According to statistics, 61 percent of small businesses find social media an effective tool for increasing website traffic.
In this blog post, we will discuss how social media platforms can be used to increase traffic to your website.
Social media are globally accepted platforms, websites, and mobile applications through which people communicate and share content with each other.
Social media makes use of tools that allow users to share or send the content they see on a site to their friends and family by just clicking a button.
Sharing makes social media the ultimate many- to many marketing tool. Using social media allows you to share content at warp speed.
Connect with customers and prospects
Social media helps you connect with customers on a global level with a personal touch.
When you use social media, you want to create conversations with and amongst your customers that encourages them to come back to you for business.
You can create fans and followers of your social media site. For example, to initiate a conversation, a clothing boutique might share pics of a new fashion trend on Instagram.
Build your brand
You use social media sites to share content that reflects your business, passions, insights, and personality. Doing this gives your business a unique voice distinguishing your brand from your competitors.
For example, a local gym can post motivational pics or quotes daily on its Twitter feed. This activity will help them build their brand in the social market.
Drive traffic to your website
Sharing exciting content such as an enticing blog post or an announcement of a new product can help attract your target audience. They will link back to your website and help increase organic traffic.
For instance, a body shop might announce the arrival of a new collection of summer perfumes on their Facebook page and attach a promotional code for discount customers can avail when they make a purchase on your website.
Establish your expertise
You can build a following of your own when you demonstrate your know-how and expertise on a social site. Your audience recognizes you as a thought leader. Your influence continues to flourish as your audience grows.
For instance, a photographer can use 360 photo ads on Facebook and Instagram stories to demonstrate his skills in photography.
Create great content
Great content is the key to a successful website. Interesting content helps attract traffic and generate leads for your business. B2C businesses should focus more on blog content on social media. Sharing content with other audiences is simplified if plugins are strategically placed.
B2C marketers should also give importance to visual content on social sites. Images and videos having catchy titles and an element of humor in it work best with the audience.
Social media platforms provide the option of paid ads to both B2B and B2C businesses. These ads help improve your social media strategy in the following ways:
- It helps generate leads for your business.
- Paid ads increase awareness about your brand.
- Help you to acquire more customers.
- It helps customers build a perception of your brand.
- It helps distribute your content to reach a wider audience.
With hundreds of social media platforms, it can be quite challenging to choose the one that is most appropriate for your business. Some social media platforms might turn off your audience and negatively impact your brand.
Why?
Why are you launching a campaign on social media?
Who?
Who is your target audience or demographic?
How?
How will you assess your social media campaign?
Social media can be categorized into three main groups:
- Networking
- Promoting
- Sharing
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Networking platforms help nurture strong bonds with your customers.
They are also useful to link up with your peers in your industry and share valuable ideas.
Facebook:
Facebook is the most common networking platform today where users can communicate with a network of friends and common interest groups by creating a profile on Facebook.
Twitter:
It is a microblogging and social networking service used for sending messages or tweets to followers. These tweets can be up to 140 characters long and can carry links to websites. Twitter has become very popular with academics, policymakers, politicians, and the general public. It is very commonly used by smartphone users who refrain from reading lengthy content.
LinkedIn:
It is more suitable for business professionals who desire to establish a connection with peers in the industry.
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As the name suggests, promotional social media platforms are used for creating awareness or promoting brands.
Youtube:
This is the most commonly used promotional video sharing service.
You can post all types of videos on YouTube and also watch about anything you want to gain insight into.
Instagram:
It is a visual platform that helps you connect with your customers at a more personal level. Sharing pics of your team and happy customers help create a positive impact on your brand.
You can update customers with new trends, offer discounts, or flash sales.
You can also Go LIve on Instagram and share real-time information and updates about your small business.
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Sharing platforms:
These social media platforms are the most user-friendly and interactive. These provide a way of sharing and learning with your network as you discuss and share your interests and opinions.
Some examples of sharing based platforms are Blogging and review-based sites such as Blogger and Yelp.
Blogger
It is a blog publishing social platform. Blogs are a great way of increasing traffic to your website. The more content you have on your blog, the more chances your website holds of ranking on the main page of search engines such as Google.
Yelp
It is a platform for sharing reviews about other businesses.
Pinterest is a social media platform where businesses can share images related to their projects, goods, and services. It is much like a pinboard or bulletin board with more exceptional organizational ability. You can discover pins that interest you and organize them accordingly.
Flickr
Flickr is a social networking platform for sharing photos. Users can upload pictures and videos to share with friends and followers.
Different social media platforms work differently for different businesses. All you have to do is to adopt the most suitable strategy to market your business on social media.
Simple Intelligent Systems will be pleased to offer assistance in case of any queries on social media marketing. We would love to hear from you!
