness which then should drive sales.
  • Danny Prager
    I really like this post Lauren. I love the way that you describe how social media can mash both a sales oriented and market oriented mindset.

    In terms the Plateau, I think customers are beginning to expect more from a companies presence on social media channels? It may have been novel at one time, but now it is expected. This being said the landscape for brands has become more saturated-- To stand out, drive awareness, and build engagement your brand may have to offer more than a periodic update that says "how are you today?".

    While conversation is important, as the social landscape becomes increasingly filled with noise, maybe it's time for brands to offer utility that gets their customers talking. Chevrolet is doing a fantastic job of this, especially with their @ChevyMissions account, where they offer Chevrolet's to help with community service projects. Maybe the best way to be sales oriented on social media is to help, inspire, entertain, and educate your current and potential customers using social media channels?

    Thanks again for the post, really interesting to think about social media in terms of a sales and market oriented approach!
  • laurenfernandez
    You have to mash it. You won't get C-Suite buy-in if you're just touting a market-oriented approach. Tactics from sales-oriented need to play into it and evolve the traditional model. Those are terms they understand. Those are terms they can relate to. It's not about what makes sense to you, but if you can convey that into terms that brands will get.

    It's about recognizing the noise, identifying your consumer and trying like hell to keep improving on it. Tactics can change - so embrace it.
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