Before we get start getting ideas for improving your social media presence, we must know that well thought out marketing is all about the ideas behind your product or service. These ideas need to be communicated on your website with a clear message and it must also be visually appealing, as well as through various channels. Social media is rapidly becoming a preferred channel for web users to communicate and share ideas, and should be a strong part of your web strategy. Here are some tips for improving your website’s presence as it relates to social media.

Content is Key

To establish a presence in Social media you must create content, and certain kinds of content at that will be of interest to your target market. Regardless of your industry, to create buzz you need to educate or entertain your target market. If you do this well people will want to share this and thus improve your general web presence.

Improving “Linkability” of your Content

Having “static” web pages, e.g. brochure-style pages, are definitely useful for product information. But to optimize a site for social media, we need to increase the frequency and linkability of the content. My favourite method is to add a personal blog that shows your personality and interests about a particular topic area. Other types of content, like white papers or aggregated selected links to related articles, are also quite useful for potential readers. Remember, the idea is to create something valuable beyond your core product offering to keep potential customers coming back.

Encourage Inbound Links

Inbound links from other blogs and websites are crucial to enhancing your search optimization and overall rankings. Listing trackbacks with each article or post will entice users to link to your site in the hopes that you will reciprocate a link. However, be aware of trackbacks from unrelated, spam filled blogs or sites that are merely republishing your content without permission. For these reasons, I like to approve trackbacks manually before allowing them to enter the comments.

Help Your Content Travel

Creating multiple channels of distribution for content can be a really effective way of gaining exposure and attracting links. Use Email newsletters, RSS subscribers, Facebook status updates, Twitter updates, video sync with YouTube, etc can all improve your social reach. With the number of possible channels on the web increasing, you need to make sure to stay current with popular services in the industry.

Make yourself be heard

Let’s say you have a decent social presence – your Facebook page has fans, your blog is receiving comments, people are contacting you through your site. Take the time to connect one-to-one with these active readers, they’re often your best customers!  Show your true passion for the topic at hand. You just might be connecting with a top influencer or champion of your service.

Know Your Audience

As long as you understand your subject matter and that community’s interests, you’ll be able to set yourself for successful social media connections. Don’t stray too far from your niche, leverage the latest tools and industry trends, and try to stay focused on content that will drive interest in your expertise.

We all like something free right? well we are now pleased to offer ‘Free Website Analysis’ to everyone. All you need is a website that is registered to you or your company.

Many of you may already have websites but have no idea of how it is performing. Below are some of the questions we can answer for you:

“How many hits does it recieve each week?”

“Whereabouts are my site visitors based?”

“Where does my site appear on Google?”

These are all imporant questions that cannot always be answered simply. If you would like to know more about your own website and how it is impacting your business then please get in touch here

My latest blog offering may seem an obvious one but nevertheless one that certainly remains true and will continue to do so. If you have a business and you want it to succeed, you need a website. Simple.

Does your current website work well for you? Do you even have a website? The vast majority of clients or customers I come across won’t even do business with a company unless they are able to research them first on the web. Listen, I’m not saying everyone needs an all singing and dancing 500 page website, thats not the case here, but what I am saying is that even the most simple website adds instant credibility to your business. This (if done correctly) will lead to further sales of your service, which is ultimately what we all want, right?

We can break down the purpose of a website into 3 main sections:

• Provide easy to read info about your business and its product or service.
• Answer the various questions a client would need when wanting info on your business.
• Motivate the site visitors to buy or use your services.

When deciding you want a website there are some key points that you will need to include. I will run through the majority of these for you now.

Make sure you have a well designed company logo, the first impresion of your business that a client has will come from your logo. Invest in a well designed logo rather than something scribbled on the back of a napkin on your lunch break.

Explain what it is you do. It is important to be clear what business you are in, be sure to include a good description of what service you offer etc.

Make the site visual! Having a plain white background with small text is not going to capture the eye of your potential client. Make sure you use good graphic elements such as photos, videos, balanced colours, even general stock photos from sites such as iStock offer good quality pictures.

Depending on your business you may need to inform site visitors of your working hours. Are you a 9-5 business? Do you work weekends? These may seem obvious but its surprising how many sites dont include this vital information.

Another vital part of the website is the ‘About’ page. This is a page that offers background information of your business and the key people behind it. Many potential clients will want to know more about the people they are dealing with, an ‘About’ page is perfect for this.

The other absolutely essential part of any website is the ‘Contact’ page. it is imperative that you include a page that shows the potential client how they can get in touch with you. We use a online form that can be filled out as well as a phone number and direct email address. You may also wish so include a business address.

All of these are essential things to include on any successful website.

A few additional bits we recomend for a business is to inlcude some Testmonials (if possible) from successful work you have carried out. Have you recieved any good press for your service? Won any awards? again this should be included.

Again, depending on the type of business you are in, it can be useful to include an ‘FAQ’ page. You can save yourself a lot of time by answering common questions here. We also find that many people can be reluctant to call or email with questions so this give those people more incentive to do business with you.

If your website is in need of some work, or maybe you need a website creating, then why not get in touch with us directly on :07766 11 53 58 or via our contact form here.

We look forward to hearing from you.