I was reading an interesting article yesterday that got me thinking about how organizations generate membership leads through social media.
According to the article many organizations are now getting leads through their social media campaigns and social media channels.
But the leads aren’t always being followed up on.
The article went on to say that there is a decay in the value of a lead that is generated online and the first 5 minutes were prime.
Generate membership leads through social media
It had been established, through studies, that many organizations did an immediate follow up on leads but it turns out that the immediate follow up was an autoresponder email thanking the person for their interest.
The actual human follow up came much later, if at all.
This got me thinking specifically about chambers (and other business associations) and how they generate membership leads through social media.
I consider a new fan a lead. The person who has followed your chamber or association did so for a reason. By clicking Like (or follow, or connect) they self-identified themselves as a prospect.
The same goes with a thoughtful or engaged commentor or sharer.
Or a new subscriber to your emailed newsletter.
These are leads. Potential hot prospects.
They should be followed up with sooner rather than later.
At the very least the person responsible for membership growth should have a system for knowing when a new person has shown interest in the organization or field.
That new person should be contacted through a Facebook message (depending on the platform) and thanked for their participation. A few days later they should receive some kind of gift, perhaps a free report or comped invitation to an event or webinar.
If they respond positively to this outreach it leads to a phone call or visit.
The idea here is that prospects are coming to you. They need followed up on.
They need courted and a relationship needs to be established.
Then they need to be asked to join. The deal must be closed.
Here are two resources that speak to how to generate membership leads through social media:
- First, this is the article I referenced (hat tip Ray Hernandez of the Kyle Texas Chamber for sharing this on LinkedIn). The Great Marketing/Sales Disconnect: Industry Study Reveals 36% of Leads Never Called.
- Second, an article I wrote for ACCE’s Chamber Executive magazine on how to generate membership leads through social media. There is an example from the Bakersfield Chamber you should know about. Chamber Social Media Strategy: Provide Value
What’s your take? Are engagers self-identifying themselves as leads?
