Social media has exploded. People of all ages and backgrounds are using social media to share their experiences with their fan base, friends, and even complete strangers. The amount of options for sharing content socially continues to grow. Today I'll focus on the exact social media outlets you need to incorporate into your online marketing game plan immediately.
If you are like most businesses, you have a core set of social media accounts that you update frequently, and a core set that most likely sit idle and rarely get updated. It can become a full time job updating all of these accounts!
There three core social media outlets that you must hone in on to not only give your company a footprint online, but to compete with your competition on a search engine optimization level. There is nothing better than organic traffic flowing freely to your website. Companies boasting organic traffic appreciate it, and those that don't have that luxury continuously scratch their heads at what their competition is doing to generate this traffic. It's a constant game of cat and mouse that most companies choose to wisely outsource.
The core outlets you must appear on are below, in order of importance:
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YouTube
YouTube is owned by Google. That alone should be a large enough signal to let you know that you absolutely need to be on YouTube.
Here is a list of insider tips on how you can get the most out of your YouTube account:
- Post "how to" videos that related to your business.
- Release key company news via video. Interact with your customer base and talk to them on a personal level.
- If you hire someone for SEO, talk to them about ranking your YouTube videos.
Publishing information on YouTube is the most personal way you can deliver a message.
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Facebook
Everyone is on Facebook these days. People spend countless hours "liking" their favorite brands and checking in to see if there are any discount codes available. The stickiness and addiction that is Facebook has helped brands create daily dialog with their customers.
Insider Tip: Don't just create your account and let it sit idle. Actively managed Facebook accounts create a reason for your customers to come back and see what you have going on. This leads to more brand loyalty.
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Twitter
When you turn on your television and see your local news anchor's name with a Twitter handle advertised below it, which should tell you how widely accepted this massive social media outlet has become. Everyone loves gathering on Twitter to check in on "hot takes" after something major happens in the news.
Twitter users are also looking for coupons, asking questions, and looking for social interaction. Use Twitter to interact with people and more importantly, extinguish fires in customer service. This goes a long way to showing non-customers that you care about your business.
If you use those specific social media outlets, you give your business a chance to take advantage of organic traffic otherwise left on the table and provide a platform for potential customers to learn more about your company. Most people read reviews and fully check out companies before doing business with them these days. If you aren't active on social media, your business will appear abandoned, careless, and stagnant.