Marketing + Web

Next Level Series: Social Media Makes Your Website Better—Here’s Why

Does the ultimate success and ROI of your website really depend on how your brand engages social media? We think so and have the data to prove it.

Social media has fundamentally transformed the way brands reach audiences and do business.

There was a time, not so long ago, when social media was a side dish to the main marketing mix. But times have changed. Social media now influences ninety-three percent of buying decisions—which is unsurprising in a world where 50 percent of the population is under 30 years old.

Social media has become the main course in marketing and the driving force behind what makes or breaks your website’s effectiveness. In fact, ninety-three percent of marketers use social media for business—but not all of these are doing this effectively.

Here are five ways to leverage social media and get more traffic to your website.

1. Bring Your Customer Into Your Story

In case you haven’t noticed, we are big on story around here. Effective content marketing makes the customer the hero, not the brand. But not all social media marketing reflects this dynamic. Buffer rightly says,

The always-online audiences of today want to be involved, interact, and co-create.

This is a 24/7/365 customer base that refuses to be satisfied by the equivalent of an online billboard. No longer content with a front row seat to the show, today’s consumers want to be in the story, in the starring role, and social media puts them at center stage.

2. Be Where Your Customers Spend Their Time

People spend more time on social media than they do on websites. Most people who visit your website will bounce in less than 5 seconds—unless you have a clearly communicated value proposition, in which case you may hold them for up to 2 or 3 minutes. But do you know how long the average person spends on social media each day? Over TWO HOURS! Two minutes on a website (if you’ve done your homework) or two hours on social media. You need to be proactively engaging your audience in the place where they spend the most time.

3. Amplify Your Message

Simply put, social media puts your website in front of more eyes. People may not visit your website every day but they do check their social media channels daily. Visuals, videos, and live content that brings your audience into your brand story will dominate the social landscape in 2019. It’s not enough to tell the story anymore, you have to show people the value of what your brand. Image strategy, graphic design, brand videos, and compelling content all find their way onto your future customer’s screens through social media channels. They may never visit your website but they may follow you on Facebook—if you are sharing content that puts them in the story.

4. Expand Your Digital Footprint

Social media is a powerful way to expand your online presence. If 90 percent of consumers trust peer recommendations, where do you think those recommendations transpire? The answer is social media. Customer testimonials are mission-critical to your website’s homepage, but these are even more important on social media. Social proof shared over social media channels has a wider reach than if you only plan to share this proof on your website. Sharing testimonies allows your story to gain digital mileage and gives potential customers multiple ways to engage with your story. Written stories are good but to really get the most bang for your buck, be sure to leverage videos because they make a stronger impression and are more likely to be shared virally.    

5. Cast Your Digital Line

In 2009, Erik Qualman of Socialnomics launched a video called “The Social Media Revolution.” Nine years into a new century and a brave new world of social media, the stats and predictions in this video were staggering and a bit difficult to absorb. But hindsight has proved him right and today Qualman is a best-selling author and one of the leading social influencers in the world. Here is one of the more compelling predictions that turned out to be spot on:

Furthermore, in 2011 Qualman famously said,

We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is HOW WELL we do it!

But that’s the rub, especially if you’re running a small business. You are busy doing what you do best—running your business—and you may not feel like you can stop doing that important work long enough to wrap your mind around social engagement and managing that daily.

This is where we can help! Social media is our bread and butter. We have been at it since it started and we know how to make social media work for small business. If you’re ready to start casting your line into the social media sea give us a call and let’s work together on a strategy that makes sense for your business.