You ever wonder what you are doing on social media and how it is helping your bottom line?
Well, as long as you are consistent or regular on social media, you are doing right by your consumer and your business. Your consumer needs you to engage with them, to motivate them and share with them your industry expertise on social media.
The neat thing is that your total online presence, including social media, actually helps your online footprint. Stay with me here…
When you are active on social media, you are creating a social presence online. But why is this important?
Unless tons of folks know your website domain/URL and know how to find you, you are hoping that people, aka consumers, can find you online. They can’t find you unless your website is optimized and your online presence is…well…present!
Wondering what the point is?
If you are wondering why you are on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or other social media channels, consider this: you are online because you enjoy the channel you are on, and it contributes to your online presence and your business footprint.
But it is way bigger than just your social media presence. Your social media presence can actually contribute to your online footprint and help your SEO juice.
Side note: search engine optimization (aka SEO) is optimizing your website and online presence to help your business’ visibility. If search engines can find you, you will have a better likelihood of being found online by your consumers.
Think of the last time you did a search on Google for a business or person, you likely saw their Facebook page, LinkedIn, Google+ page or map location, Twitter handle or feed, right? So, your social media efforts are coming over to search engine results – it matters!
Social media matters to your online footprint - extending into search engine results!Click To TweetYour social media presence helps your online presence with search engine optimization in that:
SEO relies on your total footprint on the internet. The simple facts that your brand is active on social media and that folks are engaging with it creates a buzz and importance in Google’s mind.
Social media provides the perfect opportunity to share your awesome blogs, the value you have, the expertise that you have in your industry and with no money whatsoever. Of course, you can boost your blogs or pay for ads, but where else can you share a blog you wrote about your industry and get all of your followers and friends to see, without speaking with them directly?
Your blogs and overall website content show you as an industry expert. But, you can’t expect that your target market, consumers, or followers are going to visit your website to seek out your awesome blogs, now can you? That is always our wish, but it just isn’t realistic. Social media provides one more avenue to push out your content to the real world.
Blogs are content on your website, which gives you opportunities to show in search while social media provides a means to get out that content to those who aren’t seeking out your website. Let’s be real, your target market is NOT searching for your website every week or month to see what you are writing about each month. Social media makes it easier for your consumers to regularly find your content.
Recap: How social media can help with SEO
Just in case you missed it, search engine optimization is about keyword rich content, title tags, meta tags, and links. If you are posting on social media, you are providing more online content about your business and link building via social media back to your website.
Hopefully, this post provided additional information on why you need to be on social media and how it can improve your online visibility.
Great article Meghan, thanks. And I agree on all, I just need to get a bit better with the SEO…:-)
I must admit, honestly… I could not have written a better blog… This is so valuable.. it truly is the total footprint, not just what you have online, but everything you have. Good job! Nice graphics too!
I must admit, I’m not a huge fan being on social media all the time, but I do realize the importance of needing to be present. I also understand that it all takes time, I just wonder how much time exactly does it take to “notice” online?
Hi Lisa, you’re correct when you say that it ‘all takes time.’ This is one reason that entrepreneurs and small businesses shy away from social media. Not only does it require time but also an investment to see true results. If you’re running targeted campaigns and posting consistently, you will get noticed faster. However, it still takes at least three to six months to start reaping bigger benefits.
Just because you build it doesn’t mean people will find it. Social media is one of many methods to drive traffic to your site and help to clarify to search engines what you and your site are all about. You have a great way of explaining this in manageable terms Meghan!
Exactly Crystal! After talking to small businesses and online marketers, I’ve found that social media is often overlooked as a marketing tool to drive customers to your home base and your promotions. And the SEO benefits are often undervalued! Thanks for your input.
While reading this post I couldn’t help but think of this in relationship to authors. It is totally up to the author to create a large platform for their message and this is where SEO and social media have become so key. Some days I do wonder “Why am I spending so much time on social media?” and then I realize it is how people are getting to know me, who I am and what I stand for in my life. They get to read my writing and ultimately interact with me and read my book. Without social media, unless you are a very local and happening business, it is impossible to grow your following to send to your website. Thanks for the great post and for the clear explanation of the importance of creating a visible social media presence, Meghan.
I love your comments Beverley–they are always so well-written and thoughtful! Social media can be a tough sell for businesses. They often don’t see the value, especially since it’s rarely an immediate payoff. Like you mention, it takes time to grow a following. Thanks for your insight.
I hadn’t really thought of social media as being so important to SEO, but yes, it is. And it’s so great because your content and links can live on and on as people share.
I am amazed at the number of people who think that being on social media is the end-all and be-all for their business. Duh. The point of social media is to drive people to your website so they can learn more about you, how fabulous your services and products are. Good post!
I know it, Jackie! Many businesses don’t understand the purpose of social media. You’re correct; it’s a marketing tool to get people to your site/offer/sales page, and it’s good for building the ‘know, like, trust factor’ for some folks.
I love that when I read about SEO I don’t cringe. I actually understand it and we know we are doing it right. Sometimes our content is image heavy, like this week’s blog but we always have our potential customer in mind. We believe in delighting our customer with information they might not have thought to ask about, as well as with our one-off design product.
Images or “visual content” are so important to increase reach and visibility. With your jewelry business, you have an awesome opportunity to get attention with your imagery and beautiful colors. You have a great combo of visuals and textual information!