The world of Internet marketing can be a little fuzzy. Through the evolution of the Internet, mobile devices and marketing mediums, the rules and standards are constantly changing.
Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are booming, and many businesses have caught the wave and jumped on board, using these mediums effectively for their business.
With the evolution of Google’s ranking standards, the services offered by companies like GMB Gorilla have become invaluable to businesses. But these marketers seem to have hit another goldmine; social media can directly correspond to your site’s rankings and should no longer be ignored as an ‘optional’ marketing tool.
In 2010, Google was not interested in the reach social media business users had to their consumers for the purpose of Google rankings. Since, however, Google’s standards have evolved. Just like SEO and external and internal links are important to incorporate to your website, the number of followers and the quality of followers of your social media sites play a role in where you rank as well. Quality conversation and involvement with consumers through these platforms helps your rankings climb.
How does a business incorporate meaningful social media use for better Google rankings?
First, your business must determine which social media platforms make sense for creating connections between consumers and what the company has to offer. This can vary greatly based on the type of business and its company-client communication goals, pre-determined by the company.
For example, an online jewelry company may decide to incorporate Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest – to post photos of new pieces, while a restaurant may use Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare – so that customers can check-in.
Social media etiquette, common messages, delivery techniques and communication standards should be well defined across the company – particularly to those involved in posting to these sites. This sets the standard for quality and consistency across social media platforms so that you do not unintentionally risk your company’s reputation.
Posting useful and engaging information is key. Social media is often a medium for businesses to alert customers of sales and specials. This is a great tool to drive social media users to your site and to be “shared” by users who will then reach your business to their networks.
Creating meaningful and conversational content is where you will attract the most critical interaction. By doing your research and opening up conversations through social media, followers will contribute their comments and bring external activity to your page. There are many ways to create these interactions, such as posting a blog for others to comment on or asking a question that consumers will want to share their answers to.
It is important to remember that social media sites and your own business’ site do not need to be considered separate entities! Each site links to the others and should incorporate similar messages and looks. They should be viewed as different branches of your primary website. You may create social media sharing widgets or can use ready-to-us sharing widgets like ShareThis and AddThis in your website design. They help generate traffic to your business, improve your company’s image and increase Google rankings.
Without the use of effective social media, a business can expect to fall behind in today’s Internet marketing world!