Social Media’s Role in the Sales Funnel

Published March 11, 2024

Social media plays a vital role in your business’s sales funnel, but it is not the only part of your sales funnel. A sales funnel that involves social media is a strategic process that utilizes social media platforms to attract, engage, and potentially convert prospects to clients. Convert is the key word here as it typically takes multiple touchpoints to complete a sale from diverse media and people. Let’s learn more about social media’s role in the sales funnel and how a team can work together to close the deal.

Typical Stages of a Social Media Sales Funnel

Social media is a bit different than an individual sales funnel in that you are posting to potentially thousands of customers at one time. So while everyone may be at different points of the sales funnel, it is necessary to post for each stage. Below are the stages of the sales funnel that can correlate with social media.

Finding Your Audience

This stage involves creating brand awareness to find your target audience on social media platforms. You can achieve this through various means such as organic content, paid advertising, influencer partnerships, or viral marketing campaigns. The goal is to introduce your brand to potential customers and make them aware of your products or services.

Create Interest/Drive Engagement

Once you’ve captured the attention of your target audience, the next step is to engage with them and spark their interest in your offerings. They started following you for a reason. Is it because they want what you’re selling? They have a need, a want, maybe a desire for your product. Be consistent with sharing valuable content, interacting with your audience through comments and messages, running interactive campaigns like polls, giveaways or quizzes. Sharing of testimonials, case studies, product demonstrations, or offering free trials or samples are also great ideas. The goal is to nurture leads and convince them of the value and benefits of choosing your brand. 

Make Sure There is a Call to Action to Convert

Once leads are sufficiently engaged and interested, you need to remember to guide them toward making a purchase. This could involve directing them to your website to complete a purchase, encouraging them to sign up for a newsletter, webinar or consultation, or offering exclusive discounts or promotions. The aim is to convert interested leads into paying customers.

Customer Advocacy

Satisfied customers can become powerful advocates for your brand. Encourage them to share their positive experiences on social media, write reviews, or refer friends and family. User-generated content and word-of-mouth recommendations can significantly impact your brand’s credibility and attract new customers to your sales funnel.

The Bottom Line

Throughout each stage of the sales funnel, it’s essential to work with your sales team to ask what is and isn’t working for them, what their potential and current clients want to know about and what their favorite ways of maintaining a relationship is. Adjustments to your social media marketing may be needed based on this feedback, market trends, or changes in social media algorithms to ensure the effectiveness of this part of your sales funnel. Remember that social media is just a part of the sales process. When everyone recognizes this, your social media can grow!

Tracing the History of Podcasts: From Modest Origins to Universal Phenomena

Published February 13, 2024

Podcasts have come a long way since the first one hit the digital airwaves. Emerging in the early 2000s, podcasts have grown into a powerful and diverse medium, captivating audiences worldwide. In this blog post, we’ll explore the history of podcasts, from their modest beginnings to their current status as a global phenomenon. Additionally, we’ll provide some valuable tips for those aspiring to start their own podcast.

The Dawn of Podcasting

The term “podcast” is a blend of “iPod” and “broadcast,” emphasizing its initial association with Apple’s iPod. The first podcast was technically in 2003 but was not called a podcast. It was a RSS feed created to offer audio content of notable interviews Christopher Lydon’s blog. “Daily Source Code” was launched by Adam Curry and Dave Winer in August 2004 and were the first to use the term podcast. This marked the beginning of a new era in digital content consumption, allowing users to download and listen to audio content on-demand.

Podcasts gained momentum slowly in their early years, with niche content creators experimenting and finding their voices. The flexibility of the medium allowed for a wide range of topics, fostering a sense of community among listeners who shared specific interests.

The Podcast Boom

Over the years, podcasts have grown in popularity, driven by several factors. The accessibility of smartphones, improved audio quality, and the rise of streaming platforms contributed to the medium’s widespread adoption. Podcasts began to cover an extensive array of genres, from true crime and education to comedy, politics and business.

In recent years, celebrities, influencers, and established media outlets have joined the podcasting wave, further legitimizing the medium and growing its popularity thanks to some big name celebrities. This influx of content and diverse voices has broadened the appeal of podcasts, making them an integral part of modern digital culture.

Tips for Starting Your Own Podcast

Define Your Niche

Before diving into podcasting, identify your niche or area of expertise. Whether it’s storytelling, interviews, or educational content, having a clear focus will help you attract and retain a dedicated audience and interviewees if you so choose to do this.

Invest in Quality Equipment

Good audio quality is crucial for a successful podcast. If the means are available, we suggest investing in a reliable microphone, headphones, and recording software to ensure your listeners have an enjoyable and immersive experience. If it is not available, there are studios that allow you to rent time in their podcast booths. All of their equipment is available for use and you just go in, start it up and run your show!

Plan Your Content

Outline your podcast episodes in advance. A well-structured plan can help you stay organized, maintain consistency, and provide valuable content to your audience. Nothing is worse than dead air. 

Focus on Engagement

Foster a sense of community by engaging with your audience. Encourage listener feedback, answer questions, and consider featuring listener contributions on your podcast. 

Promote Your Podcast

Utilize social media, email newsletters, and other marketing channels to promote your podcast. Building an audience takes time as you want to find listeners who will keep coming back to hear more, so be patient and persistent in your promotional efforts.

Consistency is Key

Release episodes on a consistent schedule. Whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, a predictable release schedule helps build anticipation and keeps your audience engaged. It will also keep you on track as to when you need your next podcast to be finished in the planning and writing process.

The Bottom Line

As we reflect on the evolution of podcasts, it’s evident that this medium has transformed into a dynamic and influential force in the digital landscape. Whether you’re a listener enjoying diverse content or an aspiring podcaster ready to share your passion, podcasts continue to shape the way we consume and create audio content. Embrace the journey, hone your unique voice, and join the ever-growing community of podcast enthusiasts worldwide. And if you are ever interested in creating a podcast, ask us! 

Social Media Networking and Business Referrals

Published February 26, 2020
Grow Your Business and Support Others

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social media networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are great places to grow your business and support others through personal referrals and shares. When you support your fellow businesses, they will remember and will hopefully reciprocate in the near future. We know that thousands of people ask for recommendations and share their results daily online. There is no way you can see them all. Make a habit out of tagging and mentioning businesses that you support and watch those businesses follow suit for you.

Share an event that can benefit or interest other businesses (and yours)!

Groups are Great!

Search your favorite social networks for groups that align well with your business or target market. People tend to ask for referrals in large groups of similar minded people to help them decide on their need. If someone tags a business that you might not have a need for now, but will in the future, like their page. See an event that someone shared in the group that is relevant to your business? Click interested even if you aren’t 100% sure you can make it because you may make a connection within the discussion threads. You never know where your next client may be! And remember, interaction is key. If you are in a group that your fellow business owners may find relevant, add them to it! Growing the group helps grow your potential business too.

Sharing is Caring

When you see a post, page or event that is relevant to your business, share it! Be sure you make your own comment when you share the post letting others know WHY you are sharing the post. Just think the business is a good idea? Tell them! Do you think your clients would like the page too? Tell them! Is the price point of the item awesome? Tell them! Is it a brand new product that others don’t have yet but you will? Tell them! People will see your text before they get to the original post so make the most of your time and make the post relevant for you too.

Do people ask for recommendations in the social media groups that you are in?

Tagging Businesses and Friends

When your business is tagged or mentioned for a referral or recommendation, it is like a green light for opening communication with that person. Recommendations and referrals from others is a win for you even if you don’t ultimately get the business from the post originator because that post will live on and be searchable in the future! When you see a post asking for a referral, even if it isn’t something that you personally can provide, tag someone or a business that you know who can. That person will appreciate the mention and will remember you when they see a similar post that might be right up your business ally!

Want More Social Media Networking Tips?

Our goal is to help you feel more confident in your marketing efforts. We want to save you from the stress of not knowing proper social media business networking etiquette to knowing where your marketing dollars are going and what your advertising is actually doing for you. Contact us to talk about a marketing strategy built for your business and not a cookie cutter plan built for your industry or business size.