Social media is here to stay, and businesses in every industry should take full advantage of it. With the colossal amount of users that Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have, there is boundless potential for lead generation.

But, like with any other tool, social media will only benefit you if you utilize effectively. Fortunately, is easier than you think. Let's take a look.

1. Geotargeting

Geotargeted social search is one of the most efficient methods to reach the members of your audience who are local to your business. Rather than run ads that target an arbitrary number of potential customers, geotargeting allows you to maximize the potential of the money that you spend on social media advertising.

It's also an opportunity to see what these members of your audience are saying about the product or service you provide. This will give you insight into what they like, don't like, and what they wish they had.

Twitter is particularly useful for this endeavor. The platform even lets you accomplish this without any third-party plugins via the advanced search option. Although, official plugins make the lead generation process much easier.

2. Share Content That Needs Personal Info to Unlock

This is one of the most important strategies you can incorporate. A huge part of the process of encouraging your demographic to make a purchase involves acquiring their personal information so you can send them offers that are tailored to their interest. By sharing content that requires them to input at least their email address in order to access it, you've opened up a whole new channel in which to market to your consumer.

While not everyone who clicks on your shared content will be willing to input their personal information, there are plenty who will if they find the content intriguing enough. This is actually beneficial to you because it weeds out members of your audience who are only casually interested in your product or service and allows you to target those who find more value in it find more value in it.

The's, those who subscribe instantly become promising leads. You can share content like this on virtually any platform, but the  Big 3 (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) will net you the most traffic.

3. Use Integrated Ads

Social media platforms offer advertisers a way for them to target their audience directly. But, the benefits don't stop there. Social media targeting software has evolved to the point where you can generate leads within social networking sites.

This software provides consumers with something of value to them, such as an eBook, newsletter, or coupon, in exchange for their contact information. Given that most people can't resist something free (or something that will save them money) if it's relevant to their interests, you really can't go wrong with this strategy.

However, there is one thing to avoid: asking too much. People are fine with giving out their email or gender​​​​​​​ but are likely to get deterred once you ask for their address and phone number. So, be careful not to scare them away.

LinkedIn and Facebook offer lead generation forms that only take a few clicks to complete. Not only does this make it as easy as possible for the consumer to fill out the form, it also ensures that they never have to input any information that they would be uncomfortable with.

Social media is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal as an advertiser. As long as you take the time to plan appropriately, you'll find yourself obtaining more leads than you ever thought possible.