Social media has proven to be wildly effective in driving web-traffic. Last week we mentioned how inbound marketers have succeeded with these tools. This week, we want you to understand HOW to USE these tools so you can generate more web-traffic as we enter 2017.
Here are some factors to consider as you develop your social-media strategy:
- CONSISTENCY
Consistency is key. Especially when it comes to social media. Your audience wants posts. And they want to see them on a regular basis. Otherwise, they will lose confidence in your brand as a reliable and credible source.
So, build your social-media following with relevant content on a scheduled basis. And in time, you will see your web-traffic growing, & your leads and revenue growing as well.
2. WRITE ENGAGING CONTENT
Content is KING. But only if the content is relevant to your viewers. If you want to succeed with social-media posts, you have to get inside the mind of your audience. Demographics is a great way to do this:
- Location
- Age
- Gender
- Income
- Education Level
- Religion
- Ethnicity
- Marital Status
- Number of Children
Not all of these will be relevant. But if you are an online-cosmetics store, the ethnicity and income status of your main buyers/website visitors are important variables to consider.
How can you GET these demographics?
Google Analytics is an excellent analytical tool. If you have an account, just go to Audience < Demographics < Overview, and receive the demographics of your website viewers and/or social media following(s). Check out LXRMarketplace’s blog on Google Analytics Insights to learn more.
Also, look for previous patterns you’ve seen on these social-media channels. Google Analytics can help you identify website viewers who came through social media, the channels they came through, and the pages they most frequently visited.
Facebook Insights and Twitter Analytics can also provide you with insight into the number of viewers that are engaged with these tools, and the posts with the highest engagements.
So, if the majority of your website visitors are middle-income Caucasian & Latina women, and they have engaged most frequently with Tweets related to skin foundation, it may be wise to write test-posts which emphasize the affordability & diversity of this product.
Then…
3. TEST, ASSESS, AND REPEAT POSTS:
(a) Start making test posts with content based on the above referenced research and insights.
(b) Measure the effect these posts have on web-traffic, engagements, and/or conversions. What Facebook posts had the highest engagements? What Twitter posts had the greatest number of re-tweets. Did morning Twitter posts correlate with a high number of blog visits? If so, how were those Tweets written?
There is just an infinite number of conclusions that can be drawn. Just be sure to consistently track the results so you do not miss out on any significant patterns.
(c) Finally repeat the patterns that were most effective! Simple. And continue generating posts that you believe will address the needs of your audiences in each of those specific channels.
So here it is! 3 great tips on how to use social media as you enter 2017! There are many more methods – but start focusing on these as a foundation. Think about how these tactics specifically mold into your inbound-marketing strategy. Then soon after, revenue and sales will follow!
