It often seems as though every blogger, small business, and website manager is using social media these days in an effort to advertise and increase exposure for their product or service. They are turning to Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. They are posting tweets, providing status updates, and introducing new products via an image upload. And many of them are taking wide-ranging steps to boost and sustain their number of Facebook “Likes.”

It is understandable that someone using social media will want consumers to view their Facebook page. But what added benefits are accrued from getting those consumers to take the extra step and clicking the “Like” button? If you’re using social media for your reputation management, how can managing your “Likes” translate into greater exposure and success?

Here’s how:

Legitimacy

A big corporation with 10,000 Facebook “Likes” may not benefit a lot whole from working to increase that number to 12,000. But there is a very real difference between 50 “Likes” and 300 “Likes” when a smaller company is involved. At the low end, 50 “Likes” could simply mean that you got all your friends and relatives to follow your Facebook page. At the other end of the spectrum, 300 “Likes” and upwards can convey to a visitor that you page has a greater intrinsic popularity. This can, in short, confer a greater legitimacy upon your business.

Maximize Exposure

A person who “Likes” a given Facebook page is more likely to view content from that page and return to it on a regular basis. Why is this? When someone “Likes” a business on Facebook, any images or status updates posted by that business can show up in the person’s news feed, meaning that they will see this information as soon as they log on to their account. Moreover, boosting your “Likes” can expand your exposure to the friends of the people who “Like” your page, since your profile will be linked to under the Information section of any follower’s account.

Feedback

A Facebook page can serve as a free, real-time focus group for the blogger or the online business. When you announce a new product or promotion, the number of people who “Like” that post and who respond favorably (or negatively) to it can be incredibly useful when determining future products and marketing strategies. In order to assemble that focus group, however, you need to insure that your most loyal and trustworthy customers are regularly appraised of the happenings on your Facebook page. This means boosting your “Likes” in an effort to encompass all of these more loyal followers.

These are the three main reasons why boosting Facebook “Likes” can be helpful for an online enterprise. While there are components of social media and online marketing that probably deserve a larger percentage of your time, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t take a few minutes here and there to try to increase your “Like” count.

All inbound marketers will agree: more 'Likes' for your Facebook business page are quite nice. But when has 'nice' ever been enough? In and of itself, Likes are ultimately useless unless you're successfully converting them into leads for your business. At the end of the day, the effectiveness of your marketing team is likely evaluated by metrics like traffic and leads. If your Facebook page has 500 fans but is generating no traffic or leads for your website, you really don't have much to brag about. And if all that "engagement" you're creating on your page isn't contributing to your team's goals, it's essentially worthless.

The good news is, Facebook fans offer a great opportunity for lead generation if you know how to leverage them. As they say, it's not size that matters -- it's how you use it. To get you well on your way to use Facebook effectively for lead generation, here are 6 guaranteed tactics for turning likes into leads.

6 Great Ways to Turn Likes Into Leads 1. Implement a Like Gate: Like gates are popping up all over Facebook these days, and it's not difficult to understand why. They're a great way to convert new likes into leads right off the bat. Use your like gate to initially turn new page visitors into fans. Once they like you, present them with a valuable content offer that they can obtain directly from a form on your page. (Top for HubSpot Customers: The HubSpot Welcome App makes doing this extremely easy.)


2. Share Links to Landing Pages on Your Wall: Amongst the updates and content you share with your fans on your wall, be sure to include a hearty mix of landing page links for lead generating, premium content like ebooks, webinars, and other educational downloads. In addition, make sure any blog posts you share include CTAs within the post.

3. Offer Exclusive Content to Facebook Fans: According to research from ExactTarget, 58% of Facebook users expect exclusive content from business pages. Take advantage of this insight by offering downloadable content that is exclusive only to your Facebook fans. Set up a targeted landing page for this content, and share the link exclusively on your Facebook page. Require that page visitors must like you in order to view your offer to make it even more exclusive. You'll be generating leads and leveraging the power of exclusivity all at the same time. How's that for killing two birds with one stone?

4. Use Overlooked Page Real Estate to Promote Offers: There are quite a few places on your Facebook page you're likely overlooking to promote your offers. What about highlighting your latest offer in your page's profile picture? Have you added links to offers in your page's 'Info' section? Don't miss out on these juicy pieces of low-hanging lead gen fruit!

5. Create Custom Page Tabs to Promote Offers: Customization of Facebook pages is tough...but not impossible. Creating custom page tabs are a great way to expand the possibilities of your Facebook page. Consider creating a tab just to highlight your offers. You can use it one to aggregate some of your best-performing offers, or maybe just promote your newest offer or promotion on a rotating basis. 

6. Create Product/Service Awareness: While it's always a bad idea to be overly self-promotional in your social media efforts, you also want to make sure that your fans are aware of your products/services. Sure, they might keep coming back to you again and again because you offer engaging conversation and valuable content, but if they don't even know what you sell, you're not doing your job. Make sure your page clearly communicates what your business sells, and use your lead gen offers to support that with content that aligns with your product/service offerings. This will help spark a connection between your content and your product. 

Read more: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/28657/6-Guaranteed-Tactics-to-Turn-Facebook-Likes-Into-Leads.aspx#ixzz1dcnPE1MX

The average person does more than 30 searches per day in Google. They also clock over seven hours per month interacting with branded content on Twitter and Facebook. And its not just reading -- the Average Joe also watches more than 180 videos per month on sites like YouTube and Vimeo. These statistics all add up to one very educated consumer.

Knowledge is everywhere online, in every form, and your typical internet user has a voracious appetite for learning. But from the perspective of an online marketer, this consumer is also a click-happy and easily distractible one. Employ the below tactics to make sure they click on -- and stick to -- your website with a purpose.     

Own Their Next Click  Your visitors are going to click, but it's up to you to make sure the link is productive for your business. In addition to your main navigation links, make sure links to other web properties you own are prominently displayed on your homepage. Have call-to-action buttons and other offers above the fold so they're as front and center as possible. And wherever you can, prove that your clicks are worth it. Visitors will never know your blog is informative and bleeding edge unless they get there, so if its normal position is in your main navigation, experiment with placing a bigger, more-blown out linking image in the margin, or even a module that shows titles of recent posts. Also, make sure your company's social media accounts are front and center. A click to your Facebook Page or recent Tweets isn't a loss, but a click on the back button is.   

Be Smart About Flash and Graphics   Image sliders look great on home pages and give businesses the opportunity to convey multiple messages on their website's most prime piece of real estate. But if you have a scrolling mechanism that shows six images for five seconds each, what happens if your visitor only hangs around for 20 seconds? They won't see the fifth and sixth image in your sequence. What if those links direct visitors to your biggest money-makers, like your demo request page or free consultation landing pages? Low visibility will dictate a poor return. Lots of companies like to lead with brand messaging in these spaces, but avoid this. Prioritize your best offers, and show them first.  

Position Yourself With Simple Language  People are spending seconds -- not minutes -- on your site, so be as clear and concise as you can be with the language you use. Avoid populating your "Products" or "Services" drop-down lists with brand names, because people don't know the names of what they're looking for yet. Instead, use adjective-rich phrasing to explain what those products are, and introduce them to your registered trademark on the product page. And when folks click through to those pages, don't bury critical facts about your products and services under a mountain of text. Think like your customer. Ask yourself what you would want to know, and use that answer to craft a strong thesis statement for the first paragraph of each page. 

How are you ensuring you get the most out of each visitor?



Read more: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/13662/How-to-Ensure-Your-Website-Visitors-Click-and-Stick.aspx#ixzz1M16kVnHT

You're probably being bombarded with a handful of social media platforms that promise to give you or your business more visibility and drive sales on a daily basis. These 10 tips will help you get started now:

1. Clean up your website or online image
2. Plan out your branding strategy carefully
3. Sign up for a personal Facebook account
4. Start blogging
5. Create a Twitter account
6. Begin writing and creating content
7. Network, network, network
8. Make connections with people you know (on all levels)
9. Open up a Public Page on Facebook
10. Create an account on LinkedIN