Social media marketing can be very effective in driving traffic to your blog and website, as well as in enhancing the visibility of your brand and business. But if you’re looking to improve your results, here are some great tips and tricks you can follow:
Target the right sites
There are literally hundreds of social media sites you can use. However, no one has the time to effectively use all of them. The first thing you need to do is locate a few sites which will fit well with you and your audience. Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon and Digg are some of the obvious popular choices since they send generally large traffic volumes, but to find sites that can send you high-quality, highly targeted traffic, look out for niche-specific and geo-relevant social media sites. Targeting general news and social bookmarking websites like Reddit or Digg can also be useful; once you have established a prominent profile, you can promote all manner of content, not just that which fits in one niche.
Use social media consistently
If you hope to become an “expert” in social media, you will have to be really dedicated to it. It’s not a one-time thing; it takes daily effort and time – lots of time. This is the only way you can begin to understand what works, and which of your profiles are delivering the best results.
Develop content that appeals to your audience
Directing traffic to your website by way of social media marketing requires the creation of content that meets the demands of social media users. (And no, this doesn’t mean that you have to alienate your subscribers.) So think carefully and find subjects and topics that are of specific interest to your readers, and ensure that the presentation is appealing to social media users. Social media communities love pictures and videos, and they also have a penchant for breaking (real-time) news, top ten lists, controversy, and how-to content.
Network, engage, and help others
Networking and content creation are two of the most essential elements of social media marketing. Good content without a network cannot easily become viral or popular, and a strong network without great content – without anything substantial to offer – won’t be very useful.
So, once you’ve developed high-quality content, take the time to network on social media websites. Add friends, leave comments, ask and answer questions, vote for others’ submissions, “like” or “retweet” others’ content, and familiarize yourself with what the rest of your “social circles” are doing. It’s a great way of garnering attention for yourself – “give and you shall receive” – as well as making friends whom you might be able to count on when you need “likes”, votes, retweets, followers, etc.
Convert
Merely driving social media traffic to your website shouldn’t be your main goal. After people click, you want them to convert. “Convert” may mean a decision to subscribe, purchase, or link back; whatever it is, encourage visitors by providing incentives, such as a discount, an exclusive coupon code, or a free gift.
Author Bio: Charles Mburugu is a professional content developer and entrepreneur. He often writes about real estate, finance, business start-ups and internet marketing. In the past few weeks he has been writing for blogs where you can get the latest Norton coupon codes renewal and godaddy vouchers.