In 2024, a lot of customers start their journey with a business on one of the social media platforms.
Social media marketing, in itself, has become a key strategy to build an engaged following, with Meta Ads Manager being a revelation for many small-to-medium-sized businesses trying to get the word out there.
But if you’re building a solid following on your social media, that doesn’t mean you’re building a solid customer base.
While many people might be engaged with your social media content and interested in what your business has to offer, it takes a lot more to get them to visit your website and ultimately buy your products or services. The road has to be paved for them, with bright red marshalling batons to guide them to the right button!
With this in mind, we wanted to walk you through exactly what you have to do to ensure your followers make that journey, as well as a few tips on making it as smooth as possible.
A Coherent Connection
If you’re building a large portion of social media followers, the chances are that your content is already strong, with high-quality visuals, interactive posts, and compelling stories.
But is it coherent? As a business owner, you should always pre-empt followers will click through to your website. This means formulating your social media profiles so that they align with your web design.
Whether it’s the colour palette, the imagery, or the overall tone of voice – consistency is the key to nurturing a unified brand entity.
Clear CTAs
Okay, you might be saying, but how do they click through to the website in the first place? The best way to get followers on social media to visit your website is to give them an obvious link alongside a clear call-to-action (CTA). Every post you add should have a purpose.
While the emphasis is on creating engaging content that draws the eye, it’s also important to give your followers clear directives on where they should go next and how they can get there.
You’d be surprised how many businesses don’t do this. To put this in perspective, creating a professional social media post without a CTA is like directing guests to a luxury 5-star hotel without showing them the door!
Optimise Your Landing Pages
The landing page should also match the promise made in the social media post.
If your social media post was about a particular product or service, the landing page should provide detailed information and visuals for the subject in question, alongside a purchase option.
This will drastically reduce the amount of clicks the prospective customer has to make in order to buy from your company.
It also coincides with the ‘three-click rule’, which has been followed by a number of businesses for a while now – if a user cannot find what they’re looking for in three clicks, they’re likely to become frustrated and leave the site.
With the above tactic, you go one better: the customer will click on the link on your social media profile or post, find themselves on the relevant landing page, and then click once more to make a purchase.
Building Upon Your Copy
One of the most successful strategies for social media marketing is writing good, engaging copy, but this should only improve once they click through to the website. The copy that follows on your website should be SEO-optimised and designed to give readers the full extent of information.
Use persuasive and concise copy that highlights the benefits and unique selling points of your company and product/service. Then, back this up with high-quality images, videos and website animation that can convey the message more effectively.
Keeping Them Engaged Post-Purchase
We’ve been talking about the journey from your social media profile/post to the purchase page of your website, but really, the journey doesn’t end there.
Any successful business needs loyal customers, and that means keeping them engaged and showing them that your website is where they need to be, not just your social media pages.
Try to write even more copy that is directed at engaging and educating your visitors, rather than just actively selling to them. Include a newsletter with potential discounts and provide easy access to customer support to encourage feedback.
If you do your best to make your website an online hub, then your customers are more likely to return and use you again in the future. In other words, you should be aiming for a journey that never ends!
