How to Build a Social Media Sales Funnel

The highly competitive SaaS sector compels companies and marketers to wring the last drop of their creative juices so that they can get ahead of the competition and make a name in the industry. With SaaS marketing strikingly different from marketing any other type of product/service, the task becomes all the more daunting for you. This is where social media comes into play, offering you with an effective an inexpensive solution in your sales funnel.

In this article, you’ll find out the role social media plays in driving sales. You’ll also learn some of the best techniques for building your social media sales funnel.

Tip #1: Take advantage of social media word-of-mouth

Did you know that word-of-mouth influences the purchase decisions of 91% of B2B purchasers? This astonishing number suggests that you can take advantage of this channel to effectively market your SaaS products. And what better way to do it than through social media, which has 2.3 billion users worldwide?

Social media channels give you the opportunity to reach out to millions of potential customers and build awareness about your brand through word-of-mouth. But to succeed in this, you’ll need to act on the following tips:

Audience research – Conduct a thorough research on your target audience. Find out what they like and dislike, which social media platforms they frequent, what kind of people they look up to, etc. This will help you come up with a marketing plan that has an impact on your target audience.

Identify and work with influencers – You should also find out who are the top influencers relevant to your industry and which of them would your audience admire the most. You can then approach them for a partnership to leverage your efforts. These influencers will help in boosting your social media visibility and convince relevant leads to take action.

Create shareable content – Provide your followers with valuable and share-worthy content on a regular basis. Make them want to share your posts with their own network, leveraging your word-of-mouth advertising and helping you grow your following.

Tip #2: Invest in targeted ads and sponsored posts

To further improve your chances of reaching a relevant audience, invest in targeted ads and sponsored posts on social media. This type of advertising helps you target social media users based on their interests and behavior, which means you’ll even be reaching out to users you didn’t manage to reach through word-of-mouth.

Your sponsored posts or targeted ads will be displayed in the newsfeed of relevant users who might be interested in your product even if they don’t follow you on social media. You can see how this looks in the following screenshot of Quartz News’ sponsored post. So whether there’s a valuable blog post you’ve just updated or whether you have a limited time offer on your SaaS products, these targeted ads and sponsored posts will ensure optimum visibility for your posts.

Come up with enticing descriptions and captions so as to entice users to visit your website and guide them towards the action you want them to take. Whether you want them to read a blog update, download an eBook, or avail an offer for your SaaS product, make sure your ad encourages them towards that action.

Tip #3: Customize landing pages for your social accounts

You’re targeting potential customers for your services and have invested in sponsored ads for social media. But you find that these ads aren’t converting as well as you had hoped despite the high number of clicks. This could be because you didn’t design a unique landing page for those ads, so people are getting diverted to your home page when they click on the link.

Make sure people who click on your ad reach the destination they want to get to. Design a specific landing page for different ads, so people immediately get directed to the next step of the process instead of having to go through several steps all over again. If you’re showcasing a new product in the ad, for instance, make sure users are directed to the product page or offer page so they can go ahead with a purchase.

Just for example, check out the following sponsored post from Teabox, a tea subscription website. You can see that there’s a carousel to display different types of gift boxes and each display will direct you to the respective product page.

So if you click on “Festivity”, you’ll get redirected to the product page for the same gift box instead of landing on the home page or category page. Although the example is of a consumer product, the same rules apply for your SaaS products as well.

Bonus Tip: Stay connected and build a relationship with customers

Social media platforms offer the most effortless and effective solution for staying in touch with your existing customers and building a long-lasting relationship with them. You can use your social media account to provide customers with the latest news and updates within your organization. You can also share your upcoming releases and product launches with them.

Moreover, social media channels also give you the freedom to interact with your audience on a personal level. They can help you put a human touch to your interactions with customers. Maybe your customers have questions or issues they need help with; make it easy for them to reach you on social media.

Conclusion

So you’ve seen some of the most effective methods of building a social media sales funnel. There are plenty of other methods to make social media work for building your sales funnel. However, the ones highlighted here are ideal for starting out effectively without going overboard. Got any questions regarding the tips mentioned here? Or maybe you have some ideas of your own to share? Feel free to leave a comment below.