The Untapped Potential of Using Social Media Stories for Lead Gen

The Untapped Potential of Using Social Media Stories for Lead Gen

The growing influence of social media has made it indispensable as a way to attract potential customers and generate leads. In the United States, 58% of people have purchased a product or service after seeing an advertisement on social media. The most common methods include paid advertisements through popular social media platforms like TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram, among others. However, as many users either skip over advertisements or use ad-blocking software on their computers, this may not reach the intended audience. Let's take a look at an emerging alternative.

What Are Stories?

Stories, also known on some platforms as "reels," are a form of social media content that consists of a picture or (more commonly) a 15 to 30-second video that is usually only available for 24 hours after being posted. The feature originated on Snapchat in 2014 and has spread to nearly every social media platform in the following decade.

Stories have become an increasingly popular function, with a recent Facebook study revealing that 68% of respondents stated that they watched stories on at least three social media platforms per week. This makes them a unique and potentially valuable marketing opportunity.

Using Stories for Lead Gen and Marketing

Many stories include testimonials from social media influencers or others that extol the virtues of a product. However, many users immediately recognize the typical setup of a person holding up a product as an advertisement and, consciously or subconsciously, will scroll away immediately to find the next entertaining story. To avoid this, a common solution is to create a video that functions as a stealth advertisement in hopes that it will become popular, be shared thousands of times, and therefore be viewed by a greater number of people.

The most common example is a woman using a product when her boyfriend or husband walks into the room and asks her what it is, allowing her to explain the item to both him and the audience. Like other types of social media content, stories also use tags to help direct users to content they'll find most engaging. Much like optimizing a website for local lead generation, story tags should be both extensive and specifically tailored to be easily found by potential local customers. You'll also want to use certain catch-all tags to increase viewership, like "#FYP", which will reach wider audiences in addition to local ones. If they share the content with friends, it becomes more visible.

Another excellent tool is the TikTok Ad Library, which will tell you which ads and products are the most popular on the platform, as well as a whole lot more. By analyzing successful advertisements, the reason for their success can be determined and imitated. It can also provide an enormous number of insights into your competitors, as it will show you how successful their ads have been and allow you to compare metrics to see which are more successful.

Additional Tips for Quality Story Advertisements

If you're aiming for a humorous video, you only need one good joke at the end. Most story viewers are willing to accept 25 seconds of setup for a five-second payoff, as this is one of the most common formats. You don't need to worry about holding their attention if you have a strong closing. That being said, the first few seconds are perhaps even more important for ensuring that viewers will keep watching until the video ends. Many scrollers will almost immediately skip past videos they don't find interesting but a strong hook can keep them watching.

Consider using A/B testing to see if certain openings get better responses, which can help when writing future stories. To further enhance the reach of your stories, consider integrating interactive elements such as polls, quizzes, or swipe-up links. These features not only engage the audience but also provide valuable data on viewer preferences and behaviors. Interactive content can create a two-way communication channel, making viewers feel more involved and connected with your brand. Additionally, leveraging user-generated content in your stories can build trust and authenticity.

Encourage satisfied customers to share their experiences and tag your brand, which can then be featured in your stories, amplifying your reach and credibility. Since they expire after 24 hours, you can also repost the same video multiple times. However, if you're using the main corporate account, you may want to avoid posting the same story at the same time every day, as it will condition viewers to think they've already seen it before and move on. Using social media management tools can help schedule posts and much more.

Final Thoughts

Stories have existed on social media for a decade but they are an underutilized method for generating leads and potentially converting social media views into sales. By creating engaging content that hooks the viewer in the first few seconds, they'll be more likely to finish the 30-second video and consider trying your product. They may even become customers for life.