Secrets to Social Media Optimization & Conversion

TARGET > ENGAGE > CONVERT

Is your social media marketing delivering the ROI you expect? Achieving your social goals requires a clear plan, with special attention given to the small, important details that make social media optimization tick. It's also important to recognize that social marketing is different from traditional advertising – a friendly conversation on social is often as likely to lead to a conversion as even the most clever ad.

Social marketing isn't entirely disconnected from the traditional variety, though. The secret to social media optimization and conversion is to blend the best of the old with the best of the ever-changing trends on social. Let's look at some tips that will help your social marketing reach its full potential.

Guide Your Social Traffic

If you've got a strong digital marketing presence, users are going to find links to your website pages in a variety of ways. Don't send them all to the same place (e.g. your homepage). Create and/or send users to site landing pages that correspond to the social media post.

• Landing pages allow you to stay on message. If a user finds your landing page through a PPC ad, for example, the landing page should carry the same tone and focus of the advertisement. It’s the same principle for social media. Keep the customer on the line by reminding them why they clicked in the first place.
• Use landing pages to keep your user engaged. Your homepage can't, and shouldn't, cater to every possible need of every possible customer. Let your landing pages guide customers exactly where they need to go.

Optimize Your Posts

There's intense competition for clicks on social, so the content you share needs to be just right if you want to stand out from the pack. How you choose to optimize your posts depends on who you're trying to reach, but the key concepts apply no matter what.

• Know your audience. Targeting your audience is a main staple for social media optimization. Study Insights and Analytics. Knowing the targeted buzz words (or keywords), knowing what your audience likes and shares, knowing the day and time of day to post, etc. all factor into successful social media optimization.
• Use interesting images in your content! Over 300 million images are uploaded every day, and that's just on Facebook. Social users love to share infographics, photos, and other images. Images are also eye-catching, encouraging prospects to click through to learn more.
• Pay attention to the title. Like an interesting image, a great title draws eyes to your content. If you're having trouble deciding on a title, “test launch” a couple of titles and go with the one that generates the most engagement.
• Blogging is often your ‘home base’ for a social media strategy. When blogging, be sure to implement all elements of blog optimization, and format your content correctly to make it easy to read. Use subheads and bullet points so readers can quickly locate the information they're seeking. Keep paragraphs short, and use language that the average reader will understand.

Encourage Action

Everything about social media optimization builds to the call-to-action (CTA). Getting that initial engagement is great, but now it's time to turn connections into customers. The CTA is not only the payoff - for all of the customer goodwill you build through your content, social presence, and digital marketing - but it’s KEEPING YOUR PROMISE to your customer. To build loyalty conversion, ALWAYS KEEP YOUR PROMISE.

• The CTA doesn't have to lead directly to a sales pitch. Sometimes it will simply guide prospects further along the sales cycle, through special “insider” content or other means. Just make sure that you can deliver on what you promise with a given CTA.
• If the CTA leads to an email list or other sign-up form, make it easy! Ask for as little information as possible, to simplify the process. You can always ask for more after people are happily signed up.
• Include “share” buttons for every piece of content you post online. The easier you make it to share, the more likely you are to earn some of those golden social referrals.
• Include Like and Follow buttons to grow your social channels
  

Interact

There’s nothing worse than building a social following and never interacting. It’s called social for a reason! Personalize your profiles, posts and landing pages to intuitively invite interaction. Part of social media optimization and conversion is not only interacting with your existing customers, but building loyal customers, and converting potential customers.

Social Media Management

Make it easy. There are many technological tools to aid in your social media efforts. Use apps to improve the social experience for your customers. Apps offer a streamlined way to schedule appointments, search for talent, manage email lists, schedule your posts, and so much more. Why not use every tool available for social media optimization?

In Summary:

Plan your social media strategy before anything else. Take the time to optimize your profiles and posts from landing pages, knowing the buzz words of your target audience, and interacting with your audience to guiding them through the conversion funnel with a call-to-action that keeps the promise. This is the secret sauce to social media optimization and conversion. The results you'll achieve are more than worth the effort.