How to Use Social Media to Get Targeted Traffic to Your Website – Tina B's World
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How to Use Social Media to Get Targeted Traffic to Your Website

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Social media used to be just for keeping up with family and friends, but now is utilized by businesses across the board for targeted traffic. 

Digital marketing has several advantages for brands:

  • Information travels fast
  • Cost-effective 
  • No geographical boundaries
  • Any and everyone can use it (with age restrictions)

A new platform usually starts with a mad dash for brands to secure their handles and profiles. 

Many brands seek advice on hot to grow their following and convert followers to customers after the fact and unfortunately, this often leads to failure. You need a solid understanding of your brand. You need more than just a simple site to succeed in the digital age. 

Social media is the answer. It’s how you’ll be able to keep up with consumers, who are connected 24/7. 

Think about it: how many times have you been discussing a new product or service with a friend or family member and they mention they first saw it on social media?  

woman holding hashtag sign

You should see social media as your golden ticket to drive traffic to your site and convert potential customers. Creating noise is easy, but a solid social media presence can help you stand out and reach your business goals. 

Just remember: before you jump into social media or revamp your current channels to reflect your business, you need a plan. 

  • What is your business exactly?
  • Who are you trying to reach?
  • What are other brands doing that inspires you?

If you are sure of who/what you are and what message you’re trying to convey, social media won’t seem so daunting. 

Note: you DO NOT have to be on every platform. Decide which platforms would be best for what you want to accomplish. Utilize that platform to strengthen your relationships with your customers or clients so they are willing to spread the word about your brand for you. 

Here are the major networks and how you can use them to get traffic to your site and grow your business:

Facebook

  • Use your personal profile to connect with other business owners. 
  • Join Groups.
  • Start a Page for your business. 
  • Post updates and links to expand brand awareness. 

Ask for Testimonials & Reviews

Post them to your business page. 

If you have a brick and mortar business, put up a sign asking to review on Facebook. Post your best reviews on your website and in your store wherever you see fit. 

If your business is digital, ask for reviews in a follow-up email sequence after a customer makes a purchase. Post your best reviews on your website and use them in your marketing. 

Connect with your audience

This is pretty much THE reason to keep a Page up. 

Your Page’s audience consists of:

  • fans of your business
  • fans of your content
  • current and former customers
  • potential customers

Keep this in mind when you post because your first priority is to connect with your audience. 

Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of your content should be value-packed and the other 20% should be promotional. 

Examples for the 20%:

  • marketing
  • sales
  • self-promotions

Remember to engage with your audience: win their loyalty and encourage engaging with your content by catching their attention with unique and informative posts related to your business, niche or industry. 

You also need to INTERACT! 

  • provide them with desired content
  • reply to comments posted, good or bad 
  • monitor the comments

If one of your posts gets more likes/shares than others, find out what made that post special. That will help you create similar posts in the future because you already know what your audience wants. 

Ad Placement

If you have ever been on Facebook, you’ve probably have seen dozens of ads, even during a short scroll. I don’t personally use Facebook ads, but this is the info as I understand it. 

Facebook provides its users the opportunity to place ads within the news feed that is located in the right-hand column of the site. The only requirement for this is that you must add your link to a Facebook page so that it is displayed in the news feed. In case you don’t have a Facebook page, you can only take advantage of ad placement services that appear in the right-hand column.

With news feed ads, your business page is used as the source of the advertisement by Facebook. This feature will provide your target audience an option to like your page apart from connecting with the primary objective of the ad.

There are many options to target ads to certain groups of people. You can add specific demographics when you create your ads. 

Get Feedback

You should be aware of your customer’s expectations and always strive to fulfill their needs. 

How? Create a survey! 

Polling:

  • gives you a path to connect with your community
  • helps you understand expectations

If you’re thinking creating a survey might be too time-consuming, use the Polls feature on Facebook. 

You can:

  • ask a question 
  • input ready-made answers 
  • allow for custom answers to be added 

Offer Helpful resources

Resources should:

  • be helpful
  • be value-packed
  • set you up as a thought leader and authority in your niche

Some examples:

  • breaking news in your niche/industry
  • blog posts (yours and other relevant ones)
  • new tools you’ve discovered
  • features
  • favorite products or services
  • book recommendations
  • links to useful websites

What you share will depend on your business type and specialty. 

If there is something you depend on to help run your business, you should be sharing about it. 

A product that helps you get through the day? Share it! 

Use images/Graphics in your posts

Engaging or captivating photos are a MUST! 

Whenever possible, post multiple pictures. 

Images have the ability to:

  • convey a wide range of information
  • focus in on a single thought or emotion

It is up to you if you use professional stock photos (my recommendation is in the Resources section at the bottom of the post) or pictures you took yourself. 

Display your best pics of your business in action: 

  • employees (if you have any)
  • office pets (if you have those)
  • your products 
  • you

Twitter

Twitter has 5 main functions:

  • Timeline
  • Notifications
  • Moments
  • Messages
  • Profiles

Tweets contain: 

  • text 
  • links 
  • images 
  • videos
  • hashtags (to promote campaigns or join a conversation)

types of Posts

Five main kinds of posts Twitter is known for:

  • photos
  • quotes
  • status updates
  • videos
  • links

A popular strategy is the Rule of 4-1: 

  1. Select one main post type your followers expect from you (like status updates, for example)
  2. Every 4th post, switch it up and post something different, like a video. 

It helps you stay consistent, but also keeps your content varied so your followers don’t get bored. 

Remember: Twitter moves FAST. New content appears every second and that can pose a challenge for marketing purposes. 

You should be online when your customers are. 

Schedule your tweets with software like Tweetdeck or Buffer. 

That ensures you:

  • stay organized
  • post frequent messages to reinforce your brand

It’s imperative you monitor your brand on Twitter. Don’t just set it and forget it. Show up and be present when you can. 

Some Proven Tips to Boost Business

It’s entirely possible that you:

  • have been on Twitter for a while and haven’t seen any growth
  • haven’t had much luck with marketing on Twitter

These issues lie on how you’re using the site. 

Some tips (that will be expanded upon in the following sections are:

  • Use Hashtags
  • Know Your Best Times to Tweet
  • Use Twitter Lists
  • Retweet with Value
  • Share Testimonials
  • Interact with Your Followers

Use Hashtags

Use them both sparingly and carefully. 

Pick hashtags that are relevant to your content and the tweet.

Try to use them when the hashtag is trending. 

Having trouble finding appropriate hashtags for your brand?

Check to see what others in your niche use. 

Use Hashtagify.

Use RiteTag.

There are plenty of others to help you. A simple search will help you find one you like. 

Know Your Best times to tweet

What’s the point of posting if your target audience won’t even get to see your content? 

It’s totally possible to post based on the time zones where your potential customers are located. 

To maximize your engagement with your target audience, the best (on average) times to send out tweets:

  • early mornings
  • evenings
  • late nights

To determine when to send out your tweets: utilize Twitter’s
analytics tool. It will let you know the times zones of your current followers so you know when they will be online. It has been suggested that tweeting around 2-3AM in the different time zones gets the clicks. 

Use twitter lists

Twitter Lists are super helpful! 

You can make both public and private lists. 

They can help you organize if you participate in Twitter Chats. You can add the managers of the chat and your fave chatters. 

You can separate people into groups by niche, making it easier to find relevant content to share. 

Best part? You can subscribe to other people’s public lists, making the process of finding others in niche a breeze. 

retweet with value

So you retweeted something. 

Big whoop. Okay there, Captain Original. 

You should be adding to it, unless it’s a meme (which speak for themselves). 

  • Add your reaction or opinion. 
  • Expand upon what is being said. Show off your expertise.
  • Connect the retweet to your brand. 

Just add something valuable to it. 

share testimonials

Testimonials are always influential in getting clicks.

If you have the person’s handle, make sure you tag them. 

Posting word-of-mouth reviews from customers and clients doubles your chances of catching the attention of both expected and potential buyers/clients. 

It also increases your credibility and gains the trust of your targeted audience. 

Interact with your followers

Are there users that retweet you or comment on your tweets? 

Acknowledge them.

Have any clients tweeted at you with a question? 

Answer them. 

In the grand scheme of things, it costs you very little to interact. 

By doing it, you are showing your community that you care about them, which leads to more exposure for your business. 

Instagram

More and more brands are discovering how to use IG to:

  • gain followers
  • increase their customer base
  • share their brand message

Remember: Insta users are buyers. In the past few years, IG has been increasing its purchasing power. You can set up shops on your profile and there are bio link platforms that allow you to add pictures of your products with links (my favorite is in the Resources section at the bottom of this post). 

Posting graphics and pictures on Instagram allows you to add your sales pitch without much effort on your part. 

Consider using templates to showcase your products and professional stock photos for adding to your informational posts (my faves in the Resources section). 

Growing your brand/biz with IG

Instagram has easily become the favorite platform for many brands.

Whether it’s from an exciting interaction point of view or promoting your brand in a more straightforward way, the efficiency of the site shows that both have been grabbing the attention of nearly everyone. If you are using social media in your marketing, you probably shouldn’t sleep on Instagram.

You just can’t ignore the fact that a simple photo sharing app has emerged as one of the critical sales channels today.

Link Back to your site

You need to add a link back to: 

  • your site 
  • landing page with your lead magnet 

Make sure one or both of those links go into your IG bio. 

Add a relevant hashtag or two to help you get found in searches. 

State who you help and how or why people should work with you. 

Audience-Targeted Hashtags

Hashtags are a great way to be found in searches relevant to your:

  • niche
  • topic
  • specialty
  • industry
  • job title
  • content subject

Use hashtags that are already in use or being searched for. 

Use online services like Iconosquare or Webstagram, which help you find relevant hashtags based on your needs. 

Have lists of 10-20 hashtags related to your:

  • brand
  • business
  • products
  • services 

That will enable you always have relevant hashtags on hand, no matter what you’re posting.  

to filter or not to filter

So you spent time looking for great stock photos or creating awesome graphics. 

  • Do you still need an overlay?
  • Do you need a filter?

The answer is simple: do what you think enhances your post and makes it look better. 

In past studies, it has been proven that certain filters perform better than others. I don’t think that’s still the case. It all depends on what makes the post look its best. 

Try experimenting with filters and then keep an eye on your analytics to see if the filter makes a difference or not. If you see an uptick in engagement when you use certain filters, use it more often. 

the right time to post

If you switch your personal account to a business account, you can see the recommended times to post each day.. although there is an argument to be made for the consistency of posting around the same time each day. 

When you schedule your posts, be aware when your target audience is on. Make sure your posts are booked when they will get the most eyeballs on them. 

A site like IconoSquare can give you detailed analytics too. 

Engage with the popular IGers

Simply put: find someone with a bigger community. Kiss their butt until they feature your product. 

HAHA! I’m kidding! Sorta.

Find influencers. Ask for a feature on their feed in exchange for a fee or for by sending products for a review. 

Search for influential accounts in your niche by:

  • keywords
  • hashtags
  • brand/company name

Once you follow one, IG will suggest others for you. 

A few tips:

  • Check their profiles before following or asking/offering. 
  • Make sure they align with your brand values. 
  • Scroll around their posts to see if they have done other sponsored posts to get an idea of what type of content they will post.

Their willingness to work with brands might even be in their bio, so check on that. If there is no clear indication, you can always email or DM them directly to see if they are even willing to do a sponsored post. 

Your popularity on IG hinges on two things:

  • if you can grab the attention of your ideal audience
  • how you showcase your business

Instagram’s continuing popularity will prove to be a fantastic  way to grow your business and bring more targeted leads to your site.

YouTube

Not many people think of YouTube when they think of business marketing and it may not look like a viable platform in marketing terms, but it’s actually a good idea to add it to your plan. 

Creating and uploading video content is a solid method for increasing both the visibility and reliability of your brand. 

 YouTube allows:

  • high quality videos
  • live streaming
  • 3D
  • 360° videos
  • ability to manage your profile
  • partnerships with video creators
  • uploading directly from your phone

While others are trying desperately to expand their services to mimic other platforms, YouTube sticks to what it does best: video. 

It’s simple:

  • Set up your account
  • Create a channel
  • Create a trailer (short video about who you are, what you do and what visitors and subscribers can expect)

To be successful, your videos need a purpose. Don’t just post anything. Keep your content relevant and on-brand. 

Using YT to grow your business

While the user base of YouTube makes up the essence of every single social medium, a supporter on YouTube is substantially more vital than a user of either Facebook or Twitter. 

Facebook users are a lot more challenging to reach than they used to be, and Twitter users see an onslaught of tweets, making it more than likely that your tweets will go unnoticed.

Almost 90% of viewers see themselves as a “normal” YouTube client.

The convenience of YouTube, combined with its capacity to make huge numbers of various social signs, makes the platform a critical piece of any informal business marketing system. 

Potential new clients will see your new videos, and they will focus on the message in the videos, and even pull in new endorsers. 

remain active

The most popular YouTube channels are the ones that are updated regularly. If you decide to go this route, you will need to commit to making and uploading a lot of videos. 

There are a few ideas for content you can post: 

Webinars can be broken up and posted as a series

  • Short (or long) tutorials
  • Short explanations or answers for questions asked on other platforms
  • Demonstrate/introduce your products and detail why they are beneficial

You will need to respond to comments. 

People will rate your videos and leave comments about what they thought. Respond to feedback as professionally as possible. 

Remember: your channel isn’t your personal site. It’s a window into your world. 

Customize Your Channel

Show what you’re about right up front. Don’t try and look like other channels. 

Branding is important:

  • Color (use the palette from your website)
  • Images
  • Links
  • Relevant Info
  • Logo
  • Tone
  • Slogans
  • Whatever allows users to identify your brand

Encourage viewers to subscribe and be notified when you post new videos. 

Give your titles some thought

People tend to search on YT the same way they do on any search engine, so keep that in mind. 

  • Use relevant keywords
  • Describe what someone might be looking for
  • Always fill out the description 

Add in the description:

  • Links to any product/service mentioned
  • Keywords
  • Link to your site or other social media 
  • Links to relevant freebies, lead magnets or products

Engage!

When you post, viewers can comment and share your content on other platforms right away. 

Having a video go viral can mean free marketing, getting companies to dedicate themselves to creating YouTube campaigns to gain exposure for their brands. 

The trick to finding success is your audience, so be sure to communicate and interact with them. 

Gone are the days of a simple tv ad, just throwing it out and hoping for success. Today, you need to interact. Keep track of what your viewers are commenting. Even the sad trolls can get you exposure if you play your cards right. 

Is there a joke that keeps popping up in the comments? 

Use that. Create a video using the joke as the theme. It will endear you to your audience because instead of going on the defensive, you turned the ridiculousness into a joke. Truth? Audiences love stuff that has the potential to go viral, so give them what they want! 

The comment section is a great place to support your viewers without them even asking. Leave replies whenever you can help out. If you have a product that can help, post that too. 

Happy customers are your key to free marketing. They:

  • recommend you to people
  • share your content
  • help increase your brand awareness

YouTube is definitely one platform where communication can lead to great results. 

Pinterest

Pinterest for business.. WHAAATTTTT?! 

Yes, kiddies. Pinterest is a tool you should definitely be utilizing in your marketing. Only a year after launching, Pinterest was seeing about 11M visits a week and it has grown exponentially since then. 

Let’s discuss. 

Using it to grow your biz

Pinterest is especially popular among women, who spend an average of 90 minutes at a clip just searching and browsing. 

The most popular categories are:

  • DIY & Crafts
  • Food & Drink
  • Women’s Clothing
  • Home Decor 
  • Travel

However, there is a spot for everyone on Pinterest and an interest in whatever you decide to sell or post.

The following suggestions can help you connect with others who have similar interests and help grow your brand/biz: 

Use Keywords in your board titles

Above anything, Pinterest is a search engine and an amazing one at that. Including relevant keywords in your titles will help people find you and in turn, make them curious to learn more about you. 

Always choose a category for your boards. Basically, if there is a field that needs to be filled out, make sure you fill it out. It will help you get found quicker and easier. 

Don’t set your boards to private unless they are actually private. They will not be found in searches. 

describe Your Ideas

Use keywords in your board descriptions as well. 

Keep these tips in mind: 

  1. Users can share your pins outside of Pinterest, so using keywords helps your pins be searchable on those other sites as well. 
  2. What you write in the description becomes the tweet so keep it brief, relevant and compelling. 

go vertical

Pins should be long and narrow. 

Browse the site and take note of what your favorite pins have in common. Apply those techniques to your own pins. 

You will quickly recognize the kinds of images that are most repinned and shared. 

Most users don’t include images, but make sure you have a pin for each of your website posts. A pinnable image encourages shares. 

Embed Pins on your blog

Want a fresh, straightforward way to get more repins on your posts?

Embed the pins on your blog. 

Create an embed code on your Pinterest account. 

To do this:

  1. Go to your profile.
  2. Click on any pin you have posted.
  3. When the pin is up on the screen, click the three dots to the right of the pin. 
  4. Click on “Get Pin Embed Code”.
  5. Choose your size.
  6. Highlight the code. 
  7. Copy it by either hitting Ctrl+C or right-clicking and clicking “copy”. 
  8. Click “Got It!” to exit.
  9. Paste the code onto your site. 

Share your pin to other social networks where it’s relevant. 

timetables

The most crucial new element that is now accessible on Pinterest
is that you can plan all your Pinterest pins with Buffer from a
single dashboard. 

Similarly, you can now plan pins to post reliably for the duration of the day right from Pinterest. 

You can share substance to Pinterest from the Buffer dashboard
or from the Bugger program augmentations for Firefox, Chrome,
and Safari. 

Rich Pins

Rich Pins allow users to buy things directly from you. 

With rich pins, users can:

  • see prices
  • select a particular product 
  • choose from options
  • press a button to buy

There are currently three types of rich pins you can post:

  • Recipes
  • Products
  • Articles

You can advertise almost anything and almost everything can be bought. Take time to find your chosen rich pins and apply to get them.

In order to use Rich Pins, you must get validated first. To do that, click HERE. You’ll find detailed instructions on how to get started with Rich Pins.  

Bi-Weekly Posts

In regards to timing, there really isn’t a bad time to pin. There is always an audience on Pinterest, no matter what time of day.

That being said, there are certain subjects that perform better on different days of the week. 

These might have changed, but Pinterest shared this info a few years back. Here’s a peek at what people focus on so you can plan your pins accordingly:

Monday:

  • wellness 
  • wellbeing

Tuesday: 

  • gadgets 
  • new innovations

Wednesday:

  • motivational quotes to help get through the rest of the week

Thursday:

  • fashion
  • design

Friday:

  • funny GIFs
  • lighthearted elements for the week

Saturday:

  • vacations
  • travel

Sunday:

  • food
  • specialty thoughts

In general, Saturday is especially are extraordinary in terms of posting new pins. 

Group Boards

Collaborative boards can help you connect with a new group of people and a new larger audience of potential customers. 

Join boards in your niche or for your hobbies. 

All the pins will show on your profile as well. 

If you start a group board, you can select the cover photo. 

You’re a business leader and the responsibility of holding your brand to the highest standards falls on you. 

When adopting new tactics to grow your audience and business on social media, be both strategic and creative. Keep in mind that social media is continuously evolving, has plenty of room for everyone and is your golden ticket to sales and growth. 

The prominence of social media branding will continue to grow and become increasingly important. Start today to maximize your business with social media marketing. 

By reading this post, you are already on your way to be ahead of the curve and put your biz on the path to branding success. 

GOOD LUCK! 

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Ivory Mix: Images, Courses & Templates

I can not stress this enough: this subscription is probably one of the most valuable ones I’ve ever had! 

All of this is included:

  • Stock Photos (you get access to ALL present and past in the membership)
  • Courses to help you grow your biz and social media
  • Templates for all major social media platforms 
  • Captions for your posts in case you need help in what to say

Considering everything you get, it’s an incredible bargain.

I highly recommend this membership! 

Canva: Graphics & Posts

If you don’t purchase your templates, Canva has plenty!  

With the PRO version you get access to even more templates and cool features like the Magic Resize that will help you turn your IG Posts into Pins and vice versa. 

Tailwind Smart Bio

  • Add your links
  • Add your IG posts (images) with links

Tailwind can be used to schedule IG and Pinterest content

Rant or Rave here: