Talk to your favorite web designer about the different facets of Internet marketing and you’re almost inevitably bound to come back to two topics pretty frequently: search engine optimization and social media marketing.
Nearly every business owner understands that it’s important to achieve a high ranking on Google, and we all know that having a popular Facebook business page can pay off in a big way. However, the methods you use to achieve these goals are not all that similar. For those of us who’ve been working with search engines for a long time, building a social following can feel like digital age alchemy.
That’s because social platforms run on attention and engagement, rather than keywords and links. Progress is easier to make, but a lot harder to measure. Additionally, there are different paths to social media marketing success, rather than the (more or less) accepted best practices those of us in the industry use to improve visibility on Google.
So where does that leave you as a business owner or marketer? What’s the social media marketing equivalent of search engine optimization? If keywords and links won’t make you stand out on Facebook, what will?
The short answer is that instead of producing keyword-focused articles, the key to making an impression on Facebook is getting lots of likes and shares. After all, the site uses an engagement-focused model to determine what shows up in someone’s newsfeed. If people are talking about your content, it’s going to be easier to find.
With that in mind, here is a quick SEO-like guide to social media marketing that can help you take advantage of Facebook’s attention algorithm…
Know Your Audience and Post For Them
The social media world is just as big and diverse as the actual world. You can’t appeal to everyone. Focus on your intended audience, or target market, and ensure you are posting material that will grab their attention. It doesn’t matter if what you put out there doesn’t seem interesting to anyone else.
Say it With Pictures When You Can
Numerous studies have confirmed that images (and to a lesser degree videos) tend to get many more times the number of likes and shares as text-based social posts do. So, if you can condense what you have to say down into a visual, make that your first choice.
Minimize Text and Make it Readable
Of course, even most social posts that are dominated by photographs are going to have some kind of text. Try to get your message across in as few words as possible, and use a large enough font that can be sure it’s easy to read.
Ask Yourself the Number One Question
The big question and social posting is this: would one of my fans or followers click a button to like this, share it, or even comment on it? If the answer is “no,” go back to the drawing board and come up with something else.
Have a Conversion Plan in Place
Not all of your social posts are going to drive sales and leads, but they should mention your website or hint at a next step. In the end, social media marketing is about generating real-world business opportunities, so don’t skip this crucial step.
Marketers like to talk about search engine optimization and social media promotion as if they were entirely different disciplines, and in many ways they are. However, both have formulas that can be applied successfully again and again to generate sales and leads. We hope you’ll take the advice from our quick guide and put the steps in to action today. It might be just what you need to kick your social marketing efforts into a higher gear.
If you’re looking for expert help with web design, search engine optimization, or social media marketing, now is a great time to contact a member of our team to schedule a free consultation!