Mastering Online Marketing: Why Social Media and Search Engine Optimization Go Hand-in-Hand

With all the attention that social media gets (and generates), website optimization hasn’t been getting as much press.

Some people may be thinking that they need to pour all their efforts into just the social aspect. Others haven’t even dipped their toe into the social pond and rely solely on optimization.

Actually – you need to be doing both because they each uniquely target in a way that is not duplicated by the other.

In simple terms: Social media creates a buzz and generates traffic based upon the recommendation of others on a more personal level.

Search marketing reaches people in a more direct way when they are looking for a specific term.

Think about it, it’s not that common that someone will perform a search engine-type inquiry on a social site. More often what happens is that on social channels, someone might ask the question: “Does anyone know a good lawn sprinkler company?” thus generating a recommendation that is much stronger than the listing on a search engine result page (SERP). Although it may take a bit to get a referral response. Conversely, if someone is looking for a lawn sprinkler service in the search engine they will simply type “lawn sprinkler installation” and will look through the search engine result pages. It’s a more instantaneous response on the part of the search engine.

The best overall internet marketing strategy uses multiple approaches because you can’t predict which channel your visitors prefer.

While some people are very adept at social media and would much rather get a personal referral, others prefer the straightforward approach that a search engine provides.

The same is true for paid ads on social media vs. search engines. Some products and services are better positioned to be sold on a more personal, social level. Take for example golf ball stamps. You are more likely to get the attention of the golfer on FaceBook paid ads than in the paid listings on Google. But Google is better for finding notaries. (Based on actual client case studies)

Why?

Because people who golf are more social, it’s a friendly (most of the time) sport. But when you are a notary, it’s business.

Does this mean that all business ads should go on the search engines?

No, it really depends on who you are trying to reach.

This is why using multiple channels and testing the return is so important.

The other part of social media and search optimization is that search engines are now indexing the live feeds from sites like Twitter. So if people are talking about your business, you’ll get listings on the search engines for the brief time that the topic is live. The more people who talk about the business, the more frequently you’ll have a chance to show up in SERP.

If you wonder where to focus your efforts for marketing online, don’t restrict yourself to one specific channel. It’s best to design a well-rounded approach that includes all of the internet marketing tools available: social media, search marketing, email marketing, etc.