Four Principles of Social Media

Social media has become a preferred ingredient in most well-implemented search engine optimization campaigns. Social media presents an opportunity to engage online with communities to develop better customer relationships and build brand equity and recognition. If it all goes according to plan, a brand has created a new slew of loyal customers and, ultimately, an increased revenue stream. That is why marketers are continuously exploring the uses of social media and how it can be leveraged for any strategic effort. Here are four principles of social media that have proven to be successful for online marketers, optimizers, and organizations.

Listen to the People

Before you take command of your own brand conversation in the multitude of social outlets, you should listen to what is being said first. Visit blogs within your industry. Conduct a Twitter Search. Find where the conversations are originally coming from and where they are getting their news. Ease yourself into the stream of conversations. Choose your words carefully and make them relevant and valuable. Through social media participation, you will start influencing people within your niche community and emerge as a thought leader. By listening proactively and helping to solve problems, your brand’s online presence will build a trusting, loyal following.

Choose Measurable Goals

When you enter the realm of social marketing, it is imperative that you have an established objective. Otherwise, you can get swept away in the stream of socializing without direction. You jumped in to swim strongly, not to tread water. Your objectives need to match up with your social content generation. SEO content efforts, blogs, podcasts, Twitter and Facebook profiles, they all need to specifically apply to the overarching objective. This could be an increase in traffic, higher conversion rates, or page ranking.

Round Pegs Into Round Holes

When you implement social tactics into your online marketing, be sure that you fit the right tactics to the right goals. Social media is used quite frequently to generate online buzz or, in SEO-speak, web traffic. This traffic may be ‘brand fans’ or they may be other industry experts who want to network. Either way, you are getting a new set of people to link to, which is great for your link building campaign in more traditional SEO efforts.

Content is King

On the Web, content is king. People are not going to browse your site or read your blog if you don’t have something relevant and valuable to say. Which means that they are not going to buy what you are selling. If you are starting a social media initiative, you need to make sure that you can create this content on a consistent basis. You need two main ingredients for good content: a great story to tell and people who are willing to be engaged with it. If you can tell an interesting story that is original and deliver it on a regular basis, then you will have a successful go at social. A great litmus test for your content generation abilities, start an email newsletter and see how it flies with the people who are already engaged with your organization.

If you know what you want to achieve, have the resources, and approach it all in an intelligent and cautious fashion, a social media marketing initiative will help any well-implemented SEO campaign.

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