#ContentWritingChat Recap: Social Media & Generating Leads
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#ContentWritingChat Recap: Using Social Media to Connect With Your Audience & Generate Leads with Bernie Fussenegger

by | Dec 6, 2019 | ContentWritingChat

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Using Social Media to Connect With Your Audience & Generate Leads with Bernie Fussenegger

As a business owner, your social media presence is crucial.
It’s a place for you to share content that builds your community, while also giving you the chance to get to know and better understand your audience.
Not only that, but social media is also a great way to generate new leads… When you do it the right way! And luckily, that’s what we talked about in this #ContentWritingChat!

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Using Social Media to Connect With Your Audience & Generate Leads with Bernie Fussenegger


Our guest host for this month’s chat was Bernie Fussenegger. Bernie is a digital marketing leader, as well as the host of #Digital360Chat on Twitter.

Q1: How do you choose which social media platforms are worth the investment?

The first step in building your social media presence is determining which platforms are worth your time and energy. Because the thing is, you don’t have to be everywhere! So, how do you choose the platforms that will deliver the ROI you’re searching for? These tips will help you make the decision:


Bernie’s advice is to first figure out where your audience is spending their time online. You want to make sure you’re somewhere that they’ll actually discover you, otherwise your content won’t be seen by the right people.
For him, his go-to social media platforms are Twitter and LinkedIn, but he still stays updated with other platforms so he can best serve his clients.


Gene shared two great points. It’s important to do some research to figure out what makes the most sense for your brand. Determine where your audience is, as well as how you can best serve them.
But another thing to consider is which platforms are the most appealing to you. Where do you have the most fun? Where do you really shine when it comes to creating content and being present?


Lexie agrees that it takes a little research to get it all figured out! She says it’s important to be where your audience is. And don’t be afraid to check out your competitors to see where they’re spending their time. Can you identify areas where they’re struggling and step in to do better?


John suggests considering the demographics of your audience as well. This will be a good indication of which platforms those in your target audience may be using.


Jason also feels knowing your audience demographics is key. If your audience is older, Facebook might be your best bet. If they’re younger, you might want to give Tik Tok a try. And of course, there’s always Twitter!


It’s also worth experimenting to see which platforms are actually working for you. Don’t be afraid to give a new platform a chance and see if it’s delivering the engagement you want.

Q2: Once you’ve picked your platforms, what should you be posting to attract the right people?
Posting the right content on Twitter is a huge part of your strategy. You want to make sure you’re sharing things that will appeal to your desired audience, otherwise you’ll end up with all the wrong people following you! And if you want to ultimately make sales, you need to have an audience that’s interested in your offerings.


Bernie is all about testing to see what kind of content works for you and your audience! Experiment by posting videos, graphics, links, questions, polls, and more to see what moves your audience to take action. Have fun with it!
Also, you want to make sure you’re engaging with your community. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking them what they want to see.


Lexie knows that posting helpful and engaging content will go a long way when it comes to building your community. Think about what your audience is most interested in and start by sharing that. She also encourages you to try out different content formats to see what really resonates.


Helpful, actionable will always be a winner! Amanda feels it’s important to think about the next step that you’re leading your social media followers to take. It could be joining your email list, purchasing your offerings, or something else. That’s how you start getting leads!


Jason’s tip is to NOT follow the best practices that you find online. The reality is, what worked for someone else might not cut it for you. That’s why you need to do some research and figure out how you can provide value to your audience.


Gene said to share content that shows your expertise/perspective, while also helping your audience in some way. And if you can do that while keeping them entertained and engaged, that’s a win!


Don’t forget that it’s also important to spread the word about your content. There’s no reason to be shy when it comes to sharing your blog posts, announcements, etc.

Q3: How can you create more engagement on social media to build relationships?

If you’re ever feeling bummed by the lack of engagement going down on your social media platforms, let’s make a change! These tips from the chat will help you boost conversations and ultimately build your brand:


Bernie knows that Twitter chats are where it’s at! They provide a fantastic opportunity to connect with people from all around the world. You can learn from them and make new connections. It’s also important that you’re actually engaging with others and listening to what they have to say.


If you want more engagement, you need to be social yourself. Jason’s advice is to ask questions, answer questions, share insights, and more. Don’t just promote your products. Think about what will get people talking.


As Michael said, you need to actually be present on social media if you want to drive engagement and see real results. This is why it’s important that you check in and engage with your audience regularly.


Engage with others and you’ll increase the likelihood that you’ll see engagement in return. Michelle says it’s important to spend time on the platforms of your choosing so you can read and respond to replies.


Marcy’s advice is to be willing to learn and be social. Having that mindset will really go a long way in creating success.

Q4: What’s the key to converting social media followers into clients and customers?

Now that you’ve got the followers, it’s time to start turning them into paying members of your community. After all, don’t you want to sell your products and services? To get people to take that next step with your brand, make sure your keep this advice in mind:


Bernie suggests providing value, being transparent, honest, and respectful. It’s not a game you can win overnight. But in time, people will connect with you and ultimately be willing to purchase from you.


John’s tips are to add value, build trust, and make it easy for people to discover and buy your offerings.


Jason says it’s all about consistency and quality. When you have established yourself as an authority and built trust, they’ll be more likely to buy.


If you want to make the sale, don’t be afraid to ask! You have to promote your offerings in order for people to discover them. Don’t expect them to find it on their own.


And don’t forget, you need to show up consistently!

Q5: How can you set up your Twitter profile to drive leads?

Now that you know how to drive leads with your content, what about your profile? There are different things you can do on your Twitter profile to drive people to your site and boost sales. Here’s what you can do:


Bernie said it’s important to keep things professional. You want to portray yourself in a good light to your target audience. Use your cover photo to show what you do, write a descriptive bio, and include a link to your website or services.


Always make sure your profile is completely filled out! Don’t leave anything blank because that doesn’t tell your audience anything.


Gene said to make sure you have a profile photo, a cover photo, a bio, and a pinned tweet. These elements can all help people learn what you’re about so they’ll know if you’re right for them.


Mara knows there are a number of ways to personalize your Twitter profile, so you want to take advantage of it all. Definitely don’t forget about that pinned tweet, as it can often be overlooked.


Tony said to use your Twitter profile to say what you do and who you help in your bio, link to your website, and have a pinned tweet with a lead generation offer.

Q6: How will you know if you’re seeing results with your social media efforts?

So, you’re putting in the work… The next step is to actually track and see if you’re generating the results you want. This is how you do that:


Bernie doesn’t put too much attention on the vanity metrics, but instead he looks at engagement, comments, impressions, and growth. These are all great to watch, but as he mentioned, your metrics will change based on the campaign. Consider what’s most important for you to track.


Lexie knows that it starts with setting smart goals! You need to know what you’re trying to achieve in order to know which metrics are the most crucial. From there, keep an eye on built-in analytics from your social media platforms and/or Google Analytics.


Don’t forget to check in often to see how things are performing. This will let you know if things are going well or if you need to tweak your strategy.


Just make sure you aren’t overwhelming yourself with metrics. Establish those KPIs and pick out the most important metrics from there.


Once you’ve collected some data, you’ll want to compare it to previous data to see how things are performing.


It’s also smart to have goals per campaign, not just general social media goals. Each campaign will likely have a different focus and you’ll want to track the right metrics to ensure success.


When looking at growth, it’s active, loyal followers that really make the difference. Having 1,000 followers that are listening and engaging is much more powerful than 10,000 follows that aren’t paying attention to you.


And as Michelle said, it never hurts to just ask people how they discovered you! This will show what’s really working in your strategy and where you can make improvements.

Q7: What tools and resources can help you make social media management easier?

Let’s make your job of social media management a little easier, shall we? There are tons of great tools out there that can help, as well as resources we can learn from. Here are some that are worth checking out:


Bernie has a number of tools he loves, which includes Twitter Analytics, Google Analytics, and TweetDeck.


Michelle’s go-to tools are Buffer and Pablo by Buffer. Buffer is great for scheduling, while Pablo will help you design imagery for your posts.


Crowdfire and SproutSocial are essentials for John.


Amanda relies on tools like Buffer, Tailwind, Canva, and Photoshop.


And of course, SEMrush is always a great one to use as well!
Want to join the next #ContentWritingChat? Our Twitter chat takes place on the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central. Just follow @ExpWriters and @writingchat to stay updated!
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Tags: social media | social media marketing