Social Media

Social Media marketing is generally observed as the process of gaining attention or traffic through the use of social media and, when used correctly, it can be a valuable resource to promote your website.

 

Make sure, however that you measure your time promoting in social networks to your visitor traffic and revenue earned.

Social media is chiefly used as a mode to “discover” new information and actually works to connect those interested in specific information with those who provide it. And because social media sites are used much in the same way as search engines, you have a great opportunity to promote your website to people who are actually looking for the information, services etc. you provide.

You can begin promoting your website on various social media platforms by creating “posts” that will be used to peak the interest of someone searching online. Because social media posts are generally short and to the point, these posts should link back to your website so that online searchers can be connected to additional information.

The type of social media post you create will largely depend on the social media platform you’re using. Below is a breakdown of the difference between posts when it comes to Twitter and Facebook – the two most popular social media sites when it comes to promoting your website to a North American audience.

Because news and information flows so quickly on Twitter, it’s a great place to post news-based items with a link back to a full article on your website. However, because Twitter posts, or “tweets,” are capped at 140 characters, including spaces, you need a quick, impact lead to grab the attention of the user, followed by a link to your website:

For example, in promoting a website about UFOs, you might want to spark the interest of audiences by focusing on a recent sighting:

“UFO sighting in Albuquerque! Check out the photos here!” (link to your website)

More than having a 140 character limit, Twitter also incorporates hashtags (#) to make searching for specific topics easier.

Hashtag Defined: A hashtag is a symbol (#) that has been co-opted by Twitter as a method to categorize tweets. It works by marking keywords, topics or phrases which users search for.

Using Hashtags: A hashtag is placed before the relevant word or phrase to make it more searchable, and thus more likely to show up in search results. For instance, should users be looking for the latest information regarding UFO sightings, they might search #UFOsightings so as to ensure their results only bring up those tweets regarding UFO sightings as opposed the UFOs in general.

Here's an example of a tweet that incorporates a hashtag:

“Ever wonder if UFOs are real? See what our resident expert has to say about the latest #UFOsighting (link to website).

Promoting your website via Facebook is a little different than using Twitter, but still just as valuable. While users wont typically be searching the topic of “UFO Sightings,” for example, if they know your website or company, they can choose to “follow” your site or organization and, from then on have an instant “feed” of news going directly to them. As more and more Facebook users “like” your website’s Facebook Page, your website and posts will be fed to their “friends” on Facebook. This process effectively works to recommend your website to their friends, exposing your site to new audiences.

From a content standpoint, the information you include in your Facebook posts will be largely the same as your Twitter posts, however, because there is no limit on characters, you can add more information.

Taking from the above example about UFO sightings, here is what a related Facebook post might look like:

“Ever wonder if UFOs are real? For years people have been arguing for and against their existence, but, as with anything, the proof is in the pudding! Check out the latest photos from UFO sighting in Albuquerque and see what our resident UFO specialist has to say” (link to website)

To begin posting on either platform, you will need a Facebook and Twitter Account.