You probably already know that social media is the heart of online advertising and that great content shared on social channels creates valuable engagement for your brand. Most businesses have some social media presence nowadays, whether that’s a Facebook page or a Twitter account where you rack up the likes. However, social media can be broadly construed to include any site where people are making personal profiles and interacting. When we talk about social media you may not think of a question and answer sites such as Quora or Yahoo Answers, or somewhere like Pinterest where a pinboard of inspiration is created.
These other channels are indeed social media in a different form, and these sites can be incredibly popular from a marketing perspective. Already 28% of marketers are using Pinterest to market brands and products. By getting active on the right social networks you can optimize a local SEO strategy that will drive traffic to your website and increase local awareness of your brand.
It’s especially important for local businesses to be homed in on this strategy, as casting the net in a sophisticated way can tap into exactly the local market that you’re aiming for. Perhaps you already know how to create the perfect SEO content, but if this is being shared in the wrong place you’re missing your mark entirely. In this article, we’ll explore SEO strategies for some popular as well as less obvious social media channels, and you’ll be on the road to local SEO success.
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Which Is The Network For You?
The first step towards leveraging social channels for local SEO is figuring out which network is the right one for your brand. You’re going to need to have a clear model for who your customers are and using this you can identify the social media channels where they are most likely to be discovered. If your business model is focussed on business to business (B2B) selling then LinkedIn, with its network of professionals, might be the place for you. In the tech industry, Google+ has pride of place. And if you’re going after the elusive Gen Z’ers you may need to get to grips with TikTok.
The best return on investment for your social media marketing may be found by focussing on one or two networks. Facebook and Twitter are the predominant spheres for brands leveraging local SEO but it would be a mistake to ignore other channels where swathes of waiting customers could be hiding. By promoting your brand in the right place you’ll be taking big steps towards perfecting your SEO and getting your brand on the center stage of the digital marketing place.
Nobody can afford to ignore Facebook in 2020 and this social channel is still overwhelmingly popular around the world, so it’s highly likely your clientele can be found here. Facebook’s platform has an active community, so encouraging fans to comment on your content and share it is a great way to increase awareness and leverage the channel for SEO success. Facebook also allows the use of hashtags and geolocation tags that can make sure your content finds the right audience.
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Twitter is a fantastic platform for sharing information in short, punchy ways. Ensure that you’re using plenty of optimized hashtags so that your content is SEO friendly, and regularly share links back to your own website.
Pinterest is a great place to collate all your content from different channels and drive traffic back to your website. A business account on Pinterest allows you to connect the content on your website and your other social channels such as Instagram or Facebook into one big pinboard-style display. From Pinterest people will be directed to your website and other social media, creating massive engagement.
Snapchat
Snapchat is a hugely popular channel, but because it doesn’t create any web content it can be tricky to leverage for SEO. What you can do, however, is to create Geofilter tags which set geographic parameters on what you share. These are a great way to generate a buzz about a local event you’re running.
For example, if your business is sponsoring a charity event – let’s say a local clean-up – creating an On-Demand Geofilter around the event can generate engagement through participants on the day. Translate this into SEO success by leveraging the Geofilter with local news agencies who could be interested in covering the event. The links from these news sites back to your website will provide a massive boost to your SEO.
Quora
Quora is an open forum for questions-and-answers and you can build your brand profile by engaging with industry-relevant topics across the site. By paying attention to the questions that people are asking, local brands can focus on personalized experiences for potential customers which will ultimately work to convert more leads, driving traffic to your site and boosting your place in search engine rankings. You can also use Quora to drive your content-creating, tailoring it to the specific trends you see appearing on the relevant forums.
LinkedIn
Depending on your industry it’s likely you already have a personal page on LinkedIn – but if you aren’t leveraging it for your business as well you can create a business profile today. This page can become a hub for potential and actual employees and somewhere that information about your business activity is shared. By participating in LinkedIn groups with your business page you’ll boost your profile, encourage traffic back to your website and take your SEO to the next level.
Social media is a fast-changing landscape and it’s essential to keep up with the changing trends across different platforms. Your customers may move around, so be prepared to move with them. There are many ways you can leverage social media to improve SEO if you’re engaging on the right platforms in the right ways, so get yourself out there and become a local SEO success.
