When creating a marketing plan, it is common to prioritize either SEO or social media. However, both are extremely valuable to a brand. SEO can drive visits to a site where purchases may be made, or decisions can come from social media where users can learn about your product. There is great value in both SEO and social media, and as such it is important to find a balance when creating a brand.
A website is a great place to provide valuable content to your users. Through a blog post or video content, you can educate users about your niche. It is increasingly common to “just Google something” you want to find a little bit more information about. Curious customers can come across your content, and walk away with the information they need. Furthermore, the way you deliver this content can create a brand image that is unique to you. Whether this is done through humor, professionalism, or any other unique attribute you use to portray your value having a unique presence will draw unique people to your site that fit with this image. When this information is provided in a unique way, users are more likely to remember your site and return later.
An active social media presence accomplishes these same goals, just in a different format. Users go to Pinterest to discover new trends, and Instagram to see what products their favorite influencers are using. Additionally, the images you post on social media provide the perfect opportunity to portray a unique brand image. Captions can also be utilized to display the personality of your brand.
As the influence of social media continues to grow, more decision-making will occur as a result of user interactions with a brands social media feed as opposed to their website. Already, it is reported that 74% of social media users use social media to make buying decisions (Patel). Younger generations are looking to Instagram and TikTok to make decisions. It is another place someone may look to see if they can trust a brand before making a buying decision, so creating social media that is authoritative and relevant will help drive users to your content. Additionally, it is easier to share content over social media. These platforms are designed for users to send content to one another, making it easier for content to go viral and get more eyes on your content.
These social media signals are important to Google as well as users. Google will deliver social media results in the SERP, including YouTube videos and similar content. We can see the correlation between the top performing social media users and the top performing sites. Furthermore, Google is tracking the data in GA4. This data would not be so heavily tracked if Google did not think it was relevant. These factors show that Google values social media signals, and as business owners looking to optimize our content so should we.
3 Responses
It is very important to use both of these to push the company. Linking the two together is an easy way to do this. While being sure to put plenty of attention on both of them.
Recognizing that people often use social media as a “search engine” in itself is significant to achieving that balance of SEO and social media efforts. I’ve heard people talk really dismissively about social media management as a career, and I understand where they’re coming from, but I don’t think everyone understands how fundamental its influence really is… and how that isn’t going to change anytime soon.
What a great post! The content showed how knowledgeable you are on the topic, and I enjoyed the linked video.