Some brands are a natural fit for social media. Long before twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, Coca-Cola, Adidas, and Apple had followers and fans. The new platforms simply made it easy for them to connect with each other.
But what if your company doesn’t have built in sex appeal? Why should you participate in a world that values conversation more than conversion?
Because there’s more to social media than meets the eye.
It significantly increases your natural search rankings. When Google followed Bing into the new world by indexing Twitter, it opened a new world for companies and people who missed the cool gene. For example, the first page from a search of “Debra Ellis” (yes, I’m admitting that the cool gene passed me by), used to bring up my website and an article that I had written for a trade journal. The rest of the choices were different people who share my name.
Fast forward to today and the same search pulls twelve results on the first page. Six of them (50%) will send people to me. Three are social media platforms, one is a crossover, and two are traditional websites.
The trick to making social media an effective marketing tool is knowing how everything works together and using it to promote your brand. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Use keywords whenever appropriate. Tweeting “Direct marketers social media customer relationship care,” may send some search engine love, but your followers will run away.
- Include links that bring people to you. Mastering keywords without providing a path to your brand won’t deliver a return on your investment.
- Learn how to use web analytics to tweak your strategy. Numbers are your friend. Let them help you find the best way to connect with your customers.
- Respond to people who mention your brand in a timely manner. Effective social media utilization requires active participation.
- The best results come from an integrated marketing strategy that includes social media participation. Your customers are crossing channels. Make sure that it is easy for them to find and communicate with you along the way.
- Always remember that your customers rule. Your primary objective is to provide the attraction that draws them to you.
