Social media for getting leads is not difficult. There are many consultants out there who try to make social media seem complicated, almost unattainable.

Of course they do! They are consultants! They want to make money!

In fact, it is very simple. Here I'm going to explain a method that I know works for any company, big or small.

Social media first requires groundwork

Before we start, we need to do some groundwork. But I promise, it's not that difficult.

Here it comes:

1. You need to have created a number of lead magnets. This is something (almost always some knowledge you have) that your employees download in exchange for their email address.
2. You need to have a number of good blog posts that link to these lead magnets.
3. Ideally you should have these under one easily accessible roof - a good example is the company I work with, Tolpagorni, who put all their lead magnets under their"Product Management Knowledge" page (I have to say I'm hugely impressed with the people who work at this company).
4. Ideally, you should also have created automatic flows that take care of your leads.

If you have these basics in place, you're ready to start preparing your social media strategy. (If you don't, I'd suggest starting with this first, because this foundation is not only needed for success with social media, but also for any other marketing you do. If you haven't already, it may be time to invest in a good marketing automation system).

Bonus: If you can get your employees to blog once a month, for example, this is a big WIN for both you and them. More on that below, in italics.

Social media preparation

Now is the time to make your specific preparations for social media. Follow this list:

1. Make sure all your employees update their profiles on the most popular social media channels (mainly LinkedIn). Sit in a 2-hour workshop with them where you first go through what they should convey to enhance their skills, and where everyone actually does it. Explain that the aim is to make them look as competent as possible. This is a win-win: win for your employees because they can improve their career, and win for you because you will have more confidence with employees who can showcase their skills.
2. As part of step 1, make sure all your employees' profiles link to your knowledge page.
3. If you were able to get your employees to blog regularly (as I wrote in the "Bonus" section above), make sure they link to a page where all their blog posts are located! Another win-win: They look better, and you get more promotion.
4. In a central place, such as your CRM or marketing automation system, collect contacts in a list that your employees can access. Each employee should have their own list of contacts that they have the best relationship with.
5. Review all groups (e.g. LinkedIn groups) and forums that are relevant to you. This can be done in a 2-hour workshop. Then divide the groups among all your employees based on their specialties and interests. Write down all the groups and "responsible employee for that group" somewhere.

Now you are ready! Now it's time to actually start promoting.

And to do that, we will first set a process that will allow you to immediately gain more followers and readers.

From now on, share ALL blog posts on social media.

Agree with all employees (e.g. during your initial social media workshop) that from now on everyone should subscribe to your blog. Make sure everyone subscribes there and then!

Then agree with everyone that from now on the following should happen:

Every time a new blog post appears, everyone in the company should automatically share it on their social media channels. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

In addition, put someone in charge of your social media promotion (yourself?). This person's job is to share every blog post on your company's official channels.

Make sure this process is followed. I promise you will see results, fast. What will happen is that more people will read every blog post you write, and a certain percentage of those will become leads (if you've done the groundwork I mentioned in the first paragraph).

After a while, you will find that you suddenly see a spike in visits. Someone who would never have seen your post before will have read it, found it interesting, and shared it with someone they know.

The longer you continue, the stronger this effect will be. Be persistent and keep following the process: blog, share, blog, share!

And now we come to the heart of your social media work.

Create a social media checklist and a regular social media hour.

Put an hour every two weeks or month in all your employees' calendars. Call it "social media hour".

During this hour, everyone in the company should get together and go through your Social Media Checklist.

The checklist should be a document, and it should include the following step-by-step guide for all employees to go through during this hour:

Your social media checklist

Step 1: Maintain your contact list

1. Open your personal contact list (the one you created in your CRM or marketing automation tool).
2. Go through your list and see if you can connect or share knowledge with someone in your list: see if they updated their LinkedIn profile, comment, email and ask if they want to have lunch or coffee to keep in touch, or send them the link to one of your lead magnets or blog posts that could be interesting for that person right now.

Step 2: Share information to any of the groups assigned to you

1. Go to one of the groups assigned to you (from the list you jointly created in the preparatory steps).
2. Write a post in the group that is related to one of your lead magnets and link to that lead magnet.

Step 3: Participate in group discussions

1. Read the posts and discussions in your assigned groups.
2. Comment, share your knowledge and experience, or link to one of your lead magnets or blog posts.

Why this social media strategy works

This social media strategy works. You don't need anything complicated, you don't need to pay expensive consultants, and you don't need to agonize. If you do the groundwork and then follow these processes, you will see great results.

Note the magic behind it all here:

1. Your job is to make your employees look as good as possible. This creates a win-win. You get good employees and your employees advance their careers. Since they got there with your help, they will be more loyal to you.
2. Next, you want to help them spread the knowledge they all actually have as much as possible.
3. Your employees' profiles link to your lead magnets and blog posts.
4. When your employees look good, people get curious and read their profiles, which link to your lead magnets and blog posts.
5. The above processes allow your blog posts to be disseminated as widely as possible.
6. All blog posts lead to your lead magnets.

All roads simply lead to your lead magnets.

And if you market intelligently, you know that the purpose of your lead magnets is to give your readers a new pair of glasses to see the world. This will not only get you leads, but also dedicated followers and more likely buyers.