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"Leads from Facebook?" you say? Darn right! The value of a business Facebook presence isn't just limited to the opportunity to interact and engage with prospects, fans, and customers. In fact, Facebook can also be a valuable tool for lead generation. We think that deserves a Facebook thumbs up in and of itself!
If you're a B2B company with a Facebook presence but aren't taking advantage of its potential for lead generation, here are five foolproof ways to start milking it for more of its worth.
Tips for Generating Leads From Facebook
1. Share links to content on your Page's wall. First thing's first: Are you at least giving your Facebook fans the opportunity to convert into leads? The simplest way to remedy this is to take the same content you're using to gener ate leads on your website and share links to that content on your Facebook Page's wall. This works particularly well if the link directs people to a landing page with a lead generation form for downloadable content suc
h as an ebook or a webinar. Links to blog content can be shared as well, but be sure each blog post you share also has a cal l-to-action to landing page with a conversion form so visitors can ultimately convert. Blog content isn't as streamlined for lead generation as direct links to landing pages are, but blog posts can help initiate lead generation, too.
2. Include call-to-action (CTA) buttons and text. While Facebook no longer allows you to add CTA buttons (or anything else, for that matter) to the sidebar of your Page's main profile, it's still possible to add custom tabs with CTAs within them using iFrames. Point these CTAs to your landing pages for downloadable content or other offers to start generating leads! (Check out this guide for some simple how-to on setting up new tabs with iFrames.)
3. Expand your reach. Just like with any lead generation strategy for social media, reach is important. On Twitter, the more followers you have, the more people will see your content. The same holds true for Facebook. In a recent HubSpot study, we found that the number of fans a company's Facebook Page has correlates with the number of leads generated: Businesses with 501 to 1,000 Facebook fans generated 4 times more leads than those with 1 to 25 fans. And the leads numbers only increase as fan size increases. Every new fan or "Like" you get increases your chances of spreading your content to more and more potential customers who could become leads. Make it easy for people to become a Facebook fan by adding 'follow me' buttons and links to your website pages. Consider holding a contest or using other tactics to generate more Likes.
4. Add the Facebook Like plugin & share buttons to content. In addition to sharing links to your content on the wall of your own Facebook Page, make it easy for others who are consuming your content to do the same and share it on their walls and with their networks, too. Add the Facebook Like plugin and 'share on Facebook' button to every piece of content you produce it to give it an extra boost of reach.
5. Make it difficult NOT to convert. One problem with all of the above steps is that a Facebook user will ultimately have to leave Facebook and complete a conversion form on your website in order to become a lead. What if you could eliminate that middle step altogether and offer conversion opportunities from within Facebook without even making your fans leave? You'd probably increase your chances for conversion. For customers, HubSpot recently launched a HubSpot Welcome application for Facebook. The app enables users to easily convert new Likes of your Page into leads by presenting new visitors with a conversion form for an offer immediately after they click "Like." For HubSpot's own use of the app, the conversion numbers speak for themselves.
What other tactics can you employ to generate more leads from Facebook?
Free eBook: 2011 Facebook Marketing Guide