Using Social Media

Social media is anything that is designed to be used and, more importantly, shared with others.

Especially online, with options ranging from blogs and forums, to shared music and videos, to instant “status” updates from services like Twitter, it is easier than ever to connect and share information with others; and that’s what social media is all about.

Social media has received a lot of press in the past few years, and for good reason. The future of your Internet business will be greatly impacted by your ability to understand fully what social media optimization is and how it can help you.

There are three main keys to making social media work for you.
 

Linkability

The first key is linkability. In social media, linkability refers to the likelihood that someone else will like your site enough to create a link to it on his or her own website. If all you have is a static storefront or a simple informational page, you will have virtually no linkability.

To boost your site’s linkability, try adding and maintaining a blog, posting instructional videos, or regularly adding other content about topics related to your industry. Better still, encourage your visitors to redistribute, add to, and share your content. Just make sure you package your content so it is clear who the original source is.

The most important key to linkability is being able to answer your visitors’ favorite question, “What’s in it for me?”
 

Become a Knowledge Source

The second key is becoming a knowledge source. Your visitors will only come to your site if they think it has value. Do not be afraid to add links to other sites that will help your visitors find the information they are looking for, even if those sites are competitor’s. As your site builds a reputation as the first place to look for information on your industry, visitors will add links to your site and refer their friends to you as well, boosting your relevancy in search engine listings.

Joining the Discussion

The third key element in social media optimization is joining the discussion. Conversing with your visitors and responding to their comments keeps the conversation fresh and often helps your messages reach a larger audience much more quickly. Post white papers (an authoritative report or guide) on your industry’s hot topics. Help your visitors realize your site is run by actual people and not just an uncaring corporation.
 

Blog


A great way to add quality content to your site and join the discussion is through a Blog. A Blog is like an online journal that allows you to post comments, stories, personal viewpoints, industry tips, and more. Most blogs also give visitors the ability to comment on what's been posted, allowing you to take advantage of social media opportunities.

As your blog grows in popularity, you will attract traffic to your site and help foster trust in your visitors by providing valuable advice for free. When visitors to your site begin trusting the opinions and advice posted on your site, they are more likely to purchase services or products from your site, link to your site, and refer their friends to you as well.

In addition to your growing popularity, as search engines find your blog entries, your site will be linked to more keywords, which can help your site be listed higher in search engines.
Blog articles can help update clients on your services or products, build your brand, act as a press release, or contain the history of your company or product.

For a Blog to be effective, it does require regular entries. (Frequency depends largely on the type of blog and the subject matter, some successful blogs make entries several times a day. In other industries, blog users prefer having time to discuss the blog subject before a new entry is made. As a general rule you should not go more than a week without an entry.).