Social media has become one the fastest ways to general viral free traffic on the internet. The popularity comes down to its ease of use and while anybody with a keyboard and knowledge of typing can make use of this phenomenon many still go array with it. I have documented some newbie tips to help you get your social media campaign on the right track and practicing these on three of the largest social media networks will reap plentiful rewards of targeted traffic.
How To Get Free Viral Traffic From Social Media Channels
Building Website Traffic Using Facebook
Facebook has rapidly become the top social networking website in the world. Most people think of Facebook as a way to find and contact all their old high school buddies or reconnect with their first boyfriend or girlfriend. Reconnecting and keeping up with friends certainly is the primary reason Facebook has become so popular, but it is also a valuable marketing tool when used correctly.
Here are some tips on how to use Facebook effectively to build website traffic.
People won’t care to be a fan of your Facebook page if there isn’t something in it for them. The most important thing you can provide for them is useful and interesting content. Search out the problems your potential customers have and offer them solutions in the content on your Facebook page. Then be sure to link from there to your website for more details.
As you highlight your fans’ problems and solutions in the content on your Facebook page, be sure to introduce your product or service as part of the solution. However, be very careful to avoid coming across as overly promotional. Facebook users don’t like to be overtly marketed to. They will put up with a little marketing, but it must be subtly interwoven into your content.
Always encourage your readers to post a response to your content. Ask questions using Facebook’s polling feature. Conduct surveys. You can then use those questions to create new content and keep the potential customers engaged in a social conversation.
People respond better to pictures and video, so be sure to use these elements frequently in your Facebook page posts. Visual elements help keep your fans on your page longer and create more opportunities for engagement.
Don’t limit your posts on your Facebook page to your own content. Share content from experts in related areas as well. This helps keep your Facebook page from appearing too promotional and lets your fans know that your page is a comprehensive source of information. They are more likely to keep checking your page for updates when this is the case.
Don’t leave it to chance whether your fans “like” or share your posts. Be sure to actively encourage them to do so. When fans “like” or share your content, it exposes your Facebook page to more potential fans and potential customers.
If you want fans to trust your business, you must make your Facebook presence look professional. Use a professionally designed graphic as your business’ profile picture. Split your content between your Facebook page and your website in order to encourage people to move from one to the other.
Be sure to use Facebook like buttons on your website and even manage your website comments through Facebook. This will help get more viewers to your website on a regular basis
Facebook can be an extremely powerful marketing tool when used correctly. If you engage your fans and treat them with respect, you will build a very loyal following, resulting in new customers.
Building Website Traffic Using Twitter
Twitter has not lost its place as one of the premier social networking sites around. In spite of the rise of Facebook and Google+, Twitter is still growing every day. Whereas Facebook and Google+ are based more upon friendships and relationships, Twitter has grown into something quite different. Although you still “follow” people, most of the interactions on Twitter are based on areas of interest rather than friendships.
Here are 4 tips to break through the clutter to build website traffic successfully using Twitter.
Tip Number 1 – Don’t just randomly post links to your business website.
Although you can gain a little traction by just posting links to your website, the best way to get yourself added to other peoples’ lists of accounts they pay closer attention to is to regularly post links to a wide variety of useful content. People tend to use the live search feature of Twitter in order to find conversations about subjects which interest them. Posting a wide variety of content is more likely to make you show up in their search. The trick is to link to that content through your own website. Post a few words of your analysis of the information on your own website with a link to the original and direct people to your website first.
Tip Number 2 – Research keywords related to your business and use them in your Tweets.
Although Twitter’s search feature is obviously not the same as the Google search engine, people often use it to search for current information on the subjects they are interested in. Use keyword research to find popular terms that people are searching for and then build on those to cover related areas. This will bring your business to the attention of people who are currently in the market for what you are selling.
Tip Number 3 –Use Twitter to help you build an email list
Let’s face it, whatever widget or service you are selling very few people will read a Tweet and then purchase right away. Post interesting content on your website and then make sure to have an auto-responder opt in form embedded in the post. Use this to build a relationship over the long-term. Gain your potential customer’s trust so they will be willing to look more closely when the time to buy does arrive. Don’t blast this email list with constant attempts to sell them something. Make it about teaching them over time and they will decide on their own to trust you and do business with you.
Tip Number 4 – Help people and answer their questions
Use the live search feature yourself to find people who are talking about your keywords and then interact with them. Try to avoid being spammy and just blasting the same link to your website to hundreds of different people. Interact with them in a real way so that people see you are truly interested in helping people, and as Zig Ziglar said “You can have anything you want if you help enough other people get what they want.”
It is easy to get lost in the clutter on Twitter, but these tips can help you draw the attention of the right people to build a relationship with and eventually draw them in as customers.
Building Website Traffic Using LinkedIn
LinkedIn has become one of the premier social networking sites around. Yet LinkedIn is very different from most other social networking sites because LinkedIn is oriented primarily to connecting business professionals to other business professionals.
In order to build website traffic using LinkedIn, you must get noticed by your potential customers. LinkedIn offers several features and tools that are different from other sites and are designed to highlight features of your business which might appeal to those customers.
Here are a few of those unique features
1 – Use LinkedIn Recommendations
Users with recommendations are vastly more likely to get noticed by potential customers. Recommendations are essentially testimonials.
Be sure to ask all your LinkedIn connections to recommend you and return the recommendation when you ethically can. The more recommendations you have, the more credibility you will have as an expert in your field. The more credibility you have, the more likely those connections are to want to read your website content.
2 – Participate in LinkedIn Answers
“Answers” is a special section within LinkedIn where people can post questions. Answer questions that are relevant to your industry and your experience in order to establish yourself as a credible expert. This will increase the trust factor you have when dealing with potential customers. You can post content on your website that addresses the problems and questions you find here.
3 – Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
First, be sure to fill your profile out completely. Include all your education and all your previous employment information. The system will use this information to help link you with people you might already have a connection with.
The LinkedIn Recommendations will appear on your profile, but in addition you can click on the tab labelled “Add Sections” which appears just below the box at the top of your profile. This will open up many enhanced options for your profile. Add any awards, volunteer experience, courses and certifications. If you are in the real estate field you can actually show listings available! If you have a book published, you can add it here. (Consider self publishing a book through CreateSpace if you don’t already have one published) This will help enhance your trust and credibility, and also help establish more connections.
4 – Use Pictures
Most people are very visual in nature. They want to see what other people look like. It helps them recognize and form a more personal connection with what they are reading. Be sure to use an appropriate photo on your profile.
5 – Establish as many connections as you can.
Connect LinkedIn to your email address book to be sure you are connected with all your friends and business contacts. In addition, take note of the connection suggestions you receive when you sign in and send a connection request when appropriate. Over time your network will expand exponentially.
LinkedIn can easily be a goldmine for many types of professionals if you work it correctly. Spending just a few minutes per day on it can help generate a lot of website traffic.
While many of the tips on this lists are mostly overlooked by newbies and pros alike it is essential to try to practice them and get accustomed to them with your daily social media marketing plan.
Stay tuned for more newbie marketing tips.
