What is Social Media?

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, social media can be defined as any form of electronic communication (such as Web sites) through which people create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, etc.

Social media are also an online medium through which individuals, companies or organizations can create, share, and exchange information, ideas, and interests in a virtual community.

What is SEO?

SEO is an abbreviation for search engine optimization or search engine optimizer. Search engine optimization is simply a combination of strategies, techniques, and tactics used to increase the number of visitors to a website by ranking high in search engines such as google, yahoo, bing and so on.

When a website has a very high SEO ranking, it becomes relatively easy for people who are searching for such a website to find it easily on search engines. Thereby making it easier to drive more traffic to the website.

The Impacts of Social Media on SEO

Social media and SEO are beginning to look more and more like each other each day. This means that SEO is taking on more and more characteristics of social media every day. This is not to say that SEO is turning into social media marketing where people communicate with each other on some SEO network. However, it does mean that social media is beginning to impact SEO in big ways.

Social media has a major impact on SEO. This is called “social signals.” The search engines have learned that those businesses that have people talking about them on the social media are more relevant than those businesses that do not have anyone talking about them at all.

Some major search engines have even taken it upon themselves to develop social media systems for this purpose. Although many of these systems have failed, they have left the social signals up that relate to sites. This means that the businesses that get those social signals connected to their sites are businesses that have better rankings. The search engines trust themselves the most; therefore, if a person has the opportunity to get social signals from the system in question, then they should get those signals as soon as possible.

Let’s consider the example below:

Supposing a company has introduced an unusual new service that is not available anywhere else, and now wants to increase the awareness of it among Internet users.

It could combine social media and SEO marketing by submitting links on social bookmarking sites (Reddit, Care2, Digg, etc.) to an article on its website about the service.

If people “share” the link mentioned above, they will appear on more important pages of the bookmarking services as well as provide an increasing SEO benefit.

Some of these will be successful, while others are ignored. Either way, the submission of these links often helps a new web page become indexed in search engine results more rapidly.

Another way businesses and organizations combine these two forms of marketing is to operate their own blogs, MySpace pages, or micro-blogs.

On Twitter, for example, an interesting post may be “retweeted” by other users, enhancing its visibility and making the associated link appear on additional user pages across the site.

The marketing benefits can be magnified when social media content itself is optimized using SEO techniques.

A page on MySpace or Twitter, for example, will do more to promote a site if it uses keywords the correct way or has its own inbound links. A link posted to Digg or Reddit will help SEO efforts more if it has popular search keywords in its title.

Some methods to combine social media and SEO worked well in the past but have become less effective. Blog comment areas that have added the “Nofollow” tag to their links are of little use to SEO, although they can still produce direct traffic. The same goes for Wikipedia links and most sponsored blog postings.

Although social media based marketing requires some time and effort, one major advantage is that it doesn’t directly cost any money. It has also been know to combine fast results with an effective and attention-getting format. These benefits will probably ensure that marketers continue to develop new ways to promote businesses and enhance SEO using social media.

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One way you can count on standing out from the crowd is creating and sharing your story. Share a relatable story and sprinkle a piece of you into every piece of content you share and you’ll create a community that follows you because they like YOU. And who do people buy from? People. But not just any people. People they know, like, and trust!

Storytelling in content marketing isn’t something to ignore. After all, we love a good read. We want to be excited about what the next paragraph holds. We want to hold on to every word. We don’t want to feel bored after reading the first sentence. If all of your content is about a subject without a personal twist, you’re bound to bore your audience to tears.

“Marketing is no longer about the stuff you make, but about the stories you tell.” ~ Seth Godin

Successful small businesses are amazing at sharing stories and speaking to us in a language we recognize.

Two Christmases ago, I was looking for the perfect unique stocking stuffer for my husband. I saw the usual “Top 100 gifts for men” articles that made me want to throw my laptop on the ground and stomp on it (honestly, does my husband really want a tie clip?) And then I came across something called the Dollar Shave Club. Granted, my husband didn’t really need another razor BUT he did always need razor blades. This company caught my eye because they weren’t just selling razors and razor blades. They were selling a story in addition to convenience. Why pay more for razor blades you don’t need when you can get them delivered to your house each month at a fraction of the price you’d pay for them in-store? Not only was I bought into the convenience factor, but I also enjoyed their videos and hilarious slogans that came with each package like this one “If you’re scratching and cutting – you better be a DJ” LOL! Dollar Shave Club is great at telling stories and injecting personality into their marketing.

If people don’t know you and can’t relate to you, they won’t be as inclined to buy from you. Here are some tips to make storytelling in content marketing work for you.

Keep it personal – First and foremost, show the person behind your brand. If you’re posting a video and you stumble on your words, think twice about editing them out. When writing your About page, include fun facts about you and the reason why your company was started in the first place. Reel them in to your life.

Listen to your audience – Are there already stories being told that you could work from? Listen and observe in your Facebook or LinkedIn groups, hop on Quora, or ask your audience directly what resonates with them. There’s a Tim Horton’s commercial out right now that gets me teary-eyed every time. A daughter and her husband are cleaning out her parent’s garage and she finds a box filled with Tim Horton’s cups with major life events written on them. How many of us Tim Horton drinkers can relate to this (and wish we did something similar?) From moves to babies and weddings, there’s been a Tim Horton’s cup for each major life event in my life!

Show the benefits – How can your product or service change someone’s life? If you’re a life coach, create a video filled with testimonials from happy clients. Focus in on the clients who have experienced a mindset shift and how that impacted their life in a positive way. Happy clients will be more than thrilled to share their wins thanks to your service.

Be humorous – Things that make you laugh and smile are memorable. If you’ve got a funny story behind your brand or even yourself to share, do it!

Share in a format your audience is drawn to – Know your audience. If they enjoy watching videos, then sharing your stories via video will resonate with them.

Make it interactive – Don’t just share your stories, include your audience! From Periscope live streaming (Facebook has this ability now, too) to Instagram, and Twitter, there are several tools available now that allows us to include the people we’re sharing with! Here’s a great article with tips on how to make your content interactive. 

The point of marketing today is building relationships, not direct selling. Content marketing has become the best way to increase your online authority because people get to know you by reading, listening, and watching what you’re putting out there. Share what you know but also make it personal. Content that connects is what buyers will gravitate to.

The post How Storytelling in Content Marketing Works For Your Business appeared first on Social Media Management and Marketing Consulting.

We all appreciate the human side of social media. Raise your hand if you totally ignore or reject obvious sales posts on Facebook?

*hand raised*

Remember, social media is meant to be social. People click into Facebook or head over to Twitter to interact with their friends and learn about interesting news. They don’t log in to be inundated with sales pitches.

So, then, why is social media so popular with business?

Because people buy from people, especially people they know and trust. Social media allows us to form connections, build relationships, and take a peek at what a company is really about without having to make an appointment with the front reception. As consumers, we want to rally with the brands we buy from. We want to feel as though we’re a part of their world. We want to be proud of our purchasing decisions and eager to share them with the world. As businesses, we can be the name people want to share by forming connections and building loyal communities.

How can you, as a business, become the brand your audience wants to follow and eventually buy from? By sharing  you! Here are five great tips to show the human side of your business on social media:

1. Share what you really think (to a point) – Opinion rocks on social media. People are drawn to what others think and feel about certain topics. Your business, no matter how big or small, has a belief system. Keep it on the lighter side (politics and religion are always off the table, in my opinion) but don’t be afraid to share why you don’t agree that the dress is blue and black (it’s white and gold) or that content isn’t king (it totally is) as per Derek Halpern.
2. Share other updates besides business – Like the posts I mentioned above. People don’t always want to click on your social profile and see business, business, business. Share other things that you know your niche will appreciate. Like that viral cat video for a Monday morning smile, or a link to your dream vacation getaway on a snowy day.
3. Share personal photos and videos – Snap a photo of your slippers perched up on the coffee table, wine glass in hand, after a long hard week. Or a video of what your office looks like first thing in the morning. People gravitate to things that are relatable to them, remember that.
4. Share a personal story – Whether it’s how your business began or something interesting that happened to you over the weekend, share stories about who you are. Companies can do this too by having employees take turns sharing themselves. Learning about what we have in common with people are the seeds that grow trust and loyalty.
5. Engage, engage, engage – I can’t stress this one enough. When people like, comment, or retweet your posts, be sure to acknowledge it with a comment back! It’s important that our audiences feel heard and that what they’re saying is respected. This goes for positive and negative comments. If you’re hit with a negative comment, respond to it in a professional way and offer to take it offline. Not saying anything will only make you look uninterested (even if that’s far from the case).

When it comes to social media, showing the human side of your business will only strengthen connections and loyalty. Share the personality  behind your social media handle and you’ll soon  develop a community that will want to buy from you.

~Caroline~

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