Wednesday, May 7, 2014

SFIMA Recap: Today's SEO Tomorrow - Social Search & Beyond

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the Pubcon SFIMA Summit here in Fort Lauderdale. I am always excited for this event because it is such an overflow of information, and there's always tips and secrets that I can start implementing that very day. I learned many great things this time around, and my favorite session was by Mindy Weinstein (who was also a total joy to talk to after her session!), who spoke about “Today’s SEO Tomorrow: Social Search & Beyond.” As an SEO professional, is there anything more important than knowing how to not only exist in the present, but to survive (and thrive) in the future? I’d argue no.  This session helped delve into the current state of search and how to integrate social media to get your company (or clients) ready for the future.

I’d like to share a few of Mandy’s tips with you.

Recognize the impact of personalized search, and utilize it! This is where keyword research for your brand comes in handy.
Know how social media/social signals affect search rankings. Search is and will be increasingly driven by social. Consumers want companies they can trust! Comments, likes, shares, and votes are all valuable in determining your social credibility.
Use your social networks in the right way. Consumers are using social to find what they need. Twitter is great for providing conversational and quick feedback (check out Comcast and Delta on twitter for examples of this), Facebook is used for local and national brands, Google + gives you the maximum SEO benefits, and Instagram and Pinterest are image driven.

A quote I heard earlier in the day that I loved was, “Try to do everything, and you’ll be great at nothing.” Take this tidbit into your social media efforts and decide which networks are the best for you brand rather than diluting your presence across all of the networks.

But let’s backtrack for a second…

What are you sharing on social media? Content! You need to create content that your customers are looking for—help them solve problems, do competitor research and see what content they are creating, and push the awesome content you’ve got out across social media. Become a resource, don’t be a megaphone.

If you have any questions or would like help implementing some of these ideas, don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at Tandem!

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