Webmasters often focus on Google with cursory interest in Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines. That’s understandable given Google’s sheer size, but these days you really must look beyond the search engines for your marketing strategies. Nail the SEO aspect down and you’re golden — neglect social media and other avenues and you could be missing customers.
The Internet continues to evolve and your customers are just as likely to be using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest as they are the search engines. Here’s what you need to know about these four services and others when planning your marketing strategy.
What social media strategy is your business using?
Your business has a Facebook page, doesn’t it? If not, it really should. With more than 1 billion people on this site, you’re missing out on an important and free way to reach new customers.
To create a page, you need to have your own Facebook account. Then, you can choose one of six categories that describe what your page is about: a brand or product, a cause or community, an artist, band or public figure, a company, organization or institution, a local business or place, or for entertainment. You then select the appropriate subcategory, fill out your business name, address, and phone number, and agree to the Facebook page terms.
Once your page is up, you can dress it with the appropriate photos. You should also post a few articles, pictures or other descriptors about your business. You can link to articles on your blog or website too. Encourage people to “like” your page and you’ll build up social media credibility.
The most powerful business site on the Internet is LinkedIn. Sure, businesses use Facebook, but the personal noise that other sites espouse is thankfully missing on LinkedIn.
Like Facebook, you can create your own business page. On LinkedIn you can claim your own page, add your logo, pitch your products, spotlight your services and share what events you’re business is planning. Your personal LinkedIn profile receives a high position in Google search; the same can be said for your business listing. Follow people with care and care about the people that you follow.
Your approach on Twitter will be far different from the way you approach other websites, but that can be a good thing. If you have yet to stake your Twitter claim, you’ll have to do so. Fill out your profile and link it to your website.
Tweeting permits you to serve up 140-character messages, tidbits of information about your company, services and products. Get the hang of this platform and you’ll connect with colleagues, suppliers and clients. You can also closely follow what your competitors are doing.
Pay attention to who is following you and follow people that are established users and have a fan following as well. Avoid peppering your update with your own messages — expect to retweet or share information that belongs to others at least five times the rate of your own promotions.
Among social media sites, Pinterest can be one of the more difficult ones to gauge its importance. Don’t let its picture-centric look dissuade you from participating, however as some companies find that the site provides a significant number of referrals, even rivaling what the search engines provide.
Pinterest is perfect for the business that provides a product to its customers. For example, if you are a baker, you can feature your goodies on the website with a mouth-watering description. Go one step further and share a recipe for those items where your secrets can be revealed. Leverage Pinterest’s communities and you’ll find that your pins are being repinned elsewhere. Only post stellar images and include content that is informative, instructive or entertaining.
Your Approach
Is your marketing approach too search engine centric? If so, then spend more time with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest to extend your reach. All four sites have much to offer and can expose your business in ways that search engine optimization alone cannot do.
Author Information
Jason Bayless is a professional blogger that gives small business and entrepreneurs SEO advice. He writes for BestSEOCompanies.com, a nationally recognized comparison website of the best SEO companies in the United States.
