Make social sell: Design social marketing to generate leads

by Jeff Molander

Blogging, engaging, listening to customers on Facebook or Twitter are all necessary components of online marketing. But doing these things won’t help you actually generate leads using social media. The idea of following customers into social spaces is smart. But it's incomplete without a means to discover, nurture and capture demand – leads and sales.

Could the answer to selling more with social media be found in starting conversations that are worth having? And could conversing in ways that generate questions that you have the answers to be a better way to generate customer inquiries? Yes and yes. Successfully generating leads with social media requires we expect it to -- and design it to.

Expect sales, not 'branding'

IBM needed qualified leads for its mainframe computers. Big Blue was told leads would materialize from “viral buzz” falling out of a YouTube video. The idea for Mainframe: The Art of the Sale was hatched.

“The experts” advised Big Blue to broadcast absurd stories about its sales force on YouTube. You're probably familiar with the popular “humiliate yourself – people love it and you'll look more human” idea. IBM was easily sold on the idea of humorous “conversation” that “goes viral.” This, social media guru wisdom dictates, is effective at generating sales. In this case, netting qualified leads for multimillion dollar computers.

Although IBM did get some decent attention few leads could be attributed to the wacky video series. But then again, the videos were not designed to elicit a behavior from viewers. They didn't direct prospects to visit a Web site, call a phone number or take some kind of action.

In the end, the campaign was a big win. So say the experts who designed it. But this time they didn't attribute leads to their efforts. They couldn't. By their own admission it was a success because tens of thousands of viewers clicked the video play button. It got some attention.

Mmm-hmm. The goal switched. IBM wasn't after sales leads – it was really looking for “hit count” on a video player. It was looking for attention, not leads.

When all else fails we sometimes put lipstick on the pig. Maybe you've heard it within the walls of your organization – when a trade show or marketing campaign under-delivers. “Yes, we didn't generate the leads we had anticipated... but now a lot of people know our brand.”

Architect behavior -- design for leads

What if IBM had honestly expected more out of their foray into social media to begin with? Might they have designed videos to prompt viewer behavior rather than just make people laugh? Might they have architected a way to identify who the viewer was and where they were in the purchase process? Almost certainly.

By simply prompting viewer response (beyond sharing) IBM could have developed a qualified list of leads through its YouTube campaign. Big Blue's investment in the videos could have been funny and profitable.

IBM's first foray into YouTube were like many these days – aimed at creating awareness. They were campaigns which may, or may not, have caused a sale. We'll never know. By design. And that's a shame.

And don't get me wrong. The IBM's marketing team was then – and is today – diligently trying to make social media pay them back in real dollars. And they're certainly not stupid. The fact is most of us aren't generating leads (and selling) because we're distracted –- losing track of the real goal. Sales. We're falling back on branding, awareness.

What can you do to avoid such pitfalls? Don't let your business let enthusiasm for social media get the best of it. Take the time to ask yourself the smart questions you normally ask as part of daily business. Start qualifying the opportunity social media represents before taking action.

Action item: Ignore conventional “wisdom”

You cannot control your customers anymore. You must enter “the conversation” with them – or risk becoming irrelevant. And when you start “engaging” you must be transparent and “humanize yourself”. Popular statements made by social media gurus don’t just sound ridiculous. They signal a disconnect with your core business objectives.

Overzealous “digital rock star gurus” say the Social Web has revolutionized everything. And getting attention is the answer. We’re told to listen first. Then “engage” customers. But what about selling to them? As David Ogilvy reminds us, “we sell or else!”
Why is managing your reputation and developing enthusiasts more important than generating sales? Because someone who sells social media buzz monitoring software says so? Or why is the end goal for Twitter something called engagement? (aka attention) Because someone who wrote a book on Twitter decided so? And who said you cannot use LinkedIn to generate sales leads? Research funded by an ad agency that sells banner ads?

It’s likely not your imagination. These questions are often being birthed by social media gurus who are well-intentioned. But they have something to sell you.

“You don’t sell someone something by engagement, conversation and relationship. You create engagement, conversation and relationships by selling them something,” says Bob Hoffman, (“The Ad Contrarian”) CEO, Hoffman Lewis.

Action item: Interact to discover need

Businesses that sell with social media are reaching beyond attracting customers. Or even coercing them to prefer their brand. They’re focusing on discovering and capturing demand. Sales. And they’re doing it using these 3 practical success principles:

1. Focus on creating behavior that facilitates expression of need
2. Constantly translate customers’ evolving needs and prompt discussions worth having
3. Publish useful, relevant tools and services that guide customers to ask questions that products/services answer
   Consider your current social media activities. Everything you’re doing to “join the conversation.” Your tweeting, blogging, posting updates on Facebook. Are your activities talking with or “talking at” customers? Or are you truly interacting?