Energize Your Marketing
Through Social Media
Part 2 of 3
Convert
As nice as it is when someone visits your Web site, conversion occurs after initial contact (sometimes long after) when a potential consumer either purchases a product or provides personal contact information. In social media campaigns, conversion is measured by:
- An increase in Facebook, Twitter and blog followers
- Email captures
- Requests for purchase
- Product purchases
Integrate
Social media campaign components do not work individually. When you integrate components, you experience an exponential surge in consumer awareness and attention.
Website
When integrated with social media, your Web site:
- Serves as a landing pad for Facebook posts and Tweets
- Provides your most detailed, long-term information view
- Hosts blogs, increasing credibility and raising search engine ratings
Think of your Web site as books in a library. The books themselves don’t reach out for attention; rather they provide detailed information when someone goes looking for it. To integrate your Web site:
- Build social media functionality into Web site
- Align metadata and tags with keyword search results
- Add Facebook apps, Twitter apps and RSS feed links
- Host a content-relevant blog directly on the Web site
- Build in link-baits
Facebook is one of the most effective means of “outreach” for today’s consumers. With more than 350 million users, Facebook has become the place where consumers have daily conversations about topics of interest with their “friends.” Facebook is also where early adopters let everyone know about what’s new, innovative and interesting. While many businesses are creating Facebook profiles, a successful Facebook strategy is integrated with an overall marketing and PR campaign. Integration involves:
- Using your keyword analysis to write compelling content in Facebook posts
- Launching Facebook groups (or have your passionate consumers launch the groups)
- Posting regularly
- Including videos and photos in your posts
- Creating a Facebook ad campaign
Tweets are passing bits of intrigue in a sea of information. Tweets attract attention to a headline, which is then linked to a video, podcast or webpage. Twitter works best for announcing events or status updates or building a loyal following. Twitter requires multiple tweets a day (which requires a resource) and can best be leveraged when public interest already exists concerning a topic. To integrate Twitter:
- Have your Tweets automatically update on Facebook
- Use apps, such as bit.ly, to shorten url links
- Coordinate Tweet content with your PR strategy
- Re-tweet content from prominent tweeters
LinkedIn is the social media service for professionals. Use this service to build B2B relationships. A LinkedIn profile is similar to a Facebook profile, except that the information is more static. On the other hand, LinkedIn groups are better organized and easier to search than Facebook groups. Integrate LinkedIn with your social media campaign by writing LinkedIn profiles for key personnel and participating in relevant groups.
Blog
Blogs are the best way to keep your web content current. Every time you post a new blog, the search engine registers new content on your site and ups your rating. Blog posts are simple to create and can help establish a professional as an authority.
Email differs considerably from Facebook and Twitter in that it lands in a consumer’s in-box and stays there until the consumer sees it. Facebook posts and tweets, on the other hand, float by in a dizzying rush, and are only useful if the consumer happens to see them before they are pushed off the page. Email integration strategies should include:
- Email capture and email “baits” that are built into the web design
- A branded email blast template to use when announcing news, product info, research results, etc.
- An E-zine for communicating weekly updates or newsletters
- Email capture that asks only for email and first name
- Confirmation links that are “above the fold”
Continue to part 3: Energize Your Marketing Through Social Media.
