Increasing Visibility on Social Media

The emergence of social media in our lives has definitely been a good thing. We are now much more connected with friends and family and everything is now so much more accessible. The benefits of living in the information age significantly outweigh the disadvantages.

It’s true, however, that social media has ruined us. We have a desperate need of documenting everything that we do, which sometimes makes people question whether something counts if it’s not shared on Facebook or Instagram.

It’s an absurd thought, of course your vacation matters if it’s not broadcasted on Facebook or Instagram, but that same way of thinking may be beneficial for your own website. Yes, the quality of the content on your website is key, as we discussed in an earlier article, but that’s a small part of the equation. In other words, while your website may have all the right information and quality content, how can someone know you exist?

This is where social media comes into play. Those with businesses will likely agree that word of mouth is often considered the best form of advertising. In the information age, as more and more people consider Facebook and Twitter their primary news sources, social media essentially is word of mouth. We communicate entirely online, and our endorsements are often provided as shares and retweets. In fact, social media has become so widespread, “media outlets have turned their efforts away from SEO and homepage redesigns and toward social media” as a way of capturing readers.

Social Foundation

There are a number of valid suggestions and recommendations that many people have made, which may increase the likeliness of having your content become more engaging on social media. These include, first and foremost, building a solid social foundation, which involves increasing your number of followers.

It’s essential that you have real (rather than paid) followers. This takes time, but there is a high probability of having people share your content or offering exposure to your website via social media if you have a higher number of followers. These followers are people who know you and your business, and if they are following you on social media, once you share material and content, they should hopefully feel engaged enough and share with their followers as well.

Going Viral

Do you recall a few years ago when KONY 2012 exploded onto social media? The short film, which has over 100 million views, was produced by the organization Invisible Children. The popularity of the video undoubtedly translated into a great deal of views for their website, where many people could learn more about them. Sure, making a viral video is difficult, but that sort of thinking can be used as a springboard for getting more attention in the online world. In other words, you can think about ways in which you can create interactive content that will resonate or inform people via social media.

Conclusion

The increasing of views for your website is essential, but the relevance of social media is as important. If you have a website with a lot of great information, you have only done half the job. The fact is people can’t discover your website on their own, and while advertising and SEO are essential in gaining exposure, your social media presence shouldn’t be underestimated.

Citations:

Businessweek: http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2011/12/word_of_mouth_is_the_best_ad.html

Columbia Journalism Review: http://www.cjr.org/feature/going_viral.php

Meltwater: http://www.meltwater.com/blog/improve-social-media-shares-of-content/

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