Social Media Tips to Improve SEO

Using search and social data to create content was one of the biggest SEO trends in 2015, and it’s not going away anytime soon.

Long gone are the days of creating content for content’s sake, as search and social data are a huge part of increasing engagement for clients and to attract the right customers. While content is imperative to the conversion of customers, search optimization plays just as important of a role.

Social media presence can greatly increase your search rankings, while quality SEO can improve your social media reach. Having a website that is well integrated with social media platforms will start to define successful online marketing in 2016 more so than a site’s ranking. Having a prominent online presence means that companies will have to optimize their social media as well.

Coupled with the growing importance of mobile apps and the increasing amount of customers using it, social media content needs to be optimized for these searches. This means using vocabulary that customer’s use along with targeted keywords. Engaging content, high-quality images, and links back to the website’s blog will be one of the most important SEO trends in 2016; website development and social media are getting more and more integrated together.

In order to improve your SEO in 2016, check out these three social media tips from Tandem:

Optimizing posts. Pre-existing content allows for another way to search. Along with articles, Google favors popular social media updates in the top sections of its SERPs. In order to optimize a post, you need a strong anchor. It can be anything from a video, infographic, or a link to an article. Once you have a strong foundation, perfect your posts with text that is SEO optimized in order to grab your customer’s attention, as well as improve your chances of showing up in search results.

Brand awareness. Increasing your reputation on social media leads to increased brand awareness, which translates into more branded searches on Google. The more branded searches your company receives on Google, the higher it is going to rank for non-branded keywords. Social media will give your company greater search visibility across the board.

Number of followers. How many followers you have will play a major influence in your rankings. Because Google can detect the quality of your followers, building your brand following organically is imperative. Growing the number of followers you have may take a while, but it is effective; the key is to be consistent. Your brand should post consistently and uniquely, with helpful articles, tips, questions, and discussion starters shared on a regular basis. Following up with any users by engaging them in conversation are the key to growing your number of followers and to increasing your conversion rate. 

Neuromarketing: What the Brain has to do with Sales

For years, Marketers have always thought the key to sales was the right advertising and SEO. As we have seen in the past 5 years with the growth of technology and the progress of apps, SEO is not where marketing ends. Neuromarketing is the newest and most advance form of marketing that is beginning to surface across the globe. Before the study of Neuromarketing, we would never have associated science with sales. But this is definitely a cup of kool-aid you want to get your hands on.

Research has shown and explained to us throughout school that we only use 10% of our brain. Of the 10% of the brain that we use, 95% of our decisions are made subconsciously. So the majority of businesses, marketers and advertisers are only stimulating 5% of their customers brain. So here are 5 tips to helping you market more towards your clients brains then just your brand:

1. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU : Don't focus about saying how great your product or service is, but tell your customer why your product is right for them. Let your product sell itself and people will come running.

2. GET TO THE POINT :  We live in a society that everything needs to be short, sweet, and to the point. Don't give your potential buyers the run around. They want to know what the product is and WHY THEY should buy it. We are impatient creatures and we don't want our time to be wasted, so sell it short and sweet.

3. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS :  Pintrest monopolized the market by doing less talking and more selling through visuals. What we see connects directly with our unconscious brains, which is exactly what you want to reach. Use pictures whenever possible to help sell concepts quickly and efficiently.

4. STRONG START; CAPTIVATING CLOSE : People usually remember the beginning and the ends of things more than the middle. So make sure that you start and end strong, this can make or break the deal.

5. SIMPLICITY IS THE KEY : Do not be to bold or dramatic, your brain wants simplicity. Statistics have shown that too many options when a person is looking to purchase an item can cut sales dramatically because they get overwhelmed and confused with so many options. Make the decision easy for the customer so they engage in it, and always make them feel like they are making the right choice.

Pinterest and SEO

By now, you've probably heard the name Pinterest come up in social network discussions. While it's been recognized as a great resource for DIY projects, home decor, fashion, and other itemized categories, there is also a way to look at Pinterest from an SEO perspective. Look at Pinterest from an angle of product marketing and branding, and you'll see a site that can have a tremendous impact on your SEO. As a pinning addict (you can view my profile here) and someone who has personally seen substantial blog traffic increases from Pinterest, I believe Pinterest has the power to expose your company, your products, and your message to a large audience. Here are some key points to remember and use to your benefit:

-The target (and key) demographic of Pinterest is women, who make up 87 percent of the users.

-Users spend, on average, anywhere from 17 minutes-1 hour on the site at a time, where the average Twitter user spends 36 minutes, and the average LinkedIn user spends 17 minutes. People staying longer is likely to increase sharing and "repinning," which is where the business value comes in.

-One pin can be endlessly repinned by users, exposing each of their individual audiences to the pin. Hashtags can also be used to have pins show up in Pinterest searches.

-Pinterest is visually driven, so think in terms of eye-catching, interesting, and aesthetically appealing images. Infographics can succeed here very well.

-On the account settings end, make sure your profile (which hosts your pins) is able to be viewed by search engines. Optimize your profile with keywords, and don't forget to include your location!

-Follow people in similar industries. Follow boards you like and that you would like to be included on. For example, if you sell a tech product, repin pins under the Geek, Product, or Technology categories to try and reach your target users.

-Be sure to tell everyone (via other social profiles, e-mails, and newsletters, for example) that you are on Pinterest. Get the word out!

If you have any questions about Pinterest, feel free to reach out to me:
ethomas@tandem-interactive.com