4 ways to be savvy with social media accounts

4 Ways To Be Savvy with Social Media Accounts

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Social media apps aren’t just communication outlets — they’re also great for directing traffic to your website. Today’s savvy inbound marketers have used social media to take their online presence to the next level, whether engaging directly with customers on Twitter or advertising the latest services to target markets on Instagram.

The numbers increasingly show that shrewd brands utilize different techniques on social media to bolster followers to their accounts. And having plenty of followers pays off, with more traffic linking to your website, as well as better search engine placement. Let’s examine how savvy marketers make the best out of their social media experience with four techniques that turn social media accounts into inbound traffic magnets.

I. Social Media As Distribution Channel

All of your content should be announced and distributed through all your social media outlets, and formatted for each app.

This can be as simple as sharing a headline and link on Facebook, but Instagram doesn’t hyperlink in posts, so unique consideration needs to be made for video- and photo-centric posts there.

And on LinkedIn, there’s two different posting options, Status Updates and Long-Form Publishing. HubSpot suggests status updates should be published two to three times a day (which can be a lot of work), while long-form posts should be limited to one to two per week.

Also, make use of automation tools when possible, such as YouTube’s auto-post function to other social media apps.

Using social media gives you extra oversight and control over the resulting conversation. It’s a distribution channel that can produce immediate feedback, giving you a much better view of your market’s attitudes. And if you see an increase in activity on your page, use the momentum to create a Call to Action and link to your site.

II. Encourage Engagement

This cannot be stressed enough: connect with your audience. Responding to users in your posts is a must, but go a step further and join the conversation! Use the myriad social media platforms to show what you know and to educate those asking questions. In doing so, you form a level of trust for your company.

Also, there’s nothing wrong with asking for action from your visitors, as long as you’re friendly. Feel free to ask for shares, comments, retweets, or likes as part of your material.

Some helpful suggestions:

  • Upload media and encourage followers to do the same. Sharing videos and images is the bread and butter of Twitter, Instagram, and the #1 activity on Facebook.
  • Caption contests are great for a quick boost for your media, since they’re easy for your audience to enter.
  • Humanize yourselves in your online persona, as followers respond well to the human angle.
  • Offer exclusive pieces of content, such as videos or slideshows, that are only available to social followers.
  • Ask questions! There’s often no simpler way to get people talking.

An engaged social media audience is one that’s going to be clicking on the links you post up through your various channels. So, keep looking for new ideas to keep them active.

III. Make Sharing Easy

This one’s simple: Pretty much nothing you upload to the Internet should be without sharing buttons built-in.

Your sharing buttons should be plentiful and easy to find. Ideally, you want one-click sharing to as many sites as possible within reach of each piece of content you upload. Look for a space near the content that’s convenient while not getting in the way of the material itself.

IV. Follow The 80/20 Rule

If you’re looking for guidance on how to work in promotional posts without appearing too sales-y, remember the 80/20 Rule. 80% of what you post should be audience-centric; entertaining material that’s thought-provoking, funny, interesting, or informative. The remaining 20% can be directly self-promotional.

It’s more of a rule of thumb, but it does seem to generally hold true. If more than about 1/5 of your material is directly sales-related, it starts driving people off rather than attracting more readers.

Links to your own current blog posts, eBooks, contests, and promotions are great to include on your Facebook page, for example, but if all your posts are promotional, you’ll be lost in your audience’s news feed in no time.

So, post effectively, and remember to know and understand your buyer personas. A well-built buyer persona will give you all of the information you need to know:

  • What topics your audience is interested in.
  • What content your audience enjoys (blogs, videos, infographics, etc.).
  • Where your audience goes for information.
  • What tone and style your audience likes (educational, comedic, etc.).

Remember that social media is expected to be a give-and-take, and online communities reward those who make solid contributions that go beyond sales pitches.

Keep Up The Quality On Social Media

No matter which social media outlets you’re using, remember that quality and compelling content is what drives traffic to your website.

If you keep up a constant pace of interesting material that touches people emotionally or intellectually, you’ll be giving your followers a lot of reason to remember you the next time they’re in the market.