The Social Funnel: What You Lose When You Ignore It

I’ve written often about the dangers of ignoring social media in SEO (and vice versa), but I’m here today to write about another danger: ignoring social benefits in the traditional sales funnel.

It’s frustrating that people continue to treat social media as an individual entity, a separate department, instead of a versatile tool.

We shutter up our Social Media teams in their own rooms and leave them to their tweets and Instagram photos while the marketing pros hunker down on the big guns: conversions. Landing Pages. Leads, Costs, ROI.

Sure, most pros acknowledge the power of social media in terms of brand awareness — it’s the flypaper that holds the customer still long enough for us to shove them down the sales funnel, where we cash them in profit.

But we often forget that social media is part of the sales funnel, a crucial element that often clinches the sale or conversion. It’s time to take off our blinders and stop focusing on the short-term conversions that occur “in-house” on our sites.

Conversion is a long-term process, and if you’re ignoring all the long-term factors that lead up to a sale, you’re failing your customers…and you’re failing your business.

The World Does Not Begin End With Google Analytics

There’s no denying the power of analyzing your traffic patterns and conversion rates, but it’s not enough to cast your business’s net in only the small percentage of the population that lands on your site.

You have Twitter followers that have never visited your website. You have people who’ve visited your Facebook page twice without clicking “like.”

You have people out there that are interested in your industry, but they’re too busy checking out your competitors to take a look at your offerings. And finally, you have those potential customers  out there who don’t even know you exist.

It’s time to start casting your nets into bigger waters.

Fact: Sales Happen Slowly

We tend to oversimplify our sales process: I sell shoes. A customer needs shoes. They come to my site, browse my products and buy shoes.

Or more complicated:

I sell shoes. A customer finds my site and learns I sell shoes. They might not buy my shoes today, but they’re definitely interested. I’ll keep targeting them until they come back and buy my shoes.

But in truth, the sales process begins long before that initial visit — and even after that visit, sales are a long-term process with more opportunities to miss a sale than to close one. A customer may find your site and spend thirty minutes browsing your shoes…but two months later, he’s forgotten your site ever existed. He visits hundreds of sites each month. Why should he remember yours?

Or maybe a customer was killing time and wound up on eight shoe sites that day. Why should she remember your site over your competitors?

We often shop without a real intent to buy. We may be interested in a product in a general way, but without a clear reason (a sale, an upcoming event, a coupon), we’re not going to commit.

And if we don’t commit on that initial visit, we have no reason to commit to a sale in the future — unless you give us a reason to commit. And few places offer more reasons or opportunities than social media.

Let’s take a look at an example of a typical successful long-term social search funnel:

Informational Search Social QA Site Social Evergreen Resource/Linkbait Referral  Retargeted Ad Click Facebook Page Like Facebook Discount Offer  Ending Purchase on Your Site

1.  Informational Search

A customer types in “vegan shoes” in Google. This starts the research phase of the buying cycle.

2.  Social: Q A Site

The customer finds a Yahoo! Answers thread about vegan shoes.

3. Social Referral

Within the thread, a vegan shoe company links to an article on how to identify vegan shoes. The article is an evergreen linkbait article created by the company a long time ago. The user clicks the link and reads the article.

4.  Search Retargeting

The company retargets the user through an AdWords Remarketing. The next day, the user sees a retargeted ad banner that leads to the company’s Facebook page.

5. Social: Facebook Page Like

The customer clicks the banner and likes the company’s Facebook page. The user now sees regular updates from that company on their Facebook news feed.

6. Social: Facebook Discount Post

Later that month, the user sees a post about an one-day sale the shoe company is having; the post offers a special discount code for Facebook friends.

7.  Social Referral via Facebook

The user clicks the link and browses through the sale offering. They find a pair they like, but they’re at work. The user writes down the discount code for later.

8.  Navigational Search

The user doesn’t know the exact URL, so they type in the brand name of the shoe company as a navigational search. The user finds the shoes, uses the discount code, and completes the purchase.

So what about that long path caused the sale? Most companies would focus on the navigational search. Looking at the path, others might argue that it was the Facebook promotional discount or the initial linkbait.

But that’s the wrong way of looking at it. Every piece of this process — from the first informational search to the final purchase — worked together to clinch this sale.

Harnessing The Power Of The Social Funnel

The higher in the funnel your customers are, the less aggressive you should be in your sales tactics. Social media marketing should never be salesy; rather, it’s about accruing a following, engaging your community, and influencing their actions.

So how does that all lead to a sale? You’re reaching a customer early in the sales process, meaning that you’ve likely reached them before your competitors. The earlier you reach them, the more history they’ll have with you when it’s time to make a purchasing decision.

We make purchases based on trust. The more you engage with your fans and followers, the more they “get to know” you and your brand, which breeds trust. You also become infinitely more memorable to your customers, since they now see you as a presence, not a product.

Through engagement, you show you’re invested in them — and in turn, they become more invested in you.

Finally, social media allows you to stay present in your customer’s minds. A post about a shoe sale may remind a customer that she has a wedding coming up and needs a pair of heels; a recent blog post may make a customer think of you when he remembers his brother’s birthday is right around the corner.

Quick Tips To Remember When  Crafting A Social Funnel

• It should be ridiculously easy to convert at any time. Don’t make your customers search for a URL that’s buried in your Facebook About page. Utilize banners, frequent links, even a Facebook store tab, if applicable. Make it impossibly easy for your customers to convert if the mood strikes.
• On the other hand, don’t bombard them with ads and banners. You are not pushing anything and you are not selling. You are offering – make sure your customers feel the same way.
• Social QA sites are amazing ways for your customers to find out about you in a “neutral” setting (i.e., not your site). Too many companies ignore them because they don’t see an easy return on results (unlike precise “subscription” or “following” numbers they see on social media). Don’t count them out — they work wonders in pointing future customers in your direction.
• Keep track of dips and spikes in your Twitter followers, Facebook friends, etc. Every time you lose a follower, you’ve let someone slip out of your sales funnel. Try to pinpoint what type of social content loses or gains followers.
• Do not post the same content on all your various social sites. You want people to have as many different points of contact with you as possible, so give people a reason to follow you on Facebook and Twitter and Google+ etc. by making your presences unique on each site.
• Offer as many opportunities for soft conversions as you can (mailing lists, newsletters, RSS feeds, likes, follows, etc.) to keep your brand as present as possible.

Social media followers can always play a huge part in your funnel, even if that subscriber never makes a purchase.

They can:

• Recommend you to friends, family, or colleagues,
• Share your posts/tweets/content with others,
• Buy your content or know-how (books, eBooks, etc.),
• Cause your company to show up in their friend’s search results through Google Social Search,
• Stay alert of ALL your brand offerings/sister sites/etc.,
• If nothing else, give you a number on your follower/friend count to encourage others of your authority.

Finally ( Most Importantly), Figuring Out Your Social Funnel Is YOUR Responsibility

I can’t write you a one-size-fits-all how-to post on your social funnel. No one could. Your business and your customers are wholly unique, and it’s up to you and you alone to figure out what helps to clinch the sale.

As a business, it is your job to try to figure out each and every single touchpoint a user might follow on a query– and you’ve got to make sure you’re present and active in each touchpoint. You’ve got to experiment, to test, to analyze and reconfigure. Because ultimately, every crack in your funnel is a chance for a lost sale – and a lost customer. And for every lost customer, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

Related Topics: Search Social

Major League Baseball Teams Working On Social Media Outreach

CHICAGO — Bridget Houlihan rifled through her gift bag and pulled out a gray T-shirt with a circular Chicago Cubs emblem on the front and FOLLOWER emblazoned across the back, resting on a row of logos from the top social media websites. “This is awesome,” she said.

Baseball thinks Houlihan is pretty sweet, too, and major league teams like the Cubs are hoping to entice more fans like her to come out to the ballpark. Social media nights have become a common part of the promotional schedule, and some of the best ticket deals and giveaways can be found on Twitter and Facebook. Savvy franchises are trying to create the right mix online, part content and part business opportunity – keeping their followers engaged while also padding the bottom line.

Players such as Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips and Miami Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison are Twitter superstars, but devoted fans across the country also are responding to the personal touch provided by the teams’ online presence.

Social media nights vary from ballpark to ballpark, but some aspects are fairly consistent. The Cubs offered specially priced tickets and put together contests for their online fans. They encouraged their Twitter followers to use the hashtag (hash)CubsSocial to mark their tweets throughout the night.

“I think it’s going to be mandatory for all clubs to be not just involved in it, but go all-in, not just dip your toes in the water,” said Jamie Ramsey, who works in the Reds’ media relations department and writes a blog for Major League Baseball’s website. “Teams are going to realize how important it is to help sell tickets, generate revenue and keep the fan base interested and engaged.

“I think it’s still kind of new to everybody. Once teams realize how to master it and do what works for them, it’s going to keep growing and become as important as your marketing department, your sales department.”

Houlihan, 33, of Chicago, attended the first social media night at Wrigley Field on Wednesday with her boyfriend, George Hayman, and his brother, Pete. She pounced on her phone when the Cubs announced a Twitter contest, and managed to post in time to win an autographed pack of the social media-themed cards that were part of the promotion.

“I think it’s really awesome to put together events like this,” Houlihan said. “I’ve been going to social media events for several years now and I find it’s the perfect way to network because you meet people through Twitter and then you go meet them in person and it gives an entree into what they like to talk about, things that you have in common.”

The Cubs put approximately 300 special bleacher tickets on sale for the promotion and sold each one. They are planning a second social media night for September.

Kevin Saghy, a public relations and marketing specialist for the Cubs who helps run their Twitter account, said the key to generating revenue in the field is content.

“If your focus is revenue and your content reflects that, I don’t believe that’s a wise strategy … That’s not why people are there,” he said. “They’re there to converse. So we’ve taken the other approach where it’s definitely a priority for us, it’s something we track, and I can say from 2010 to last year, as we got more involved and offered better content on our platforms, we quadrupled our revenue. So we’re up about 300 percent.”

Major league teams also are finding loads of intangible benefits to their social media presence, ranging from increased brand awareness all the way down to a connection with a single customer who leaves with a positive impression.

Saghy will monitor Twitter for Cubs fans celebrating their birthday or making their first trip to Wrigley Field, then put together a bag of free goodies to place under their seat before they arrive. The Indians have a designated social media suite at Progressive Field, and team president Mark Shapiro has stopped by to visit with fans and answer questions.

Several teams hold in-game scavenger hunts that award autographed memorabilia or team apparel, and some clubs put together contests that result in upgraded tickets for their online followers.

“From a business standpoint, we use social media mainly as a way to connect with fans, give them unique access and provide a different perspective,” said Tom Garfinkel, the interim CEO of the San Diego Padres. “Obviously, it can be used to communicate promotions and sell tickets, and we do that, to a lesser extent. We try very hard to maintain an authentic voice and make sure our followers are getting value from the content we are posting – not just being sold on something. We also use it to crowd-source ideas. It’s a living focus group.”

Washington is putting together a tweet-up for July 3 that includes discounted tickets and a commemorative poster. There are plans for a player meet and greet and a Twitter request line for pregame ballpark music. But the most compelling aspect of the Nationals’ promotion involves the location of tweet-up seats, which will improve as more fans RSVP for the game before tickets go on sale on June 22.

“It’s about fan engagement and the ability then to be able to enter into that discussion, and not being too corporate, but helping lead and participate in that conversation,” Nationals chief operating officer Andy Feffer said. “Why? Because the social media platform is now an access point – to the club, to the players, to promotions, to ticket sales, to the story that’s being told. And the story really lives now in the social media world. It’s extended into that community more than it ever has before.”

Dan Migala, a founding partner of Property Consulting Group who worked for the Padres and has consulted for other major league teams, thinks social media will become even more important for sports teams in the future.

“I don’t think that there’s ever been a better time to be a fan than right now because for the first time really as a fan you have a two-way relationship with your favorite team,” he said. “For some teams that’s a very exciting proposition and some, they’re probably scared to death.

“But my dad and his generation, it was a one-way relationship. You bought a ticket, they took your money, you came to the game and you bought as much stuff as you could and they never responded to you. Now they can know when your birthday is. Now they can communicate and answer questions in real time. It’s a really powerful vehicle but you have to embrace it.”

___

AP Sports Writers Joe Kay in Cincinnati, Bernie Wilson in San Diego, Howard Fendrich in Washington and Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.

___

Also on HuffPost:

Social Media & Digital Marketing Engagement Gap

A new study from the CMO Club and Digiday uncovered a gap between how people use social sites and how we’re marketing to them on those platforms. They started out looking for something completely different – the gaps in the capabilities and perspectives amongst marketers, agencies and publishers, but found that another gap existed:

The real glaring gap is the massive divide between consumers’ online activity and the current digital marketing practices used to reach and engage them.

Digitally empowered consumers are engaging with content and brands in real-time and on their own terms across channels and devices. Firms across the current digital landscape are struggling to evolve and execute cross-channel and real-time interactive digital marketing programs to become more relevant to these consumers, says this report..

Only a quarter of agencies, marketers and publishers are engaged in cross-channel digital marketing and a scant 15% on average do real-time interactive marketing.

Key Challenges in Digital Marketing

So what is preventing marketers from being in sync with user behavior online? “Overwhelming complexity” and a “lack of unified measurement” are identified as the key challenges preventing the industry from being properly aligned with the consumer.

• Consumers are moving freely across channels and devices, interacting with brands and content in real time
• They have ever-rising expectations of relevant, unified, customized and rewarding digital experiences
• Consumers are flowing to those companies that “get it,” and leaving dry those unable to quickly and intelligently adapt
• The fragmented digital marketing landscape adds undue complexity and inertia to digital marketing capabilities
• The lack of unified measurement makes it difficult to gauge campaign success
• There is an urgent need to move from multi-channel to cross-channel marketing

About half of the agencies polled feel they are doing well in these areas, but marketers are reporting only about 10% satisfaction with their digital marketing efforts.

The complexity of the digital channels is affecting these areas of marketing:

1. Focusing on the customer: The consumer perspective is often lost in planning. There is a need to be more consumer-centric, to incorporate the consumer mind-set based on actionable insights and unified views. (Keep tabs on availability of my new book Social Media Intelligence due out in September)
2. Content strategy and generation: it’s vital to use the customer view to plan and deliver relevant content.
3. Creative: there is a real need to up the game and provide richer, more engaging experiences with digital creative.
4. Relationships with digital partners: innovation and rapid technology advancement elevates the need for specialist skills. Direct relationships with skilled digital partners are a necessity.

What do senior execs think is the answer? Real-time intelligence and customer insights that an be integrated into the planing and execution of their digital strategy

“Real-time intelligence and unified automation are two evolutionary forces that, in union, provide the basis to enhance digital marketing execution, and thus, help bridge the current digital divide. These two forces are reshaping the digital
landscape and, over time, will enable the industry to consolidate and evolve towards more real-time adaptive markets, with real-time efficiencies and fair value discovery.”

Pulsepoint Digital Divide Report. Download the full report here

This article originally appeared on Social Media Strategy | Online PR | Proactive Report | Sally Falkow and has been republished with permission.

Find out how to syndicate your content with Business 2 Community.

Social Media: Unfulfilled Promises in Branding

The advent of social media was supposed to usher in a new era for branding. There was a mad rush to create ‘branded’ social pages as companies wanted to ride the next wave in connecting with their customers. The idea of in-built virality where information would travel at mindboggling speeds through networks, rapidly reaching target customers, made the deal even sweeter. The concept of ‘likes’ was the cherry on top with a crazy dash towards garnering as many as possible to highlight the popularity of the brand. And it all did look great on paper. After all, the concept of word-of-mouth marketing was being put on steroids and at extremely low costs. The result was that online branding was touted as the next big thing. But about a decade into the entire social media ‘revolution’, the promise still remains to be fulfilled.

The concept of social media is no doubt a great one. We know all about the conversations that occur but the dynamic has changed significantly over the years. The potential for a great marketing tool still remains. However, the lack of a framework, while advantageous in many ways, also goes creates a significant disadvantage. The ‘social’ in social media necessitates creating large networks. But the messages flow randomly and without any context which is the biggest hindrance to any business activity. Hence, while the reach remains significant, the actual eyeballs are but a miniscule percentage. And if we think of any retention, it is practically nil for most brands. The ‘likes’ are no better. It happens at the click of a button without any real investment. And hence, without any reward (or punishment) for that matter, the concept of likes is a very hollow one.

The biggest advantage of social media was the trust factor. Since networks comprise of friends (and friends of friends), there is an inherent connect. However, the novelty has long worn off. The ease somehow just seems to undermine the seriousness (if any) of the recommendations. On the other hand, a face to face conversation has a certain personal touch which makes it weighty. And of course, when it comes to online conversations, the sheer volume doesn’t help at all. Even things that trend in today’s times last but for a few days and are then forgotten. Unfortunately, this is just not long enough to form the solid associations that a brand requires. With everyone jumping onto the social media highway, the amount of information that is flowing through social media channels is humongous. But the human mind just doesn’t have the processing capability to tackle it.

In short, while companies are doing everything right, human constraints are limiting the effectivenss of online branding strategies. And because of this, the offline mode of communication is suddenly beginning to gain prominence once again.

This article originally appeared on Media Panther and has been republished with permission.

Find out how to syndicate your content with Business 2 Community.

Major league teams working on social media message

CHICAGO—Bridget Houlihan rifled through her gift bag and pulled out a gray T-shirt with a circular Chicago Cubs emblem on the front and FOLLOWER emblazoned across the back, resting on a row of logos from the top social media websites. “This is awesome,” she said.

Baseball thinks Houlihan is pretty sweet, too, and major league teams like the Cubs are hoping to entice more fans like her to come out to the ballpark. Social media nights have become a common part of the promotional schedule, and some of the best ticket deals and giveaways can be found on Twitter and Facebook. Savvy franchises are trying to create the right mix online, part content and part business opportunity—keeping their followers engaged while also padding the bottom line.

Players such as Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips and Miami Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison are Twitter superstars, but devoted fans across the country also are responding to the personal touch provided by the teams’ online presence.

Social media nights vary from ballpark to ballpark, but some aspects are fairly consistent. The Cubs offered specially priced tickets and put together contests for their online fans. They encouraged their Twitter followers to use the hashtag (hash)CubsSocial to mark their tweets throughout the night.

“I think it’s going to be mandatory for all clubs to be not just involved in it, but go all-in, not just dip your toes in the water,” said Jamie Ramsey, who works

in the Reds’ media relations department and writes a blog for Major League Baseball’s website. “Teams are going to realize how important it is to help sell tickets, generate revenue and keep the fan base interested and engaged.

“I think it’s still kind of new to everybody. Once teams realize how to master it and do what works for them, it’s going to keep growing and become as important as your marketing department, your sales department.”

Houlihan, 33, of Chicago, attended the first social media night at Wrigley Field on Wednesday with her boyfriend, George Hayman, and his brother, Pete. She pounced on her phone when the Cubs announced a Twitter contest, and managed to post in time to win an autographed pack of the social media-themed cards that were part of the promotion.

“I think it’s really awesome to put together events like this,” Houlihan said. “I’ve been going to social media events for several years now and I find it’s the perfect way to network because you meet people through Twitter and then you go meet them in person and it gives an entree into what they like to talk about, things that you have in common.”

The Cubs put approximately 300 special bleacher tickets on sale for the promotion and sold each one. They are planning a second social media night for September.

Kevin Saghy, a public relations and marketing specialist for the Cubs who helps run their Twitter account, said the key to generating revenue in the field is content.

“If your focus is revenue and your content reflects that, I don’t believe that’s a wise strategy … That’s not why people are there,” he said. “They’re there to converse. So we’ve taken the other approach where it’s definitely a priority for us, it’s something we track, and I can say from 2010 to last year, as we got more involved and offered better content on our platforms, we quadrupled our revenue. So we’re up about 300 percent.”

Major league teams also are finding loads of intangible benefits to their social media presence, ranging from increased brand awareness all the way down to a connection with a single customer who leaves with a positive impression.

Saghy will monitor Twitter for Cubs fans celebrating their birthday or making their first trip to Wrigley Field, then put together a bag of free goodies to place under their seat before they arrive. The Indians have a designated social media suite at Progressive Field, and team president Mark Shapiro has stopped by to visit with fans and answer questions.

Several teams hold in-game scavenger hunts that award autographed memorabilia or team apparel, and some clubs put together contests that result in upgraded tickets for their online followers.

“From a business standpoint, we use social media mainly as a way to connect with fans, give them unique access and provide a different perspective,” said Tom Garfinkel, the interim CEO of the San Diego Padres. “Obviously, it can be used to communicate promotions and sell tickets, and we do that, to a lesser extent. We try very hard to maintain an authentic voice and make sure our followers are getting value from the content we are posting—not just being sold on something. We also use it to crowd-source ideas. It’s a living focus group.”

Washington is putting together a tweet-up for July 3 that includes discounted tickets and a commemorative poster. There are plans for a player meet and greet and a Twitter request line for pregame ballpark music. But the most compelling aspect of the Nationals’ promotion involves the location of tweet-up seats, which will improve as more fans RSVP for the game before tickets go on sale on June 22.

“It’s about fan engagement and the ability then to be able to enter into that discussion, and not being too corporate, but helping lead and participate in that conversation,” Nationals chief operating officer Andy Feffer said. “Why? Because the social media platform is now an access point—to the club, to the players, to promotions, to ticket sales, to the story that’s being told. And the story really lives now in the social media world. It’s extended into that community more than it ever has before.”

Dan Migala, a founding partner of Property Consulting Group who worked for the Padres and has consulted for other major league teams, thinks social media will become even more important for sports teams in the future.

“I don’t think that there’s ever been a better time to be a fan than right now because for the first time really as a fan you have a two-way relationship with your favorite team,” he said. “For some teams that’s a very exciting proposition and some, they’re probably scared to death.

“But my dad and his generation, it was a one-way relationship. You bought a ticket, they took your money, you came to the game and you bought as much stuff as you could and they never responded to you. Now they can know when your birthday is. Now they can communicate and answer questions in real time. It’s a really powerful vehicle but you have to embrace it.”

———

AP Sports Writers Joe Kay in Cincinnati, Bernie Wilson in San Diego, Howard Fendrich in Washington and Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.

———

Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap

CouponTree for Facebook Fills Void in Social Media Advertising – pamil

 

CooponTree’s Innovative system entices your customers to join your application

CooponTree is a new advertising program that integrates with Facebook to increase brand buzz and return on investment.

First, a business creates an App on Facebook that they give CooponTree permission to manage.  Second, the company uploads a promotional image and discount through the app, which creates a coupon.  When the coupon goes live, a potential customer must “Like” the business fan page before receiving the offer.  CooponTree believes this requirement will profoundly increase their clients’ social media following and return on investment.  Third, the brand creates additional coupons, with higher discounts, which customers can access to if they refer more people.

As customers encourage people to get discounts, they simultaneously raise the brand’s profile on Facebook.  Clients get a snapshot of their overall social reach through the app as they track how many people use the app and refer friends directly and indirectly.

Treewards founder, Haytham Allos, explains that CooponTree aims to fill a void in the industry, which has not allowed clients to fully gage the return on investment for social media advertising. The value CooponTree adds is increased buzz for the minimal investment of coupon offerings as well as a measurable metric of customer engagement in terms of app membership and referrals.  Allos believes CooponTree is a timely and unique solution:

“A pillar of any successful business is the ability to truly measure and harness the potential network of its customers. To date no one has provided such a service until CooponTree.”

Clients can test the waters of what Allos calls the “New Wave of Marketing” by taking part in CooponTree’s 30-day free trial.