“You’re missing opportunities with your social media accounts.”
That message is rarely well-received, especially when I deliver it to colleagues and clients. Quite often, people tend to dismiss the idea that something as simple as Facebook or Twitter can be used incorrectly, or at least less than ideally, for professional purposes.
Yet many of them do it. Perhaps you do, too, with your business pages. The problem arises when search engine optimization (SEO) is left out of your social media strategy.
Well-written content with targeted keywords and shared links help you draw new customers to your website with SEO through tools such as Google. But we know search engines crawl more than your website for information on your business. They also index your social media accounts. Plus, your prospective customers are looking for you in search engines and social media. Can they find you in both places?
If you’re not convinced about implementing SEO in your social media, consider these three points:
Social media reinforces your online presence: The more you share strategically in online space with the goal of helping your customers, the more authority – and business – you develop. Put the same keywords you target in Google in your social media posts and on your profile pages. Then, maintain your social media accounts with links and content that reinforce your authority for general audiences and search engines alike.
Google has added your Facebook and Twitter feeds to its results pages: Memes of angry cats and pictures of puppies telling us how close it is to Friday are appropriate for personal social media pages. They might even help you tally a handful of likes and shares. However, your business is better off sharing links that lead your prospective customers back to your website for the sake of generating business. Be strategic so you can provide more than entertainment when prospective customers Google you.
Some of your prospective customers use social media platforms as search engines: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and more – all of them have search functions that help prospective customers find you and what you offer. Some will prefer searching for you in social media because a Facebook page, for example, provides clearer examples of what you can offer than a glance at your homepage does, especially if your website is difficult to navigate (if this is the case, Cuppa SEO can help). Lead customers deep into your website through social media posts for the sake of getting them closer to a buying decision.
So where do these points leave you? Regardless of how many followers you have, maintain your social media platforms regularly through SEO strategies. If you do, the links, blogs and stories that build your authority will provide you with more business.
Need help with SEO for your social media or website?
Feel free to contact Cuppa SEO to set up a complimentary consultation.