Social media conversion: A guide for beginners to experts

In today's interconnected world, there are a staggering 4.95 billion social media users, a statistic that speaks volumes about the sway social media holds in the realm of marketing. 

How can you, as a marketer, transform these social media users into engaged customers? The challenge facing brands is clear — how to turn those likes and shares into tangible leads, sales and a remarkable return on investment. The answer, of course, lies in social media conversion. 

Whether you're a digital novice or a marketing maestro, this guide could help you revolutionize your social media game.  

What is social media conversion? 

Social media conversion is the process of effectively translating online interactions into meaningful outcomes. Think of it like turning online conversations into real-world handshakes.  

Whether you want people to sign up for your newsletter, buy your product or explore your site, social media conversion is how you guide them to do that particular action. It ensures your social media efforts lead to real, purposeful results — especially vital for businesses and marketers in today’s digital world. 

Here are three ways you can optimize your social media presence for improved social media conversions: 

• When you set your sight on social media conversions, you're essentially turning your digital efforts into tangible results, such as increased sales and leads. This boosts your return on investment (ROI) on social media.  

• Paying attention to social media conversions means you're sending the right messages to the right audience — improving your chances of converting social media users into loyal customers.  

• By optimizing for conversions, you're not just collecting likes and comments — you're building meaningful connections with your audience. This enhanced engagement results in stronger customer loyalty and advocacy — a true win for your brand. 

Which social media conversion goals matter? 

Businesses usually have more than one social media conversion goal to choose from. But to succeed online, it's important to know which ones really matter in the larger scheme of things.  

Below are the conversion goals that your brand should focus on. 

1. Awareness goals 

As far as social media is concerned, the first step is to make your presence known.  

Awareness goals focus on: 

• Growing your social media page's audience, improving search engine rankings and getting more impressions  

• To reach these goals, create interesting and educational content like promo ads and engaging intro videos or just publish posts on trending topics 

• Measure your progress using metrics such as post reach, cost per view and increase in the number of followers 

2. Consideration goals 

Once you have people's attention, the next step is to educate them and build trust. 

• Increase clicks on your posts, time spent watching videos, comments and shares 

• Share informative content such as blog articles, how-to videos and podcasts periodically 

• Track the engagement, reactions, comments and shares your posts receive on a regular basis 

3. Conversion goals 

Now, you should look at turning your followers into loyal customers. 

• Get more fans, subscribers, downloads, sign-ups, inquiries, event attendees and sales 

• To achieve the above things, offer valuable content like e-books, webinars and other virtual events to showcase what your brand has to offer 

• Keep an eye on leads, subscribers, event attendees, sales and revenue 

Learn More: How to set social media goals for your business 

4. Loyalty goals 

Once you have loyal customers, focus on retaining them so they become your brand advocates. 

• Your objective should be to encourage shares, likes, subscribers and increase customer value, positive reviews, user-generated content 

• Share user-generated content, customer testimonials to improve engagement 

• Track 5-star reviews, shares, customer referrals and customer lifetime value 

Read More: Your ultimate guide to building customer loyalty in 10 easy ways 

How to calculate social media conversion rate 

Calculating your social media conversion rate is simpler than it sounds. It's a measure of how many people from your total social media following take a specific action like making a purchase. Here's how you can determine it: 

1. Identify the number of conversions — the action you want your audience to take upon landing on your social post 

2. Determine the total audience — the number of people who interact with your post 

3. Use this simple formula to calculate the social media conversion rate: 

Social media conversion rate = (number of conversions / total audience) × 100 

For example, if 50 people make a purchase out of 1,000 people who interacted with your post, the conversion rate is (50 / 1,000) × 100, which equals 5%. 

It's one of the easiest ways to gauge how well your social media strategy is working and helps you adjust your goals for optimal results.  

Simple, right? 

Best platforms for social media conversion 

Let's explore the five best social media platforms for conversion. 

Facebook 

• Number of monthly active users: 3.03 billion  

• Customer engagement: With 54.6% users using the platform to connect with brands, it’s a great way to connect with your target audience and build relationships  

• Increased trust and loyalty: Actively interacting with your followers and sharing engaging content on Facebook result in increased conversions, such as website visits, lead generation and sales 

Instagram 

• Number of monthly active users: 2.35 billion  

• Shopping potential: Approximately 130 million Instagram users tap on shopping posts every month — great platform to reach new customers and promote your products or services  

• Encourages impulse buying — with features like shoppable posts and Stories 

• Younger demographics: Instagram being popular among Gen Z customers makes it an ideal channel for brands targeting them 

X 

• Daily active users: 237.8 million  

• Real-time nature: It’s an excellent platform for timely promotions and engaging with customers. It also serves as a hub for trending topics and quick updates, making it suitable for timely promotions and engagement 

• Conversion rate: 2.17%  

• Ad revenue: $4.73 billion in 2022 

You can use this level of engagement by creating informative and engaging posts that effectively promote your products or services. 

LinkedIn 

• Number of users worldwide: 774 million (mostly professionals and businesses) — great platform for B2B businesses to generate leads 

• Advertising revenue: Projected to surpass $10.35 billion by 2027 

It's perfect for connecting with decision-makers and industry peers. It’s lead generation forms and Sponsored Content can drive valuable conversions. 

Pinterest 

• Number of monthly users: 463 million  

• Conversion potential: 83% of weekly Pinners have made a purchase based on Pins they saw from brands 

• Effective algorithm: Matches users with content they are interested in 

This shows that Pinterest is a great platform for businesses to drive conversions. Pinterest users are highly engaged and are actively looking for new products and services. You can leverage this engagement by creating high-quality visual content that promotes your products or services. With the algorithm, you can be confident that your content is being seen by people who are genuinely interested in your products or services. 

These 5 platforms provide diverse options to suit various businesses and marketing strategies. Choose the one(s) that align with your brand and goals to boost your social media conversions. 

9 techniques to boost your social media conversion rates 

Now, let’s check out nine amazing techniques to rev up your conversion rates. 

1. Design mobile-friendly landing pages 

In today's mobile-dominated world, it's crucial to make your website mobile-friendly. Imagine how you scroll through Instagram effortlessly — your social landing pages should offer the same smooth experience. Make sure they're easily accessible for mobile users.  

Brands like Nike excel in this by designing mobile pages with user-friendly layouts. This ensures your potential customers have a hassle-free shopping experience.  

Source 

2. Leverage the power of video 

Videos are like magnets for social media conversion. They help boost conversion rates and keep visitors engaged for longer. Airbnb knows a thing or two about this. They provide virtual property tours through videos, which has led to a spike in their bookings in recent years.  

Source 

Videos are not just for big brands with deep pockets — even simple, short and eye-catching videos can do wonders. Whether it's showcasing your product in action or presenting it creatively, video content should be at the heart of your social media strategy.

3. Craft compelling calls to action (CTAs) 

Effective calls to action (CTAs) go a long way in improving your social media conversion rate. They should encourage user engagement without seeming too pushy.  

Take Starbucks, for instance. It often uses fun and interactive content such as quizzes and polls to pique their followers’ curiosity.  The trick is to experiment with different CTAs and captions to find out what resonates with your audience. But remember that straightforward CTAs like "BUY NOW" may not get you the desired results. 

Source 

4. Conduct regular A/B testing 

Data is your best friend when it comes to social media conversion. Brands like Airbnb keep a close eye on which of their posts get the most likes, clicks and website visits. This data helps them fine-tune their content strategy to align with their conversion goals. The more people see your promos, the more potential customers you attract. Regularly checking your analytics helps you figure out which posts are performing and which aren’t. 

💡Pro Tip: Tools like Sprinklr’s Smart Scheduling can help you schedule your posts for maximum engagement. 

5. Maintain brand consistency 

Consistency is key in branding. It might seem like a minor detail, but it's crucial for your conversions. Apple does this beautifully by maintaining the same style, tone and design across all their accounts. This ensures the user experience is seamless, fostering trust. So, keep things consistent and stay true to your brand identity. In case you’re looking to give your brand a makeover, do so with proper planning. Changing your branding elements out of the blue can confuse your followers and potentially drive them away. 

6. User-generated content 

UGC is pure gold for boosting conversions. Starbucks has aced this technique by encouraging its customers to share their reviews, images and testimonials. This strategy infuses a sense of authenticity into the brand — creating a genuine connection with the audience.  

Source 

Interesting Read: How to leverage user-generated content to drive engagement & conversions on social media 

7. Social listening 

To stay on top of your game, you need to listen. Sprinklr’s social listening tool can help with this. Starbucks, for example, keeps an ear out for what their customers are saying and what's trending. This helps it tailor its social sales strategy to meet customer expectations and stay relevant. 

8. Social commerce 

You can benefit from using social media for selling products directly. Amazon, for instance, lets customers buy products right from its Instagram posts. It's a win-win for both shoppers and marketers. The quick purchase process with social commerce capabilities, makes it more likely for customers to hit that "Buy Now" button. 

Source 

9. Analytics for tracking 

Tracking helps boost your social media conversion rate. Zappos, for example, uses analytics tools to closely monitor its social media performance. This data-driven approach allows it to understand customer behavior and preferences better. By analyzing this information, it continually adjusts its social media strategies to ensure its delivering the right content to the right audience, ultimately driving more conversions. 

Read More: Social media analytics: A simple guide for every marketer 

How to track your social media conversions using a tool 

Now that you've learned how to supercharge your social media conversion rates with the above techniques, let's explore how you can effortlessly track your social media conversions using these eight steps. 

Step 1: Choose a tracking tool 

Start by selecting a social media tracking tool or platform that suits your needs. You can find various tools like Sprinklr or other specialized social media analytics platforms. 

Step 2: Integrate your social media accounts 

Connect your social media profiles to the chosen tool. This will allow you to monitor and analyze your social media activities in one place. 

💡 Pro Tip: Using Sprinklr's channel integration feature, you can capture multi-channel metrics to understand and optimize campaign performance across the customer journey — from modern social channels to other digital channels like web and mobile apps. 

Step 3: Set up tracking parameters 

Integrate your chosen tracking tool with your website or landing pages. Then, define your conversion goals. This could be anything from making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter or filling out a contact form.  

Sprinklr enables you to set up specific tracking parameters to monitor these conversions. 

Learn More: 7 key social media metrics to track  

Step 4: Utilize the reporting tools 

With robust reporting and analytics tools, you can keep track of your social media campaigns and their performance. You can monitor engagement, clicks, conversions and other relevant metrics.  

Additionally, use UTM parameters in your social media links to track the source of your conversions. This allows you to see which social media posts or ads are driving conversions. 

Step 5: Monitor conversions 

Regularly check your tracking tool to monitor the conversions. You can see how many people completed the desired actions, where they came from and which social media campaigns were most successful. 

Step 6: Analyze data 

Examine the data provided by your tracking tool to gain insights into user behavior. Look at conversion rates, traffic sources and other relevant metrics. This is crucial to optimize your social media strategy.  

Step 7: Optimize your strategy 

Use the data to refine your social media strategy. Focus on the platforms, content and campaigns that generate the highest conversion rates. 

Step 8: A/B testing 

A/B testing is a great way to compare the performance of two versions of your content to see which one appeals more to visitors/viewers. With Sprinklr, you can experiment with different content types, posting times and strategies to maximize your conversion rates. 

As you can see, a nifty social media tool can take the guesswork out of conversion tracking, helping you fine-tune your strategies and boost your social media game.

A real-world case study 

Did you know that Domino's Pizza accomplished a feat that no other pizza chain has through a blend of creativity and adept social media techniques? 

The challenge:  

Domino's had a mission — stand out in the competitive pizza jungle and get more people ordering online. 

The plan: 

They cooked up a brilliant recipe. 

• Honest flavor: Domino's started by saying, "Our pizza needs work" — by launching the "Pizza Turnaround" campaign, where they openly admitted to shortcomings in their pizza's taste and quality. This candid approach resonated with its audience, showing authenticity and a commitment to improvement. They actively engaged with customers' feedback on social media. 

• Easy ordering: They made the online ordering process smoother and more user-friendly, even tossing in cool discounts for mobile app users. 

• Magic pizza tracker: They unveiled the “Pizza Tracker,” allowing customers to track their pizza order in real time. This created excitement and anticipation, encouraging repeat orders.  

The results: 

Domino's makeover delivered some amazing results. 

• More online orders: The pizza chain’s honest approach and improved online ordering experience skyrocketed their orders  

• Viral tracker: The Pizza Tracker became a viral sensation. People couldn't wait to share it on social media  

• Better image: It turned from a "meh" pizza place to a brand that listens to its customers and changes for the better 

The secret ingredient:  

Domino's embraced transparency, responded to customers and added a sprinkle of innovation. It took a humble approach and turned its weaknesses into strengths, successfully improving its social media conversion game. 

The lesson:  

Domino's taught us that being real, hassle-free and a bit quirky on social media can whip up more conversions. It transformed from a pizza place to a social media superstar almost overnight!   

Just like Domino's, you can turn your social media presence into a pizza party churning conversions. It's all about being fun, honest and a little bit magical! 😉 

Turn your clicks into cheers! 

As we near the fag end of 2023, think of social media conversions as a thrilling adventure. As Captain Jack Sparrow, the beloved Disney character, famously said, "Bring me that horizon," you too should set your sights high. Be sure to keep pace with the latest trends, kindle discussions and put out eye-catching content on a regular basis to create your own social media success story.  

If your brand is struggling with social media conversion, don't worry. Request a free demo, and we'll help you navigate the challenges for a successful journey ahead.