Why Use Social Media with Your Content Marketing?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) vs. Social Media Marketing (SMM)

Social media marketing involves posting and optimizing content for social networks, while SEO involves making website content more searchable so it shows up in SERPs for relevant industry phrases and questions.

Is SEO More Important than SMM?

Neither SEO nor SMM is more important than the other.

They support one another and each approach has benefits and drawbacks, but marketing teams can bring in more success if they use both in an overarching digital marketing strategy.

Why Is Social Media Important?

Social media channels allow individuals access to a huge audience with almost no barriers to entry to build their personal brands as influencers.

Brands can also reach their audiences and target a niche selection of individuals to build communities and then project laser-targeted messaging, all at minimal costs.

According to SearchEngineJournal.com, "Social media has been a powerful disruptor and has considerable influence in society, with over half of the global population active.

That size of potential audience and influence cannot be ignored. However, with that level of influence also comes responsibility.

Just under half of U.S. adults get their news from social media, with Facebook being the most used site. Meanwhile, 94% of journalists use social media for their jobs, with Twitter used the most.

Social media companies hold considerable power to influence the population.

As history has shown us, news feeds can be manipulated by bad actors to proliferate misinformation.

Why is Social Media Marketing Important for SEO?

Even though social media indirectly affects SERP rankings, it can influence SEO because it can drive quality traffic to websites and content like blogs and campaign-focused pages.

When a brand creates quality content that connects with and brings value to its target audience, consumers can become brand advocates.

This audience engages with the content and may share it with their friends and followers.

This cycle continues as followers find value in, engage with and share content.

What is Social Media Marketing (SMM)?

Social media marketing involves the use of social media networks, compared to traditional advertising channels such as TV and newspaper ads, to engage with a potential or current audience.

Some of these social networks include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube.

The term "social media" is sometimes used to refer to the set of all online social networks, websites and related technologies which use a social network model.

According to marketing guru Neil Patel, social media marketing is “the process of creating content that you have tailored to the context of each individual social media platform in order to drive user engagement and sharing.”

[Social media marketing] is the process of creating content that you have tailored to the context of each individual social media platform in order to drive user engagement and sharing.

This may include posting videos, sharing your latest blog or news about your business, promoting special offers, answering questions or responding to comments, sharing captivating images, and taking other actions with the goal of engaging existing and potential customers alike.

Regardless of the specific goals of your business, one of the keys to a successful social media marketing strategy is to share content that has been tailored for your target audience and the platforms you are using.

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

Search engine optimization is a way of getting web content noticed by search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo! Searches.

This is done by implementing search engine friendly techniques which improve the quality and relevance of a website to make it more findable by users.

In determining the order in which to rank results for a user’s search query, Google’s algorithm takes more than 200 factors into account.

While fully understanding these factors and exactly how they work remains a mystery to anyone outside of the Google organization, SEO experts have identified several guidelines that businesses can refer to when trying to boost their search engine rankings.

For example, Google is known to weigh the following factors heavily:

The amount and quality of content on a site
How users interact with a page, including bounce rates, time on page, and other metrics
The site’s trustworthiness when it comes to providing accurate, unbiased information about a topic
The level of expertise of the site’s content creators
The site’s level of authority in answering searchers’ questions

As businesses strive to improve their rankings among search engine results, a key area of focus should be creating high-quality, keyword-rich content designed to answer their target audiences’ needs and questions.

On-page and Off-page SEO Factors

This can be accomplished through both on-page and off-page SEO factors.

On-page factors include the website’s responsiveness on mobile devices, the speed at which pages load, keywords used in blogs and other content, page titles and meta descriptions, and much more.

Off-page factors include backlinks from high-quality sites, up-to-date business listings on directory sites, and completed profiles on social media platforms and Google My Business.

Why Do Social Media Marketing with SEO

Social Media Marketing is one of the quickest and most effective ways to drive major traffic to any site.

That doesn't mean that SEO doesn't work, it does.

But here's an interesting stat for you, 74% of social media users actually use social media to make buying decisions.

74% of social media users actually use social media to make buying decisions.

Social Media Marketing Success

Influencers and social marketplaces are huge these days and they can quickly and effectively promote your products and services.

And half of adult internet users say that when a brand incorporates their data into social ads it helps them discover products or services that directly align with what they're looking for.

In essence, companies are using targeted ads that a lot of people say they never click on and don't work but in reality people are clicking on them.

If they wouldn't, Google and Facebook wouldn't be as big of a company as they actually are.

Social Media Targets Audiences

And if you're targeting younger audiences they're all over TikTok and Instagram right now, and even Snapchat.

Pranhakar Raghavan, a Senior Vice President at Google said at a 2022 conference that, "In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people, when they're looking for a place for lunch, they don't just go to Google Maps or Search, instead they go to TikTok or Instagram."

In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people, when they're looking for a place for lunch, they don't just go to Google Maps or Search, instead they go to TikTok or Instagram.

So, if a major Google executive is sweating the rise of social media, that means you should be paying attention too.

The amount of time that adults use social media across every platform per day is higher than ever, 95 minutes!

That's more than an hour and a half, that's a ton of time, and it’s plenty of time for your ads to be seen and ultimately converted on.

What About Social Media Algorithms?

Some social network users swear social media algorithms keep compressing their content’s reach.

Think of it this way.

All platforms, whether they're social sites or search engines, have algorithms, it doesn't matter if it's TikTok or Google, YouTube or Bing, you can't control what they do and over time they have all made it harder to get reach.

Google keeps showing more content within their search results so that way you don't have to click through over to their website.

And if you're wondering what I mean, just Google: What the weather is today within [your city], and you'll see what I'm talking about.

It just shows you the weather.

You don't even have to click on weather.com or go to any site to see it, you just see it right then and there.

TikTok used to have much better reach a year ago than it does today; still it’s a great platform, just like Google.

They take up a lot of the clicks these days and it's still a great search engine, but you can't do that much about the algorithms.

So, instead of complaining about Google, YouTube or LinkedIn or TikTok or Instagram, as a digital marketer you just have to use these channels for what they are; whether you like them or not.

And there's a lot of platforms out there for you to use, so maximize them and get as much traffic as you can from them. And as I mentioned earlier, it's easier to see quick gains from social media over SEO.

Now to be clear, I'm not saying that you should use one channel and not the other because that's far from the truth.

You need to actually take an omnichannel approach and use all the channels that your customers are on. I use both social media marketing and SEO tactics for my internet content marketing, and so should you.

A Good Digital Marketing Strategy Combines Both

Search engines have been the leading source of traffic for websites and businesses doing online marketing.

As the times changed, and the algorithms keep changing, social media has taken a great leap, and its power is now continually being harnessed to reach more people.

So, which will you focus on?

Search engine optimization (SEO) or social media marketing?

Luckily, you don’t have to choose since both are powerful tools that you can use altogether.

Though they may have a complicated relationship, you can take advantage of both to increase your sales and website leads, which is what most SEO companies do.

Let’s take a look at some campaign marketing tips that can be run in different marketing channel campaigns.

10 Tips to Incorporate Social Media Into Your SEO Content Marketing

To effectively join SEO and social media strategies, marketing teams can use these 10 tips to optimize their campaign efforts.

Remember: You can and should see direct brand growth from social media content marketing if you do it right – with a plan.

If, on the other hand, you post whatever, whenever, with no strategy, goals, or measurement, you’ll probably see little to no results.

1. Set Goals That Align With Your Brand Strategy

One of the first things you should do when implementing a strategy is set goals for yourself.

Try to identify what you want the end result of your strategy to be and how you plan on achieving that goal.

Goal-setting helps you stay focused and be more productive.

It saves you time and effort, so that you can get on with the actions that really matter.

Here are some other common social media content marketing goals:

Grow awareness of your brand: Track your followers, post shares/mentions, and post reach.
Earn more leads: Measure email sign-ups, lead magnet downloads, and clicks that came from social media.
Increase engagement with your brand: Pay attention to likes, comments, and shares per post. Track mentions and replies to your Stories.

2. Research Your Audience And What Platforms They Use

Keyword research can help marketing teams think of content to share on social media channels.

Teams should create content around keywords that rank well and update older content that needs improved rankings.

3. Align Keyword Research with Posting Topics

Keyword research can help marketing teams think of content to share on social media channels.

Teams should create content around keywords that rank well and update older content that needs improved rankings.

Your brand's expertise and customer interests should inform your topic areas.

What subjects can you post about with authority and know-how?

What topics does your audience want to hear about?

Narrow it down so your social profiles are cohesive and relevant.

Each social media platform offers an array of options, but your audience may expect to see certain types of content on specific platforms, e.g., use lots of visual content on Instagram, or sharing text-based posts and links on Twitter.

4. Create Quality Content Calendar Schedule to Share on Social Media

Marketers should focus on quality over quantity.

But, consistent publishing is one of the key tenets of a good social media content strategy.

Publishing regular, high-quality content increases your visibility and gives your audience more chances to engage with your posts.

That’s why, to make consistency easier, you should maintain a social media content calendar and create a posting schedule.

Marketers can write about and share topics relevant to the target audience, as well as what can engage them the most on different channels.

5. Revisit High Ranking Evergreen Content with Social Promotion

Marketing teams can revisit pages with high SERP rankings and engagement and evaluate what they did well.

They can also recirculate high performing evergreen content through social channels, as this content often continues to perform well.

Keep the conversation going by engaging with your audience and with the wider community.

6. Encourage Engagement and Conversation

Don’t forget to factor in engagement when you plan your social media content strategy.

Marketers should make posts compelling enough to create an emotional response from users.

Posts that encourage conversation may ask questions, include relevant articles or ask for feedback.

Organizations should ensure a social admin responds to comments to keep conversations going.

7. Make Sharing Content Easy for Users

Social media posts can encourage sharing, but the content on a website should be easily shareable with social icons and links.

These links can further content distribution with little effort needed from social media managers.

8. Optimize Images for SEO and Social

When encouraging sharing across channels, marketing teams should optimize images for web and social.

Images should be 80% visual and 20% copy when applicable, and shouldn't be too large.

9. Optimize Social Media Profiles

When users visit a social media profile, it should contain all the relevant information they need to learn about the brand.

An unoptimized social profile will hurt the work you put into social media content marketing. An unprofessional, sloppy, or off-brand profile will not help visitors understand who you are or what you sell.

Instead, make sure your profiles are engaging, informative, and appropriately branded so you can help leads discover more about you.

Use a branded profile picture: Keep it consistent across your profiles for a seamless look.
Clarify your bio: Keep it short but sweet, and make sure you explain succinctly what you do for customers.
Include the right links: Always include a link to your website, whether that’s a landing page or your home page.

10. Track Your Social Media Content Strategy Performance

Once you start creating and posting content according to your strategy, you can start tracking metrics.

Some important metrics include:

Reach
Impressions
Engagement (including: likes, comments, shares, etc.)
Follower Growth
Brand Awareness
Click-through-rate (CTR)
Brand Sentiment

There's a lot of metrics, but remember, you’re not tracking all the metrics, but rather just the ones that connect to your goals (which you established in step #1).

Not all of your content ideas will perform, but that’s the point of tracking: to find out what works and what doesn’t, so you can pivot accordingly.

Keep an open mind, be flexible, and don’t be afraid to try new ideas.

Most importantly, check in with your social media metrics regularly so you can get a clear picture of your performance over time.

5 Benefits Of Combining SEO and Social Media Marketing

One of the basic things that you need to understand why using SEO and social media marketing combined is important is because they’re both effective tools to discover information.

People use search engines to find answers.

Others engage in social media to discover things that they didn’t even know they were looking for.

Thus, using both will serve to your advantage.

Because using SEO targets a specific audience, combining it with social media promotion and building backlinks, then your information is easier for people to discover.

Other than that, here are more benefits of using SEO and social media marketing combined:

1. Link Earning

Link earning is a new form of building links that brings value to search engines and its users.

First of all, building links starts with creating quality content that people will organically link to their own content.

This is an effective SEO strategy because when people link to your content, the backlinks will help you rank higher in search engines.

This means that if you have great content, other creators can link to your work, thus earning you links that’ll have a direct impact on rankings on search engines.

A potential problem that you might face in this area is the lack of promotion of your content.

To answer this problem, you can use social media as a platform where you can promote your content.

By using social media, you can easily distribute to hundreds, and even more. Not to mention that it’s free.

All you need to do is copy the URL of your content and post it on your social media.

2. Social Media Builds Helps Build More Backlinks

There are so many people who met on social media, formed a friendship, and helped each other prosper.

Social media is also a valuable resource for strategic partnerships.

You can engage more with others through social media by improving on social media engagement.

Building a foundation of friendship will likely get you a link from others that’ll help you promote each others’ content.

Once their audience sees your content and they love it, then you will gain new followers as well.

Trust is essential.

Those who trust your professional expertise will naturally find ways to link back to you.

Trust can be built by capitalizing on mutual benefits and doing collaborations, interviews, guest posts, and linking to each other’s websites.

There are hundreds of opportunities to collaborate for the benefit of SEO in social media.

3. Establishing Brand Authority

Social media helps you build brand authority and awareness.

Through posting on different social media platforms, like Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, you visually engage your users by developing a unique voice and personality that’s unique to your brand.

You do this by using specific hashtags that promote your product or service, using paid advertisement, and by joining different social groups.

Thus, high-quality social media campaigns also help bring attention to your brand and also develop it through a series of postings.

4. Social Media Help Improve SEO Ranking Signals

Social media drives traffic to your SEO pages.

This improves social media visibility and engagement, which also helps SEO.

It’s important to understand that by using links on your social media posts, which aim to direct interested people to your content, will help the ranking of your pages.

This happens when you’re finally able to tap the right people on social media whose needs are answered by your content. If your content answers their queries, then they’ll stay on your website longer.

The length of how long people stay on your website is recorded by Google’s ranking algorithm.

Thus, the more people stay on your website, the higher your rank, which makes your content more accessible to other people who are looking at the search engines for answers.

5. Social Media Is A Place To Conduct Keyword Research

Following social trends can help you discover keyword opportunities that you can use on your content.

SEO services use this trend to provide you with keywords that are currently relevant.

Social trends also show what people are reading and following at the moment.

This means that these words have a high volume of people searching for them, both in social media and in search engines.

Using these keywords in your content will help you rank higher, which means increased visibility in search engines.

Conclusion - Implement SEO and SMM in Your Digital Marketing Strategy

As crucial components of a successful digital marketing strategy, social media marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) both offer powerful ways to help your target customers discover your business, drive engagement, improve brand awareness, and ultimately increase sales.

While there is not a direct link between these two techniques in the sense that a strong social media presence does not, in itself, improve a website’s ranking in search engine results, they work together in several important ways.

For example, social media marketing:

Offers a platform for promoting content and driving traffic to your site
Provides opportunities to gain backlinks—which are among the most valuable off-page SEO factors
Helps site content get indexed in search engines more quickly
Provides insight into the needs and interests of your target customers, enabling you to create content that will resonate with them
And more!

Both SEO and social media marketing have their own strengths that you need to take advantage of.

By effectively utilizing both, you gain link earning, relationships that can build backlinks, and establish both brand awareness and authority.

Social media is also a great place to conduct keyword research for your next content.

You don’t have to choose just one, you can use both to push further your reach.

A Social Media Content Strategy Keeps You Focused And Accountable

Social media can be an overwhelming place for small business brands without a plan.

You’re not a solo user having fun – you’re a business that needs to be able to justify the time you spend on social media content marketing.

That’s exactly why you should create a strategy.

You need a plan if you want to meet your goals and make good use of your time and resources.

With a plan, you’re much more likely to move the needle.

Start strategizing your social media content marketing– and plan on seeing results.

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