Whether you have a passion for a certain field, a hobby, or you own a blog, or a business, a social media presence is one of the most effective online marketing and promotion strategies. This is especially true for giants like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
By reading this article you will find out:
- What is the connection between Social Media and SEO?
- Why promote yourself on Social Media?
- How to technically optimize your Facebook page?
- How to creatively optimize your Social Media pages?
- How to choose the right Social Media channel for you?
Scurtă Definiție: Ce e SEO pentru Social Media?
What is the connection between SEO and Social Media?
Talking about the connection between SEO optimization and Social Media Marketing, it should be mentioned the positive impact that social networks have on the optimization process. So, SEO optimization of social media pages brings a huge advantage, which we urge you to take advantage of to gain increased visibility.
Major changes in search engine ranking algorithms a few years ago prove that the situation with SEO has changed radically. Now, in establishing the positions of the sites in the search results, Google also takes into account the links that come from social media. Signals from social networks (Like, Share, Tweet) have become an essential optimization factor, having a great influence on SEO. Even some myths support the opposite: that SEO and Social Media have nothing in common. These remain just myths.
Why promote your brand on social media?
Today, social networks have become real bridges between the online and offline environments and at the moment they constitute an indispensable communication tool, a "must have", a priority that can bring you substantial benefits, among which are:
- reducing promotion costs;
- international visibility;
- increasing the authority of your brand or personal image.
Is it possible to appear at the top of Google search results with a Facebook or Twitter page?
The statistics of recent years show that social networks have brought companies more traffic than e-mail marketing or PPC (pay per click, which in translation means paid clicks). This proves once again that most brands have realized how important social media promotion is and have invested in this advertising channel.
Virtual businessmen are starting to put more and more emphasis on shaping a friendly brand, loyal to the target audience, so having a professional Facebook or Twitter page that combines various multimedia elements is necessary.
Why use social networks?
- Over a billion users interact on these platforms. They are all part of a huge community in which they communicate with each other.
- The biggest benefit is that users on social networks can be targeted through a very deep segmentation, according to various criteria: demographic, geographic, gender, age, and personal interests, according to occupation, education, income, and many others.
- And the most important thing is that everyone is a consumer and can become your customer.
- More people interested in what you do brings more quality backlinks, which allow you to rank high in search engines.
- This personal approach through networks is extremely advantageous, as valuable and constructive feedback is obtained from consumers and customers, open to the general public. Thus, based on the fans' appreciation, you will be able to adjust the campaigns, but also the product/service in real-time. Why not take advantage of this opportunity?
You can practically "use" social networks to promote almost any business.
Social media promotion strategies could be associated with door-to-door sales, when the company or a representative of the company seeks to engage with customers. The clients, in their turn, active or passive, receive the transmitted messages. It's just that online is faster and more efficient.
If you have managed to convince a user of the quality of the product/service you offer, there is a good chance that he will also share with his friends, and this generates tremendous visibility for you, which can be even more effective than a presentation made on the company website.
Each share means more potential buyers and incredible trust capital.
Additionally, traditional methods of advertising, such as television, radio, banners, newspapers, etc. besides the fact that they are extremely expensive, are unidirectional and static promotion channels, which lose their relevance in front of consumers.
So, it all depends on how creatively you will present your product/service/company.
A story sells - it's the golden rule in marketing - and online on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, or other social media, it's much easier to create a story.
How do you SEO optimize your Facebook Page?
When it comes to Facebook pages, you will see that most pages show up in Google search results.
Google uses:
- the name of the Facebook page;
- a short description of the page;
- the number of likes;
- the number of people talking about the page.
In terms of keyword optimization, Facebook pages that have keywords in the page name and key places on the page generally rank better in Google searches.
Where to place keywords on your Facebook page?
- In the URL – choose a custom and relevant name for your page.
- In the page description.
- In posts (at the beginning of the post).
Just like when it comes to traditional websites, keyword optimization is the most fundamental form of SEO. The most important pieces to pay attention to are the About section and the Company Description, as these areas are pulled from your Facebook page as SEO tags.
Here is an example of how a search engine indexes the page:
SEO title = Name of the page
Meta description = page name + "about" section of the page
To optimize your page for local searches, it is very important to include your address, city, and zip code. For product searches, the company overview, mission, and product fields should be populated with the appropriate information.
Optimize your Facebook page posts
When posting updates on Facebook, remember that the first 18 characters of a Facebook post serve as the post's meta description. Including direct links to your site is also a good practice to follow.
Enough about the technical part. Let's also talk about the more creative approach to SEO and online marketing.
How to creatively and at the same time professionally optimize a page in social networks?
Optimizing your Facebook or Twitter page means giving up cold posts and starting interacting and socializing with your fans.
Exclude the barriers of overly formal communication and build friendships with those who follow you.
Place posts with strong headlines that contain relevant keywords that summarize your business. Here are included not only the most searched expressions for the niche in which you operate but also those that are relevant to each product/service you offer.
How do you choose the right Social Media channel?
A first step would be to analyze how each of these social networks could help you, after which you decide where and how to promote yourself.
Each of the social media platforms has its specifics and these particularities must be taken into account.
For example, Facebook or Instagram are areas of relaxation, and conversations with friends, so the printed tone must be detached and friendly, and displays full of images and text easy to read and, of course, assimilate.
Twitter is intended for announcements and updates, but it is not worth exaggerating with the official tone here either.
LinkedIn is the professional voice in social media, providing the opportunity to connect with professionals in the field and share content of mutual interest with them. Recommendations received via LinkedIn are very beneficial in promoting an online business.
The name YouTube suggests itself, so we'll just mention that video exposures can be extremely relevant to visitors, and this platform is the most convenient to share this content.
There are certain niches and fields of activity for which Twitter or Facebook do not meet your needs. Then you can consider Pinterest or LinkedIn.
You can do it by measuring the number of customer testimonials, the number of fans and followers, or assessing the level of sales.
It is not mandatory to be active all at once, because this method of promotion does not consist only of having an account and posting! It is a complex process that requires time and dedication to attract an audience and to generate more traffic, and therefore more sales for your business.
The accounts will bear the name of your business, will have profile pictures containing logos made by professional designers, will be configured according to the company data (website, contact data, etc.) and, if desired or financially possible, will be promoted through various instruments. Include a link to your blog or website; make sure you have your name or your website's name on all the social networks you are active on.
How can you promote your business better on Facebook?
Promotion through social networks has its nuances. SEO articles are not written here as is done for websites. The role of keywords is taken over by hashtags - hyperlinks that direct the user's click exactly to the post in question.
That's why when you post a short description of your product/service on Facebook or Instagram it's important to use the "#" symbol in addition to keywords.
Just as SEO articles bring traffic to the website, so do Facebook posts bring visibility. Post regularly to maintain a relationship with potential customers.
Create a page with unique and relevant content. The more original the descriptions, the more users you will attract. And don't forget to turn on the reviews.
Taking on feedback allows you to improve.
Get the most out of Facebook. Promotion among friends associated with the profile or promotion in groups increases visibility and interest in your products. We can say that the promotional power of the Facebook platform is undeniable.
It is the tool that will propel your business to where you want it.
For the presence in social media to be fruitful, in the sense of the prosperity of your business and for the posts to acquire a viral character, here are some recommendations for optimizing the profile or pages on social networks:
- Start with optimizing your content. Build a favorable, well-thought-out professional image, both from the point of view of the graphic aspects of the profile, as well as communication techniques. Don't get lost in the sea of posts! Stand out by publishing interesting content with an original title that appeals to users and arouses interest.
- Use images or videos that impress. Anything unusual or remarkable will bring an extra share, so be careful how you describe the material you post. Quality is above quantity; don't be everywhere on social media, but only where your audience spends their time. Integrate attractive and compelling content that will capture consumers' attention and make them follow you.
- Pay attention to users and this way you will get more likes.
- Launch ingenious contests and promotions, organize games with fans, and initiate discussions.
- Be honest, approachable, and authentic. In this way, you will establish a lasting relationship with current customers, but also with potential customers. Fans and friends will follow you with interest, remain loyal to you and help you develop your business, even after the campaigns are over.
- Be useful and indispensable, be responsive to readers' problems, and try to solve them.
- Be very careful how accurate your posts are. Avoid grammatical, spelling, and expression mistakes. They affect the quality of the published material and make the article less interesting for readers.
- Set up a posting schedule to stay in the public eye or they might forget you. Also, some social networks take into account the frequency of posts when presenting your content to readers.
If you are a blogger and you want the articles signed by you to appear in the search engine results, it is necessary to develop a profile on Medium. - Use the same description and roughly the same keywords everywhere in social media and then your project will gain consistency in promoting it in front of your fans.
- 80% of your content must be informative to attract and maintain the audience, the rest of the posts must aim to promote and/or sell products and services.
- Geographically locate your target audience, follow them identify their interests, and adapt the content of the posts taking them into account.
- Last but not least, continuously monitor the results of your social media promotion efforts!
There is room for everyone in the virtual environment - but the more operative you are, the more you will be one step ahead of your competitors.
Don't wait any longer. Be creative and exploit the power of social networks to the maximum!
The more you delight the audience, the more fans and shares you will get. Create quality content, then analyze your results. Notice what has the strongest impact on readers and serve them more of that.
Success! And if you don't have enough time or knowledge in social media promotion, you can always rely on our Social Media Marketing services, so contact us to ask for a quote.