Okay, so your website is up and your SEO and PPC (collectively, Search Engine Marketing or SEM) are in place… or being considered, at the least. Now what? Well, it’s time to start building brand awareness to support your SEM efforts. Social media is the prime way to do just that. All too often, businesses try to fit the square social media peg into the proverbial round SEM hole. Both marketing mediums – SEM and social media – are two very different animals which happen to play very well together.
Social media is very effective when used correctly. Prospects who have been exposed to your brand through social media are far more likely to convert into paying customers once they decide to “Google it” and (hopefully) find your website.
It may seem like social media has been around awhile, but in fact it’s still considered relatively new in terms of marketing. When businesses realized that social media sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter were gaining popularity, at an alarming rate, the “idea light bulb” went off. All of a sudden large corporations and small businesses were jumping into the social media ocean, feet first, but had no idea what it really meant and how to utilize its marketing capabilities. (Some still don’t, unfortunately.) Social media, as the name implies, should be social. It wouldn’t make sense to go to a networking event only to try to hard sell everyone on your latest product or service. Social media is no different. Think of social media as a networking event that’s online. SEM on the other hand is your opportunity to promote. Social media drives new interest in your brand while SEM should be primarily used to directly generate more leads and/or sales.
When it comes to social media and search engine marketing, it’s important to remember that they both have their roles and when used correctly in concert, the results will be that much better. There are many questions that still need answering for your business that I didn’t touch on. What’s your strategy? What’s the best way to make sure you’re getting what you need from your Online marketing efforts? How can you manage both? For answers to these questions, and for more information on social media and search engine marketing, contact our Internet marketing agency. I’d love to hear from you.