Which social media platform is best for lead generation?

A lot is going to depend on your target audience.  LinkedIn is typically best for B2B.  Facebook is typically good for B2C.  There's really no one-size-fits-all scenario, however.  I get a decent amount of quality traffic from Twitter, and I'm focused on B2B due to the nature of my business.

The best thing to do is spend some time researching where your target audience "hangs out."  And then be present where they are.

I have read the many responses to this question and I believe that the best lead response comes from satisfied customers. In my opinion we throw money after money attempting to attract new business to our proverbial door and fail to harvest the client we have worked so hard to sell to. Word of mouth can make or break even the best of companies. I can understand and do use social media but first I do my best to enlist the client I have had success with in the first place.

Jim,

You got a lot of great ideas and advice here. Take what you like and discard the rest.

My answer to your question is very simple. Use the one(s) that your ideal customers or clients use. Don't make the mistake of using something just because you like it - if it's not where your ideal customers/clients don't go for their information. Don't use it, you'll just be throwing money dopwn the drain.

My wish for you is that 2020 will be your best year ever to date.

Social media is important to show your company is up-to-date and relative. 

If you are not participating in a networking group on a regular basis...do.  I'm a member of BNI (Business Network International) 

We meet weekly.  We exchange solid warm referrals.  People by nature like being referred.  They turn to my company's social media to check reviews and see our influence.  You need both.  (1) A direct referring influence and (2) a strong, interactive social media.  The posts should be about welcoming new clients,  offer products that will fit a need, providing solutions to the lives of the reader.   

Great question Jim.  Unfortunately, your question is a trick question.  I believe it depends on who your target market is & what your widget is.  

We generate over 1 million leads per year using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, YouTube, and other platforms.  Each platform has a different unique purpose and different audience.  

Happy lead generation!

I do my own google advertising and it surpasses anything you can buy into. Google offers 3 months of direct education and support in setting everything up and they call you every 1-3 months to go over your account etc. It has given me the highest ROI and truly serious clients.

While you need to do them all, the best platform for me is still e-mail. If you develop a list of people or businesses who are interested in your product or service they will open your e-mails, even at a rate of 20% to 30% which is what I get and even accept e-mail on a daily basis. However, the key is that you must provide them knowledge on your business not be selling them all the time. If you use social media post expert articles not advertising so people are attracted by the information you provide. Also, you don't need to do your own posts, commenting on posts by others allows you to use their customer base. Let's say an expert in your field has 100,000 followers and you make an intelligent comment about a post they made, their followers will also see your thoughts. 

That depends on the business. For one company I work with, we use Facebook to attract people along with some targeted Google ads. The results have been great for the last few years, with a significant return on investment.

For my Mastermind community, we use LinkedIn as the kinds of businesses we want to target are there and responsive to what we have to offer. For my coaching community, it's a mix of Facebook and LinkedIn.

I agree.  A lot depends on where your target audience is.  If/when you choose your social media platform(s) of choice, be consistently present.  If you are able, I would hire a social media marketer especially if you are a sole proprietor and you don't have a lot of time to be on the computer.  Best of luck on you business ventures in 2020.

Like others have said, it depends on your target audience. It also depends on how you best present your products or services and value to that targeted market. It used to be, TV had only three local stations. But now, there are hundreds of networks to choose from. Like TV, there is a growing number of social media platforms and it's anyone's guess as to which one consumers or businesses prefer on any given day. Research your prime market to learn which media choices they prefer and don't forget to research other media options like, radio, print, direct response advertising, lead groups ( like BNI), networking at trade shows, cold calling and drop-ins. Getting good leads means doing good media research to fit what you sell and who you sell it to.