The Social Strategy: Branding vs. Traffic
It’s widely assumed that all social media efforts produce the same result: an increase in business. While this is a fair expectation, the real results are more nuanced. Some marketers want to create or enhance their online brand, encourage users to engage with their content, or increase the likes and follows of their social channels. Others use social media to boost website traffic and generate leads. So before you jump into the social media fray, it’s important to know what results you’ll be measuring success against, and then craft your strategy accordingly.
Social for branding
To dive in effectively, it’s important to remember what the endgame of branding really is: to establish a significant and differentiated presence that attracts and retains loyal customers. In the case of social, all efforts should be based on creating brand awareness and brand recognition. Pay close attention to your engagement numbers and encourage users to interact with the content you post. Facebook ads focused on brand awareness, reach and engagement give the best results for branding efforts, while mobile app platforms like Instagram or Snapchat are ideal for user engagement.
Key Takeaways for Branding
Creating brand awareness + brand recognition
Focus on engagement numbers
Getting people to interact with your content
Facebook ads – brand awareness, reach, engagement
Platforms of primary influence: Instagram + Snapchat
Social for traffic
Gaining more website traffic creates a better digital footprint, which translates to better site visibility on Google, and thus more leads. With a social media campaign for traffic and leads, be extra mindful of both how and what you post, particularly when it comes to Facebook. A good rule of thumb is quality over quantity—avoid posting too many links back to your website so you stay in line with Facebook’s ever-changing algorithm. Plus, by posting fewer links to the website, you make the links you do choose to post matter more. I highly recommend utilizing Facebook ads for traffic, lead generation, and conversions, plus boosting any links you do post to your Facebook page as ads for traffic too. Facebook and Twitter are the ideal social platforms to focus on for those looking to drive traffic. Though Facebook can be a tough nut to crack, once you learn how to fit your content into their rules, you will see results. On the upside, Twitter allows you to post as many links and articles back to your website as you can manage to schedule, without the algorithmic repercussions that Facebook has.
Key Takeaways for Traffic
Quality over quantity on Facebook content
Posting less on Facebook makes what you do post matter more
Facebook ads – traffic, lead generation, conversions
Platforms of primary influence: Facebook + Twitter
Marketers know they need social media, but they don’t know how or what to utilize to deliver the best results. This is why I cannot stress enough the importance of goal setting, before putting together your social strategy. You may also find it handy to segment your large list of goals into smaller, month-by-month targets, particularly if you are working with a smaller budget. Happy social strategizing!
