8 Ways to Leverage Social Media in 2024 for Lead Generation, Branding and Conversions

It’s no secret that social media, with its over 4.95 billion users, offers tremendous opportunities to marketers to show off their brands, reach new customers, and engage with their audiences at a very reasonable cost. Today we want to address some of the important trends and techniques you need to leverage social media for your clients  in 2024.

1. Target, Target, Target

In 2024, consumers are inundated with content from countless brands vying for their attention. People today are not going to waste their time. Therefore, you must tailor Tailoring your social media content to resonate with your target audience as much as possible. If your client has multiple audiences, then you need to tailor each post with a specific audience in mind. The broader your post, the less it will touch individuals.

2. Go Heavy on Video

We’ve been touting the power of video for some time now. There’s a reason that 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool. Short of being in the same room, video brings your audience the closest to a real-life experience. Videos continue to dominate social media platforms in 2024 because they are highly engaging, easily digestible, and shareable, making them an excellent tool for lead generation. Whether it’s short-form videos on TikTok, Stories on Instagram, or live streams on Facebook, incorporating video content into your social media strategy is a must.

Create compelling video content that showcases your client’s brand’s personality, products and services. Use storytelling techniques to captivate your client’s audience and drive engagement. If it makes sense for your client’s industry, leverage interactive video features such as polls and quizzes to encourage audience participation and generate leads. But long story short, to leverage social media, you need to be on top of your video game.

3. Listen, Respond and Monitor

You can’t just throw your social media content out there and forget it. In 2024, consumers expect personalized and real-time interactions with brands on social media. Engage with your audience by responding to comments, messages, and mentions promptly. Conversational marketing has emerged as a powerful strategy for lead generation.

Really listen to your audience. Social listening involves monitoring social media channels for mentions of your client’s brand, products, competitors, and industry keywords. By actively listening to what your client’s audience is saying, you can gain valuable insights into their needs, preferences, and pain points.

Consider using chatbots and messaging apps to facilitate conversations with your client’s audience on social media. These AI-powered tools can answer questions, provide product recommendations, and even schedule appointments, all while capturing valuable lead information in real-time. Heck, they can even sell to your clients.

4. Sell Directly on Social

Social commerce has exploded in popularity in recent years, and it continues to be a game-changer for lead generation in 2024. 90% of people shop from brands they follow on social media, so it only makes sense to sell to them directly on social media.

With the rise of shoppable posts, in-app purchasing and integrated payment gateways, social media platforms have become virtual marketplaces where consumers can discover and purchase products seamlessly.

Optimize your clients’ social media profiles for social commerce by showcasing their products and services and providing easy access to purchase options. Instagram Shopping and Facebook Marketplace can streamline the buying process and generate leads directly from your clients’ social media channels.

5. Influencers Continue to Play Their Part

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, influencers aren’t going away. Influencer marketing remains a potent strategy for lead generation in 2024 as influencers continue to hold sway over their loyal followers. Partnering with influencers who align with your client’s brand values and target audience can help them reach new prospects and drive leads effectively.

Identify influencers in your client’s niche with engaged and relevant audiences, and collaborate with them to create authentic and compelling content that promotes your products or services. Leverage the trust and credibility that influencers have built with their followers to generate leads and drive conversions.

Remember, it doesn’t matter if the world at large has not heard of a particular influencer, only that members of an audience your client wants to reach follows them. Actually, nano-influencers, or influencers with less than 10,000 followers, have the highest engagement!  Partnering with nano-influencers can be very affordable, so this is a way to leverage social media that is bound to pay off for many of your clients.

6. Build Community

Building a sense of community around your brand on social media can foster trust, loyalty, and ultimately, lead generation. In 2024, consumers crave connection and authenticity from the brands they support, and community-building efforts can help you deliver on these expectations.

How to build community for a client? You can, for example create dedicated Facebook groups and LinkedIn groups where your client’s audience can connect with each other and engage with your client’s brand on a deeper level. Encourage user-generated content, foster meaningful conversations, offer good advice and resources, and do all  you can to provide value.

7. Make Marketing Decisions Based on Data

In 2024, data is king, and leveraging data analytics is essential to leverage your social media efforts. Track key metrics such as engagement rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, and ROI to measure the effectiveness of your social media campaigns.

Use A/B testing to experiment with different content formats, messaging and targeting strategies to identify what resonates most with each audience segment. Analyze the data to uncover insights about your client’s audience’s behavior and preferences, and use these insights to refine your approach and maximize your lead generation, branding and conversion efforts.

8. Integrate Your Marketing

Incorporating social media into your client’s broader marketing strategy is critical for maximizing its impact on lead generation and other marketing goals. Here’s proof:

• A Gartner study found that integrated campaigns outperform single or dual-channel campaigns by 300 percent.
• According to Kantar Millward Brown, integrated campaigns are 31 percent more effective.

In 2024, consumers interact with brands across multiple touchpoints, including social media, websites, email and offline channels. A cohesive and integrated marketing approach ensures a seamless and consistent experience for your client’s audience across all channels.

Want to Leverage Social Media for Your Clients?

Social media remains a powerful tool for lead generation in 2024, but success requires a strategic and holistic approach to unlock its full potential. To schedule a free consultation to discuss how to leverage social media for your clients’ as well as other white label marketing services, go to the Umbrella website or call us at (866) 760-2638.