So many brands make the mistake of marketing with social media separately from their other strategies, but it is crucial for all the aspects of digital marketing to work in tandem with each other. SEO and social media are not unrelated marketing strategies. They should be working arm in arm to boost your traffic and sales.
At first glance, you might be wondering, “How can my SEO be related to my social media account activity?” It’s actually very simple: social media accounts are prioritized by search engines and your customer base as representatives of your company. Your social media should be promoting your site, and vice versa.
So, how can you set your SEO and social media tactics straight for your small business? Below are eight tips you need to start incorporating right now.
1. Remember Social Media Platforms Are Search Engines
When you are planning your business’s social media activity, it is crucial to remember that social media platforms are search engines in a similar way to Google and Yahoo. Many people now search brands on social media just as much as they type them into their preferred search engine site.
If you are not representing your brand in a polished and enticing way on social media, drop everything and fix your profiles. When a potential customer looks for a topic or product that you’re offering or prioritize, they should see your content pop up in their social media search.
When you are choosing words and phrasing for anything from your profile to your posts, you should be asking yourself if these are words or phrases people will be using in the search bar.
2. Focus on Your Niche
You probably should not have even gotten this far into your marketing plans without first having a lock on your niche. If you haven’t explicitly written out your target audience and area of expertise yet, do it now.
The internet and social media platforms are as vast as the ocean, so you need to pick a nice, small pond. Make sure your phrasing for your social media posts and website content all call out to indicators like geographical location and specific age groups and genders.
That’s just how SEO works, anyway!
3. Provide Informative and Engaging Content
Once you know exactly who your audience is, you should be identifying their unique pain points. Knowing what your customer base struggles with and how you can solve their problems will help you focus on the perfect content.
Make your specific audience feel appreciated and offer solutions to that group. When you provide valuable content for free, you will grow an audience that respects your expertise and is more willing to pay in the future.
Write long-form content with great SEO for your website and make sure pictures and videos you use on social media are high quality and eye-catching.
4. Content Calendars are a Must
It is imperative that your goals align across platforms. When you are choosing content to be released at specific times, it should be part of a campaign that you are also executing on all the other platforms.
If you are planning the release of a Youtube video, make sure you write engaging SEO content for your website and social media accounts that will raise awareness and drive traffic to that video. If you post a blog, make sure to share that blog with great SEO on your accounts.
For this reason, maintaining a comprehensive content calendar is a must. It will help you plan your campaigns to be consistent across all platforms, boosting the chance of your target audience engaging with your content.
5. Listen to Your Audience
Social media and the internet are ever-evolving, and so are trends. Your audience will not always be in the same place or be looking for the same solutions. When you identify your audience, your work doesn’t stop there.
You need to stay on top of your research and keep changing your tactics to meet your customers where they are.
This does not mean that you should have your social media and content addressing a broad range of topics or focusing on different things. All of your SEO tactics should be updated constantly and applied across all platforms.
Search online and stay involved in your community’s forums and platforms for conversation. See what problems they are facing currently and update your content to fit their present needs.
6. Keep the Channel’s Key Use in Mind
Keeping your content working in tandem across all platforms does not mean that you should copy and paste your content on every channel. It also does not mean that you should have a profile on every possible channel.
You need to first focus on a few channels where you can spend all your time and effort efficiently. Identify why people use those channels and write your copy and choose your content accordingly.
If you are writing a blog for your site, write it so that it answers common questions people would type into a search engine. If you are putting together a post for Pinterest or Instagram, think about why someone would want to engage with that post. Are they looking for inspiration, a solution, or entertainment?
Phrase all of your copy with SEO that speaks to that audience according to their reasons for browsing.
7. Include Hyperlinks
When it comes to driving traffic to your content, you need to make it as simple and direct as possible. Your audience will be scrolling and may not necessarily have an intention of leaving the platform they are on. You can entice them to visit your other platforms and content by hyperlinking.
Hyperlinks literally make your other content one click away. Include them on your social media posts and in your articles whenever you can. Combine it with a call to action and you’ve got yourself an effective marketing strategy!
8. Keywords are King
Keywords are king in the SEO world, and you don’t need a thousand kings to run the world, just a few quality ones. You need to find keywords that will target your audience specifically and use them efficiently.
Choose a couple of high-quality keywords and use them across your platforms. Do not overload your posts with them, just use them as naturally as possible. Otherwise, your audience will become skeptical and search engines will penalize you.
Combine Your SEO and Social Media Tactics
The benefits of SEO and social media marketing can tremendously boost your digital marketing strategy. Combining the efforts in both realms will do wonders for your business.
If you’re looking for some extra help in getting the attention of your target audience, get started with PopUp Domination today!