You have a nice website all set up to market your product, but your web traffic is dismal. How can you drive more consumers to your site to make a purchase?
Small and large businesses know how important it is to improve your SEO: you need to get on the first page of search results to even make an impression in this cluttered media landscape.
Although there are ways to guarantee your rise in search results, many like ads entail a significant investment. But there are other options! Social media offers a more cost-effective way to improve your SEO and boost your sales.
1. Expand Your Audience
If you are a small business, you probably have pretty limited brand awareness in the wider marketplace. How can you get potential consumers to learn about your brand?
Social media is many companies’ first step in building their audiences.
Platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook take the old fashioned method of word-of-mouth and expand it into the modern age. Share news of your product launch or company opening on social with your friends and family, and ask them to share.
People share stuff from people they trust, so start with your supporters. You will be surprised how fast it can spread, at no cost to you. By sharing amongst like-minded people who are interested in the same lifestyle, pastime or culture, you can grow your audience well beyond your initial network.
2. Solidify Your Brand
Sharing on social media is an ideal way to solidify your brand. It is a platform where you can speak directly to your audience, and cement in their minds who you are and what you deliver.
You have the opportunity to create an indelible image through your messaging, graphic design, and font. Share images of your marketing so that when people hear your company’s name or see its logo they will know immediately what you are selling.
As your brand becomes more well-known in the marketplace, it will become more SEO-friendly.
3. Reach Media
A good review or flattering story in a respected publication can really boost sales, but how can you get a reporter to write about your product or company?
Social media is the ideal way to reach targeted reporters now. Instead of trying to reach anyone on the phone to pitch them, tweet a writer who covers your “beat.”
Research the publications, websites, and members of the press who might run a story about what you do. Follow their social media to see what they like and what interests them.
If they see you have a significant social media following and your messaging piques their interest, they may want to know more. Send them a sample or offer to have a phone call to discuss more.
If they do write about you, share their story on your social media. A good media relationship is a two-way street: their review may help you and your sharing the article may expand their readership.
4. Attract Influencers
If you can get a popular singer, athlete, or celebrity to endorse your product on social media, you have hit the big time. Some companies have credited their success to targeting and securing the support of major influencers in their industries.
Sometimes a famous person will simply notice a social media post because its humor or creativity might make it go viral. If they like it or share it, that alone may boost your recognition factor immensely.
On the other hand, many influencers charge to promote certain products. They are looking to monetize their brands as well. If you do choose to engage an influencer to promote your product or services, make sure you both comply with the laws surrounding such relationships.
5. Invites Collaboration
But social media does not have to come with a big price tag. Sometimes you will be more successful by engaging with your targeted audience than by purchasing the endorsement of a celebrity.
Social media is a great way to get your customers involved with your brand. You can engage them with contests to name a product or post photos of themselves with the product. You can encourage shares, incentivize though giveaways, and expand your mailing list.
Once you have persuaded someone to follow and engage with you on social media, you are a step closer to getting them to buy your product. Once they do purchase your product, consistent and frequent social media contact will keep them coming back for more.
The more you get people mentioning your product online, especially through hashtags and links, the higher you will rise in the search engines.
6. Increases Inbound Links
Google insists that social shares do not influence their search rankings, but it is common knowledge that web traffic is a key metric for Google’s algorithm. And social media increases web traffic- if it is done properly.
An effective social media campaign will result in increased page views, more website activity and comments on your blog, and more frequent mentions of your brand. These factors will boost search rankings.
7. Converts Fans to Consumers
You may love the Geico lizard and even follow him on Instagram. The trick is to turn that positive feeling into action. You want to Geico fan to become a Geico customer.
Social media helps accomplish this conversion. It creates a relationship with the potential consumer and the brand and maintains an open pathway for when that consumer decides to make the purchase.
A good post should enable the follower to click and buy as easily as possible.
Further posts should follow up to keep that relationship warm and encourage more engagement and purchasing. Higher traffic, higher engagement, and increased sales create a higher SEO ranking, which leads to higher traffic and increased sales!
Improve Your SEO with Social Media
You can improve your SEO with the low cost, high return tactic of a robust social media campaign. The more traffic you can generate on social media platforms, the more people will go to your site and even buy what you are selling. They will then use social media to tell their friends, and so on, and so on.
For more information on how you can leverage social media to grow your business, contact us.
