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Getting things on paper (or rather, a digital document) is an obvious but essential step toward meeting a goal.

But, sometimes marketers tumble into projects instead of planning out what we want to achieve and how we'll get there.

Social media is no exception.

Your team needs a documented social media strategy because:

The takeaway is clear: creating a documented strategy focused on processes and goals will improve your results.

And with this post + template, you'll have everything you need to plan your work and work your plan.
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Start With Your Social Media Strategy Template

Plan your strategy as you read this post to make the most efficient use of your time. Download the kit that complements this post now to get your free:

Social Media Strategy Template you can use to quickly and easily document your entire strategy.

Google Analytics Custom Reports. In just a few clicks, build custom reports in Google Analytics to track incoming social media referral traffic.

Bonus Content Types Infographic to inspire awesome content to share.

Social Media Content Calendar. Keep track of when your content is publishing and help your team work ahead.

Get 'em all now, and then let's move on.

What is a Social Media Strategy?

For the purposes of this post, we'll work with the following definition:

A social media strategy documents how a business or organization will plan, execute, and measure all social media marketing activities.

Throughout this post, we'll elaborate and expand upon what exactly this means.

What Tools Will I Need to Plan and Execute My Strategy?

Before we jump into planning, let's make sure your toolbox is complete. We recommend using the following types of tools:

Social media calendar. Planning and executing your strategy on one central calendar makes it easy to see all your social media posts alongside your other content and projects. You can use a spreadsheet-based calendar template or an app like CoSchedule.

Curation tools. These make it easy to curate content and fill gaps on your calendar. If you're a CoSchedule user, our Chrome extension makes this easy.

Google Analytics. You'll use this to gather data on your social media referral traffic to find where your audience is most active.

In-app analytics. Each of the top social media networks features robust analytics full of useful audience and performance data. CoSchedule also includes automated analytics and reporting tools you can use as well.

That's all you need to put this post into practice. Now, let's get started!

1. Choose Your Social Networks

Which networks should you be on? Should you have multiple social media accounts for certain networks? Let's take a look.

Find Your Target Audience

The first step in planning a social media strategy involves discovering who your target audience is.

By knowing your target audience, you will be able to create content that connects with their interests and improves your performance.

You should also be on the same networks as your audience. But, how do you figure out which ones those are?

Let's start with a few reliable tactics to find where those folks are hanging out.
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1. Use This Free Google Analytics Custom Report To Find Your Highest-Trafficked Social Networks

If you have a website or blog, there's a strong possibility that your audience is already sharing your content.

You can track the traffic they direct back to your website through the free Google Analytics Custom Report in the kit that complements this blog post. You'll see exactly which networks give you the most traffic to help you focus your efforts on the social media that are already naturally generating results.

2. Research Your Competitors' Social Networks To Find Their Largest Followings

You and your competitors are after the same audience on social media. Choose 5-10 competitors, then search for them on all the major social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat).

Write down their number of followers on each network to understand on which social networks your audience may be most active.

3. Choose Your Social Media Channels

You know where your audience is most active . You also have an idea where your competitors are seeing the most success, too.

Now, let's bring those two data sets together to prioritize your social media channels.

Start by making a list of your social networks and rank them in order from the most to least active.

Then, take a look at data from your competitor research do the same for them.

See how your competitors top channels and your top channels compare.

If their Facebook network is ranked number one and your Facebook network is ranked number two, consider adjusting your strategy to put more emphasis on Facebook.

Make your final list of networks starting with your highest-priority platforms in your strategy document.

Back to the Top

2. Plan The Content You'll Share

Before your team dives into creating and sharing content, strategically plan what you want to share first.

What Are Your Topics Of Expertise?

If you've done your homework right, your content marketing is highly focused on the topics your audience cares about, and the social activity of your content will reflect that.

Write down, in one sentence, what your brand is about. Make it general (e.g., shoes). Then, break it down into the sub-topics (e.g., running shoes, jogging tips, healthy recipes, budget).

All curated content should be held up against this list to see if it fits. If you find content that doesn't fit, don't share it.

An exercise that works well for this is to write down the top three topics you'd like to cover in a horizontal line.

Draw circles around each topic, with some overlap between circles to create a type of Venn diagram among all of the topics. Brainstorm a subtopic for each of the intersecting areas, then use these words as your foundation for curating content that your followers-and your brand-will love.
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Find Content to Curate

Now that you have topics that you want to cover, how to do you curate the right content?

There are three things to keep in mind when you're looking for content to share:

1. Does this provide value to my audience?

2. Is this being published from a reputable source?

3. Is the content timely?

The easiest way to curate content is to set up an RSS feed through tools like Feedly. Start by creating an account and downloading the app (Mac, iOS, Android, and Kindle) or use a compatible client.

Once you're in, click + Content and enter the topic or keyword you want to curate content around:

Choose sources you want to follow and add them to your feed:

Now, you're ready to read your feed and pick out content you think your audience would enjoy:
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Plan Your Execution

The next phase involved planning images, campaign themes, and establishing a content curation strategy.
1. Plan Your Imagery
Social networks are pushing imagery, so you will need to plan to include some.

If you've determined that creating imagery is not your strength or you don't have the expensive tools or access to a professional designer, you can create great images using tools like Canva.
2. Plan Your Campaigns
Social media, particularly if planned on an editorial calendar with other content, will have campaigns.

They might be centered around events, holidays, promotions, Twitter chats, or brand messages, but you will have campaigns.

First, you'll need processes for generating campaign ideas and planning social media campaigns.

Then, when you're ready to create and publish your campaign content, use a tool like CoSchedule. With our Social Campaigns feature, it's easy to plan and schedule cohesive campaigns on your social media calendar.

To start go your calendar and select Social Campaign:

Title your campaign and use a Social Template to add your post content:

Label each of your text helpers and add a helper to your post by selecting the name of the associated helper from the drop-down menu:

It's not just text that you can use helpers for. Instead of adding each photo or video to your messages one at a time, you can use the image and video helpers to add content automatically. To use this feature go back to your helper's menu and select + Image/Video Helper:

Title your image or video helpers the same way you did your text helpers. However, to add them to your posts you need to switch your message type to Image or Video and select the helper from the drop-down menu:

Once your empty helpers are added to your social template, you can save it and apply it to your campaign. Suddenly scheduling 20 messages doesn't seem so intimidating:
3. Plan Your Curated Content
This is more ongoing than the previous two (which I revisit periodically throughout the year). You'll regularly be sharing content, and so you need to actively plan where and when you'll publish.

Remember, you must stick to your topic!

If you use an RSS reader like Feedly, curate feeds that fit topical categories relevant to your brand.

CoSchedule also has a Google Chrome extension that makes it easy to add curated content at the click of a button.

To start, download the extension and browse the web as you normally do.

Once you find a post that you think your audience will enjoy, click the CoSchedule icon in your Chrome browser bar:

If you have multiple calendars, select which calendar you'd like to publish on:

Select your social channel and edit your message:

Schedule the date and time you want your post to publish on:

3. Make Your Social Media Promotion Plan

Now that you know what networks you'll be on-and the ways you'll be using them-it's time to make the plan.

Use an editorial calendar for planning your social media. Even if you have to use a paper version. It's the best way to make sure everything happens when and how you want them to.

Define Your Goals

What is it you want to accomplish with social media? Some common goals include:

Your strategy should align with your goals to ensure you reach them.

We don't all want the same results from social media, and knowing this beforehand matters. Write down what you want in general (i.e. "more traffic"). Then, write down what you want in specific (i.e., 2,000 pageviews each month).

Why do both?

You start by writing down the big picture idea. This helps you get a general approach in mind. You will revisit this a few times a year, just to make sure that is what you still want.
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You will revisit the second part each month-writing down a specific goal. This is what you will use to measure whether or not you're hitting that big picture goal, and it's also what you'll adjust and use for A/B testing, increasing the measurable goal, and so on.

Until you define your goals, you don't have any. Until you understand your ultimate destination, you'll end up anywhere. And until you get a specific measurement to use, you won't know what adjustments to make along the way.

All three steps (defining a goal, painting the big picture, listing the specifics) are necessary.

Plan How Often You Will Share Every Day

As you get started, it's good to understand your commitment and how you'll post consistently to grow your following.

So, how often should you post on social media? Follow this visual guide:

Set up a social media publishing plan to help you share a specific piece of content the best way possible, taking into account social network norms for sharing the same piece more than once.

Here's what a hypothetical content sharing schedule for one piece of content might look like:

The big takeaway here is that publishing more than once is the best approach, particularly for a network like Twitter.

Some news feeds cycle quickly (Facebook, Twitter), while other networks (like Pinterest) function less like a flowing river and more like a bulletin board where people bring old things to the top again on their own.

Determine Your Best Social Media Posting Times

In addition to knowing how often to post, you should determine when to post, too. Start with this visual guide:

Plan Your Promoted Post Budget

Successful social media strategy must include a budget to promote your posts on social networks.

You might be new to paying for social content and have no real idea what it will cost. That's fine!

Let's clarify something before we dig further into promoted posts. Promoted posts and social media ads are not the same, although they are very similar.

Promoted Posts: These are organic posts you've paid to boost.

Ads: These are what they sound like (purely paid advertising content).

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest will give you the following options as you're setting up your promoted posts:

Budget limit. How much are you willing to spend per day?

Audience targeting. Who would you like to reach?

Location of your audience members. Are you targeting customers within a certain location or geographic area?

And more. Social media advertising is an art and a science, but for planning purposes, we'll just cover the basics here.

Once you decide how to promote your content, there are three steps to record these in your strategy template.
1. Decide What Your End Goal Is
The first thing your team needs to decide is what you want your promoted post to accomplish. What does promoting your post do for the goals you set out earlier?

In your strategy document, there is a table where you can layout each post you plan to boost. First, fill in what the end goal of boosting your post is:
2. Set Your Target Audience
Once you have your end goal in place, you need to decide who you are going to target with your promoted content. Targeting the right audience involves determining who needs to see your message and what qualifications you want your ad manager to target.

For example, if you write an e-book about the best way to take a family vacation at Walt Disney World it would make sense to target people who have kids listed in their about section, or that follow Disney vacation pages.

In your strategy document list the different attributes of the audience you want your boosted post to target:
3. Set Your Budget
The final step in your process should be determining a budget for your promoted post. Set the maximum amount you want to spend for the campaign overall, just remember for most advertising platforms the more people you want to reach the more you are going to have to pay.

Record your daily budget in your document:

After your post has run its course, evaluate your results and compare them to the goals you set in your plan. Did boosting your post contribute to those results in a positive way? If they did consider your team could consider running the promoting the content again. If not, you may want to reconfigure your audience and try again.

Record your results in the final column of your table:
Back to the Top
How Will You Plan Your Social Media Strategy?

All businesses approach social media a bit differently.

But the key point I hope you take from this is that you need to consciously ask a few questions about what you want, how you think you should get there, what success will look like and then...write it down.

For some insight into why this is important, we'll leave you with this excellent video from Gary Vaynerchuk himself:
Want to use Click to Tweet on your blog? This post has been edited from its original version for comprehensiveness. It was originally written by Julie Neidlinger and was most recently updated by Breonna Bergstrom.

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How To Create A Social Media Strategy (Free Template)

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Getting things on paper (or rather, a digital document) is an obvious but essential step toward meeting a goal. But, sometimes marketers tumble into projects instead of planning out what we want to achieve and how we'll get there. Social media is no exception.

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Subscribe for More Updates. With customer brand conversations making the move online it's more important than ever to look at the mentions of your brand on the Internet. In this video guide, Samantha Noble looks at methods of monitoring a brand online including free and paid tools. http://www.koozai.com

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There are a lot of misconceptions about online reputation management. Some people think it's just social media monitoring, while others believe it has something to do with public relations, and still others literally have no idea how it can impact business and sales.

In this guide, I'm going to explain the role of online reputation management in today's business and media landscape. Companies of every size can benefit from having a clear outline of its main concepts.

They Are Talking About You

Just a few years ago, the internet was very different. Companies were not engaging customers but just selling to a passive audience; people could not express their voice in a powerful way, and the overall communication landscape was very "top down."

The situation has radically changed. Today, websites are no longer static brochures. User-generated content is a must. And regular interactions on social networks are vital to any business success.

No matter the size of your business, they (prospects, customers, clients...anyone and, potentially, everyone) are talking about you. They are tweeting about your latest product, leaving a comment on your blog, posting a Facebook update about their customer experience, and much more.

If you think you can skip this, or if you think you can make it without taking into account people's voices, opinions, and reviews, think again.

The Transparency Risk

One of the most recent business commandments is "Be transparent." Opening up to criticism and feedback seems to be beneficial for companies that embrace this new communication mode with their audience.

What does being "transparent" mean? Here are some examples:

Allowing employees to talk about products and services publicly

Establishing a 1-to-1 communication channel

Asking for feedback

Not hiding criticism, and addressing it publicly

Easier said than done! Most small and medium sized companies do not invest much on communication, and they struggle with this concept. As a result, their efforts usually are incorrect or inconsistent.

Being transparent is risky. But in the long run, not being transparent is riskier.

Online Reputation Management "Failures"

@ aprildunford that's awesome... we are in the coffee business, not the office business. We have plenty of outlets to do what we need...

- Dark Horse Espresso(@darkhorsecafe) January 15, 2010

The transparency risk led many companies to literally fail in their quest to be "radically transparent." Being open, in fact, does not come without a price. If you and your brand accept feedback, customer opinions, and so on, you also must be ready to face them promptly.

Consider these scenarios:

1. What if your product/service sparks too much criticism?

2. What if your employees are not social media savvy?

3. What if your competitors take advantage of this?

These are some of the reasons one needs to have a proper online reputation management plan in action before embarking on a "transparency journey."

Here are three famous cases of reputation management failure in the digital era:

Dark Horse Café received a tweet criticizing their lack of electrical outlets for laptops. Their response was something like: "We are in the coffee business, not the office business. We have plenty of outlets to do what we need." Needless to say, this kind of defensive/aggressive behavior doesn't work in the online world. Many blogs reported the fact as a negative public relations case.

Nestlé received negative comments about their environmental practices a few years ago, and they did not address them. People started becoming aggressive and posted altered versions of the Nestlé logo, forcing the company to close their public page. Takeaway? Do not pretend people are not talking, and address criticism as soon as possible.

Amy's Baking Company fought fire with fire against a one-star internet review. Their insults against the reviewer eventually were picked up by the local news. It is obvious that negative attention is not good publicity.

What's The Sentiment Out There?

confession.. I hate McDonalds breakfast.

- Alex Goot (@alexgoot) March 13, 2013

What are people saying about you? Good online reputation management is not only about reacting well to what people say about you, your brand, or your products and services, but also about whether to react at all and, if so, when. Sometimes a reaction is not necessary, and sometimes a reaction that is too late can cost you millions.

A proactive approach to the matter consists of monitoring your public reputation on a regular basis, and not just when you come to know about a specific event to deal with. How do you do this? The magic tools invented to solve this problem fall under the name of "social media monitoring."

Simply put, social media monitoring allows companies to gather public online content (from blog posts to tweets, from online reviews to Facebook updates), process it, and see whether something negative or positive is being said affecting their reputation.

Social media monitoring can be both DIY (Google Alert is an example of a free web monitoring tool accessible to anyone) and professional, depending on the size of the business involved.

Online Reputation Bombs

In the online reputation management scenario, there are two types of negative content that companies should be aware of. One is represented by complaints on social networks. They need to be addressed properly, but unless your company has serious problems, they do not pose a real challenge to your business.

The other is what I define as "online reputation bombs," which affect your reputation and sales long term and can severely damage a business. They are very powerful because, unlike social network content, they are prominent in search engine results. What if someone googles your brand name and finds defamatory content? Let's see what they are:

Negative reviews: Review sites allow users to express their opinion on your brand. Did they like your service/product? Would they recommend it? Negative content can affect your sales, and addressing the criticism on the site may not be enough. Websites like Ripoff Report and Pissed Consumer provide the perfect platform for this kind of negative content.

Hate sites: Some people go beyond simple negative reviews and create ad hoc websites with their opinions, some of them containing illegal content. So-called "hate sites" sometimes address companies and public figures with insults and false information. Needless to say, a search result like "The truth about NAMEOFYOURCOMPANY" or "NAME scam/rip off" will make your potential customers run away!

Negative media coverage: Phineas T. Barnum used to say "There's no such thing as bad publicity." That may be true for controversial public figures like Paris Hilton, but many times unfavorable TV, print, and online media coverage impacts negatively on companies and brands.

Should We Call The Cops?

Article 19 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that:

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

It is obvious that everyone has the right to express their voice about your brand. There are, however, certain boundaries that need to be respected. Some of the negative content online actually is illegal. Why?

It uses defamatory language

It reports false information

It is aimed at damaging the company's reputation

How do you react to all of this? How do you defend yourself or your company from this kind of illegal behavior? Depending on the scope of the problem, several paths can be pursued in order to restore your online reputation:

Aggressive SEO: If someone googles your name, appearing on page 1 and 2 of the search results will be much more important than your business card or website. They will show at a glance several high ranking web sources talking about you. If they display false information, the first thing that you or your online reputation management company should do is devise a search marketing strategy that increases the ranking of positive content, owned by either you or third parties. The search engine game is too important to be ignored, and it is the first step in restoring your image.

Review removal: Did that user claim something false about your company? Is that review clearly aimed at destroying your reputation rather than providing feedback? Does it contain improper language? Legal liaison and speed of reaction will make it possible to remove the negative review.

Online investigations: In case of serious attacks to your brand image, it may be necessary to hire skilled online analysts to investigate untraceable threats and attackers via email tracing, data cross-indexing, and other information collection techniques. Cyber investigations are the definitive path to get to the bottom of difficult reputation management cases.

10 Online Reputation Management Commandments

Calling it "online reputation" really is redundant. Your online reputation simply is your reputation. In the digital era, nothing is protecting you from criticism anymore. This is good from a freedom of speech perspective; bad if your company has been defamed and attacked.

To conclude, ten practical tips that sum up what we have covered in this guide. The world of brand reputation will change in the coming years, but following these simple "commandments" definitely will benefit you and your brand:

1. Become well respected

According to several business experts, trust is a perishable asset and it is hard to gain. Making people respect you and your work is more important than any other online reputation management commandment.

2. Be radically transparent

After years of hiding critics, Mc Donald's publicly forced egg suppliers to raise hens' living standards according to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals request.

3. Monitor what they are saying about you

Dear whoever runs Apple now, how about inventing an iPhone with a battery that lasts longer than half an hour?!

- Elizabeth Windsor (@Queen_UK) March 14, 2013

Apart from the aforementioned reasons to monitor your online reputation, social media monitoring also can bring business! These days, lots of people ask questions via Twitter and Facebook because they are evaluating whether or not they should buy from you.

4. React quickly and politely

In case of a customer complaint via Twitter, for example, a prompt and simple "We are aware of the problem. We are working on it and will get back to you as soon as possible." is better than a late reply with more information.

5. Address criticism

In 2009, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's WSJ op-ed on Obama healthcare reform caused a controversy among WF customers. Two days later, the company provided a response statement recognizing there were "many opinions on this issue, including inside our own company" and invited people to share their opinion on the matter.

6. Treat your Google page 1 as your business card

First impressions count, and we do judge many books by their cover. If the words "scam" and "rip off" are associated with your brand, then that is something you should worry about.

7. Understand your detractors

Criticism can be the chance to learn more about your audience and craft a better message in the future. Motrin's controversial "baby wearing moms" commercial sparked a lot of criticism. It did not come from competitors or illegitimate attackers, but from people in Motrin's target audience who felt offended by their promotional content.

8. Attack your illegitimate attackers

Sometimes we simply have to fight illegal behavior. In 2009, Domino's Pizza employees who posted disgusting videos of themselves playing with food were fired and arrested. Another example is people who post false information on the internet. Sometimes, if you don't sue them, they might do it again.

9. Learn from your mistakes

CORRECTION: @ jmbergoglio is not the account of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Our apologies.

- Boston.com News (@BostonDotCom) March 13, 2013

Sony certainly learned a reputation management lesson back in 2005. The company placed copy protection (XCD) on its CDs which created computer vulnerabilities that malware could exploit. Instead of being upfront about their mistake, Sony stonewalled criticism and lost millions in class-action lawsuits.

10. Ask for help if necessary

If your online reputation management efforts are not enough to protect or restore your brand image, you have the choice to request help from a professional.

About the Author: Dan Virgillito is a content strategist for Massive PR, providing online reputation management services (i.e., helping companies monitor, defend, and restore their brand reputation on the internet).

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The Definitive Guide to Online Reputation Management

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There are a lot of misconceptions about online reputation management. Some people think it's just social media monitoring, while others believe it has something to do with public relations, and still others literally have no idea how it can impact business and sales.

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How to build identity and trust in social media 

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How to build identity and trust in social media 

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Danny Brown - WordPress Sites & Facebook Ads

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Depending who you listen to or read in the social media space, the best reason to use social media for your brand varies. It can be for listening; resolving issues; lead generation; focus groups; recruitment; and much, much more.

All good reasons. All good value. And yet....

While these are all solid enough reasons to be on social media from a brand's point-of-view, they mean nothing unless you have an audience. Not just an audience, but also one that actually trusts and supports you, and will listen when you speak. Without that, you'll just be another tree in the forest that no-one hears fall.

So how do you build that most valued of commodities in social media (and business in general) - identity and trust? Especially in such a crowded space to start with? Thankfully, it's not that hard - but it does take work and stamina. Let's dig in.

Step 1: The Message is the Key

The big mistakes that brands make when jumping into social media is they see their competitors doing it, so think they need to as well. Wrong answer! (Insert buzzer noise here). For sure - social media can (and does) offer a fantastic additional tactic to add to your existing marketing mix. Yet only if it's right for you - so make sure you're doing it for the right reasons and not because of forced impressions.

Once you've gotten that out of the way, the most important part comes next - defining what your message is going to be, and how that is going to build the loyalty and brand identity that will define your success in this space.

The core points to consider here are:

What's our brand's value proposition, and how do we convey that?

Who will be our spokesperson/spokespeople, and in what capacity? How do we want to be perceived - thought leaders, the company that listens, educators, or something else?

How will we ensure the message we're sharing is consistent and built to last?

These are some of the initial questions to ask, and answers to provide. Without these, you'll be floundering pretty quickly and people will move on to the next brand. Don't let that be you. Think about the above questions, and make sure you have the answers (or know who the person is with the answers).

And, for the love of God, please make sure you actually know internally what your business stands for before you go outside!

Step 2: It Ain't What You Do, It's The Way That You Do It

Once you have your goals defined, and know exactly what will be said and who will be saying it, you move on to the next most important part - building your brand identity with these components.

This, probably more than anything, will be the part of the puzzle that either builds your identity and success, or sees you crash and burn on takeoff (I watched Top Gun again the other night, so forgive the gung-ho analogies!).

While it's crucial to have the right people and message defined, it's just as crucial (if not more so) to take it to market properly. What you say, and how you say it, is going to be the difference between you and your competitors. And if there's one thing social media has taught all brands, it's that people are always waiting for you to slip up.

To ensure your message is understood in the way you want it to be seen, you need to be consistent across every touchpoint:

If you're setting up a blog, make the editorial guidelines clear, both for internal bloggers and guest authors, determine the message from the blog, and make that core across all posts.

On social networks, the people that will be the "official" voice of your company need to share communications with each other regularly, and know whose role it is to reply to a certain question or issue.

On social media-led promotions that carry over to the offline space, ensure the same people promoting and answering online are attached to any offline teams as well, to keep the message clear and integrated.

These are just some of the ways to ensure the messaging from your brand is consistent and clear. That's one of the first steps to building a true identity online. On top of that, obviously you need to make sure that your brand's look and feel ties into this identity too.

The last thing you want to do is confuse people when they visit one of your online outposts (blog, social network, Pinterest board, etc.) and find a different colour scheme or look and feel at each place (unless you're building external resources as a separate part of your brand identity, for SEO or thought leadership reasons).

Get the message consistent; get the look consistent; the rest will start to fall into place.

Step 3: The Long and Winding Road

Of course, this is all pre-identity stuff. Or, at least, pre-social media identity (you have identified what your brand stands for internally, right?). That's the (relatively) easy part - the hard part is making sure that message is seen and, more importantly, retained time and time again.

And that's where many brands fail, by expecting social media to be the quick fix to all that ails them. It's not. Social media is not a fire sale - it's a long-term investment and tactic, strategy, campaign, call it what you wish.

If you're expecting your brand to be immediately identifiable through your actions on social media, you'll be sorely disappointed. Instead, it's the consistency of the message and voice that will build your identity, not the speed in which you bring that to market.

Customer loyalty isn't something that can be bought - and the brands that identify the most with their customers' needs will be the ones that are rewarded with loyalty, referrals, and word-of-mouth marketing.

Social media can enhance the reach of these referring voices to the Nth degree - but you need to make sure you're deserving of it to start with. Get your identity right by planning it and building it up the right way, and the world (social media or otherwise) can truly be your oyster.

The choice is yours.
image: Margarita Perez Garcia

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How to Build Identity and Trust in Social Media | Danny Brown - WordPress Sites & Facebook Ads

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Depending who you listen to or read in the social media space, the best reason to use social media for your brand varies. It can be for listening; resolving issues; lead generation; focus groups; recruitment; and much, much more. All good reasons. All good value. And yet....

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There are a lot of misconceptions about online reputation management. Some people think it's just social media monitoring, while others believe it has something to do with public relations, and still others literally have no idea how it can impact business and sales.

In this guide, I'm going to explain the role of online reputation management in today's business and media landscape. Companies of every size can benefit from having a clear outline of its main concepts.

They Are Talking About You

Just a few years ago, the internet was very different. Companies were not engaging customers but just selling to a passive audience; people could not express their voice in a powerful way, and the overall communication landscape was very "top down."

The situation has radically changed. Today, websites are no longer static brochures. User-generated content is a must. And regular interactions on social networks are vital to any business success.

No matter the size of your business, they (prospects, customers, clients...anyone and, potentially, everyone) are talking about you. They are tweeting about your latest product, leaving a comment on your blog, posting a Facebook update about their customer experience, and much more.

If you think you can skip this, or if you think you can make it without taking into account people's voices, opinions, and reviews, think again.

The Transparency Risk

One of the most recent business commandments is "Be transparent." Opening up to criticism and feedback seems to be beneficial for companies that embrace this new communication mode with their audience.

What does being "transparent" mean? Here are some examples:

Allowing employees to talk about products and services publicly

Establishing a 1-to-1 communication channel

Asking for feedback

Not hiding criticism, and addressing it publicly

Easier said than done! Most small and medium sized companies do not invest much on communication, and they struggle with this concept. As a result, their efforts usually are incorrect or inconsistent.

Being transparent is risky. But in the long run, not being transparent is riskier.

Online Reputation Management "Failures"

@ aprildunford that's awesome... we are in the coffee business, not the office business. We have plenty of outlets to do what we need...

- Dark Horse Espresso(@darkhorsecafe) January 15, 2010

The transparency risk led many companies to literally fail in their quest to be "radically transparent." Being open, in fact, does not come without a price. If you and your brand accept feedback, customer opinions, and so on, you also must be ready to face them promptly.

Consider these scenarios:

1. What if your product/service sparks too much criticism?

2. What if your employees are not social media savvy?

3. What if your competitors take advantage of this?

These are some of the reasons one needs to have a proper online reputation management plan in action before embarking on a "transparency journey."

Here are three famous cases of reputation management failure in the digital era:

Dark Horse Café received a tweet criticizing their lack of electrical outlets for laptops. Their response was something like: "We are in the coffee business, not the office business. We have plenty of outlets to do what we need." Needless to say, this kind of defensive/aggressive behavior doesn't work in the online world. Many blogs reported the fact as a negative public relations case.

Nestlé received negative comments about their environmental practices a few years ago, and they did not address them. People started becoming aggressive and posted altered versions of the Nestlé logo, forcing the company to close their public page. Takeaway? Do not pretend people are not talking, and address criticism as soon as possible.

Amy's Baking Company fought fire with fire against a one-star internet review. Their insults against the reviewer eventually were picked up by the local news. It is obvious that negative attention is not good publicity.

What's The Sentiment Out There?

confession.. I hate McDonalds breakfast.

- Alex Goot (@alexgoot) March 13, 2013

What are people saying about you? Good online reputation management is not only about reacting well to what people say about you, your brand, or your products and services, but also about whether to react at all and, if so, when. Sometimes a reaction is not necessary, and sometimes a reaction that is too late can cost you millions.

A proactive approach to the matter consists of monitoring your public reputation on a regular basis, and not just when you come to know about a specific event to deal with. How do you do this? The magic tools invented to solve this problem fall under the name of "social media monitoring."

Simply put, social media monitoring allows companies to gather public online content (from blog posts to tweets, from online reviews to Facebook updates), process it, and see whether something negative or positive is being said affecting their reputation.

Social media monitoring can be both DIY (Google Alert is an example of a free web monitoring tool accessible to anyone) and professional, depending on the size of the business involved.

Online Reputation Bombs

In the online reputation management scenario, there are two types of negative content that companies should be aware of. One is represented by complaints on social networks. They need to be addressed properly, but unless your company has serious problems, they do not pose a real challenge to your business.

The other is what I define as "online reputation bombs," which affect your reputation and sales long term and can severely damage a business. They are very powerful because, unlike social network content, they are prominent in search engine results. What if someone googles your brand name and finds defamatory content? Let's see what they are:

Negative reviews: Review sites allow users to express their opinion on your brand. Did they like your service/product? Would they recommend it? Negative content can affect your sales, and addressing the criticism on the site may not be enough. Websites like Ripoff Report and Pissed Consumer provide the perfect platform for this kind of negative content.

Hate sites: Some people go beyond simple negative reviews and create ad hoc websites with their opinions, some of them containing illegal content. So-called "hate sites" sometimes address companies and public figures with insults and false information. Needless to say, a search result like "The truth about NAMEOFYOURCOMPANY" or "NAME scam/rip off" will make your potential customers run away!

Negative media coverage: Phineas T. Barnum used to say "There's no such thing as bad publicity." That may be true for controversial public figures like Paris Hilton, but many times unfavorable TV, print, and online media coverage impacts negatively on companies and brands.

Should We Call The Cops?

Article 19 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that:

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

It is obvious that everyone has the right to express their voice about your brand. There are, however, certain boundaries that need to be respected. Some of the negative content online actually is illegal. Why?

It uses defamatory language

It reports false information

It is aimed at damaging the company's reputation

How do you react to all of this? How do you defend yourself or your company from this kind of illegal behavior? Depending on the scope of the problem, several paths can be pursued in order to restore your online reputation:

Aggressive SEO: If someone googles your name, appearing on page 1 and 2 of the search results will be much more important than your business card or website. They will show at a glance several high ranking web sources talking about you. If they display false information, the first thing that you or your online reputation management company should do is devise a search marketing strategy that increases the ranking of positive content, owned by either you or third parties. The search engine game is too important to be ignored, and it is the first step in restoring your image.

Review removal: Did that user claim something false about your company? Is that review clearly aimed at destroying your reputation rather than providing feedback? Does it contain improper language? Legal liaison and speed of reaction will make it possible to remove the negative review.

Online investigations: In case of serious attacks to your brand image, it may be necessary to hire skilled online analysts to investigate untraceable threats and attackers via email tracing, data cross-indexing, and other information collection techniques. Cyber investigations are the definitive path to get to the bottom of difficult reputation management cases.

10 Online Reputation Management Commandments

Calling it "online reputation" really is redundant. Your online reputation simply is your reputation. In the digital era, nothing is protecting you from criticism anymore. This is good from a freedom of speech perspective; bad if your company has been defamed and attacked.

To conclude, ten practical tips that sum up what we have covered in this guide. The world of brand reputation will change in the coming years, but following these simple "commandments" definitely will benefit you and your brand:

1. Become well respected

According to several business experts, trust is a perishable asset and it is hard to gain. Making people respect you and your work is more important than any other online reputation management commandment.

2. Be radically transparent

After years of hiding critics, Mc Donald's publicly forced egg suppliers to raise hens' living standards according to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals request.

3. Monitor what they are saying about you

Dear whoever runs Apple now, how about inventing an iPhone with a battery that lasts longer than half an hour?!

- Elizabeth Windsor (@Queen_UK) March 14, 2013

Apart from the aforementioned reasons to monitor your online reputation, social media monitoring also can bring business! These days, lots of people ask questions via Twitter and Facebook because they are evaluating whether or not they should buy from you.

4. React quickly and politely

In case of a customer complaint via Twitter, for example, a prompt and simple "We are aware of the problem. We are working on it and will get back to you as soon as possible." is better than a late reply with more information.

5. Address criticism

In 2009, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's WSJ op-ed on Obama healthcare reform caused a controversy among WF customers. Two days later, the company provided a response statement recognizing there were "many opinions on this issue, including inside our own company" and invited people to share their opinion on the matter.

6. Treat your Google page 1 as your business card

First impressions count, and we do judge many books by their cover. If the words "scam" and "rip off" are associated with your brand, then that is something you should worry about.

7. Understand your detractors

Criticism can be the chance to learn more about your audience and craft a better message in the future. Motrin's controversial "baby wearing moms" commercial sparked a lot of criticism. It did not come from competitors or illegitimate attackers, but from people in Motrin's target audience who felt offended by their promotional content.

8. Attack your illegitimate attackers

Sometimes we simply have to fight illegal behavior. In 2009, Domino's Pizza employees who posted disgusting videos of themselves playing with food were fired and arrested. Another example is people who post false information on the internet. Sometimes, if you don't sue them, they might do it again.

9. Learn from your mistakes

CORRECTION: @ jmbergoglio is not the account of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Our apologies.

- Boston.com News (@BostonDotCom) March 13, 2013

Sony certainly learned a reputation management lesson back in 2005. The company placed copy protection (XCD) on its CDs which created computer vulnerabilities that malware could exploit. Instead of being upfront about their mistake, Sony stonewalled criticism and lost millions in class-action lawsuits.

10. Ask for help if necessary

If your online reputation management efforts are not enough to protect or restore your brand image, you have the choice to request help from a professional.

About the Author: Dan Virgillito is a content strategist for Massive PR, providing online reputation management services (i.e., helping companies monitor, defend, and restore their brand reputation on the internet).

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The Definitive Guide to Online Reputation Management

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There are a lot of misconceptions about online reputation management. Some people think it's just social media monitoring, while others believe it has something to do with public relations, and still others literally have no idea how it can impact business and sales.

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From the BP Oil crisis and supermarket horsemeat scandal to Nestle's fight with Greenpeace and the launch of a racist board game, in this post we've identified some of the worst PR disasters of all time.

Of course there are many more examples we could have cited, including when Britain's Got Talent used the unfortunate hashtag (#susanalbumparty) to President Bush's famous comment "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

But these could be described as gaffes, rather than fully blown crises. Instead in this article we look at instances of PR blunders that resulted in serious backlashes for the companies involved.

1) BP Oil Crisis

The BP Oil crisis is a classic example of reputation management misfiring. The event itself, which was the biggest off shore oil spill in US history, was a tragedy and environmental disaster only exacerbated by the way the crisis was handled.

BP's lack of apparent empathy and compassion was personified by former BP CEO Tony Haywood who famously said in an interview "I'd like my life back", evoking a huge backlash of public resentment and anger.

Of course this wasn't the only PR mistake BP made during the crisis. Their website had scant information on this situation with only minimal links to Facebook and Twitter. Also offering potential plaintiffs $5000 not to issue lawsuits showed a serious lack of understanding.

2) The horsemeat scandal

The horsemeat scandal in 2013 famously spawned a whole host of jokes, info-graphics and memes across the internet, illustrating just how influential social media channels can be when it comes to the public's perception.

According to the Telegraph some of the stand out twitter quips included:

The story revealed beef products sold in major retailers (including Tesco, Iceland, Aldi, Lidl, Ikea, Asda and Co-op) contained horsemeat, rocking the European supply chain, with abattoirs, suppliers, manufacturers and retailers all implicated.

3) Malala shot for mattress ad campaign

When advertising agency Ogilvy created a cartoon of Malala Yousafzai for a mattress advertising campaign they quite figuratively shot themselves in the foot.

The poster campaign showed the young school girl being shot in the face by the Taliban, falling onto the matress and then returning to health under the slogan "bounce back".

Ogilvy's press spokesman apologised to Yousafzai and her family.

"The recent Kurl-On ads from our India office are contrary to the beliefs and professional standards of Ogilvy & Mather and our clients. We deeply regret this incident and want to personally apologise to Malala Yousafzai and her family." (The Guardian)

4) Nestlé vs Greenpeace - Give a Oranutang a Break

The case of Nestle is a well-cited example of how not to handle a crisis.

In early 2010 Greenpeace launched a campaign highlighting Nestle's palm oil sourcing practices, rolling out a Take a Break viral ad campaign featuring an office worker gnawing on an Orangutan's finger instead of a Kit Kat Bar. The tag line was Kit Kat Killer.

Nestle's Facebook page was overrun with people begging Nestle to stop using palm oil and killing the orangutans. Rather than acknowledging the comments Nestle deleted many of them and posted the following message.

"To repeat: we welcome your comments, but don't post using an altered version of any of our logos as your profile pic-they will be deleted,"

This led to a further barrage of criticism adding huge pressure on the brand. In May 2010, only ten weeks later, Nestle announced it would stop sourcing unsustainable palm oil... a huge victory for Greenpeace.

5) Domino's YouTube scandal

A video featuring two Dominos employees doing disgusting things to pizzas they were sending out had almost one million hits on YouTube, proving extremely damaging for the brand.

The pranksters posted five video clips - including a particularly revolting clip involving a sandwich - that quickly spread through social media channels resulting in a barrage of anti Dominos comments.

Asking YouTube to remove the video proved tricky as the website requires approval from the person who posted the video in the first place - although that person was finally identified and contacted.

Following the incident Dominos shut the store to sanitize the operation and the two employees were fired. However, they were critcised for not issuing an immediate statement. Dominos later claimed this was because they were worried about more people watching the clip.

6) Tobacco giant says smoking deaths have a "positive effect"

According to CNN Phillip Morris ran a survey to counter the Czech government's argument that the financial cost of smoking outweighed the benefits.

The results of their survey suggested that smokers' deaths had "positive effects" on the Czech economy and le toa net gain of around $147 million. This included a saving of "between 943 million and 1.2 billion korunas" in health-care, pension and public-housing costs due to the early deaths of smokers.

The company faced a huge PR backlash and subsequently cancelled plans to launch similar studies in other countries (according to CBS).

7) Urban Outfitters sells racist board game

"You got yo whole neighborhood addicted to crack. Collect $50." Score!"

Ghettopoly was a parody of Monopoly launched in 2003. As you can gather by the above quote it was a little edgy and received heavy criticism for being offensive and racist.

The game was pulled from the market by Urban Outfitters (the retailer) and in 2006 the manufacturer was ordered to pay $400,000 in damages. According to eBay's Offensive Materials Policy the game cannot be sold on their website.

8) Janet Jackson's Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction

When Janet Jackson's half time Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" was broadcast to millions in 2004 it caused a huge PR headache for broadcaster CBS, who received 540,000 complaints and were slapped with a $550,000 fine.

The incident, now sometimes referred to as "nipple-gate", instigated new broadcasting laws in the US forcing networks to enforce stricter regulations and broadcast delays for live events.

9) Netflix

In 2011 Netflix made a series of announcements and apologies, followed by reversals that damaged its brand and its reputation.

In July the company emailed customers saying it was unbundling its video streaming and DVD service to create two separate packages. When it was revealed that this would increase prices for DVD customers (despite having been presented as an initiative to increase choice) CEO Reed Hastings said:

"I messed up. I owe everyone an explanation. Many members felt we lacked respect and humility.... That was certainly not our intent."

He went on to announce a new DVD service called Qwikster... a month later this was cancelled. According to the Huffington Post "It should certainly be a first ballot entrant into the Bad Decision Hall of Fame". It certainly was an incredible example of a crisis being caused by a brand's own making.

The company's share price plunged and Hastings gave up 50 percent of his stock option awards for the year.

10) The tax shaming scandal - Google, Amazon, Starbucks

In 2013 there was a spate of stories highlighting a number of multinational firms with a UK presence apparently avoiding paying tax.

Amazon, for example, reported UK sales of £3.35 billion in 2011, but only paid £1.8 million in tax. Meanwhile Google's ad unit paid just £6 million to the Treasury in 2011 despite a UK turnover of £395 million.

While what the companies were doing was legal, it had a hugely negative impact on the tide of public opinion, who were simultaneously facing austerity cuts to help negotiate the countries way out of recession.

Interestingly according to the BBC News Magazine "the tide of public opinion is visibly turning. Even 10 years ago news of a company minimising its corporation tax would have been more likely to be inside the business pages than on the front page".

While most branding experts argue over the precise impact of the stories in terms of profit and revenue there is no doubt that in the court of public opinion all these brands suffered. This can be seen by the number of social media groups and hashtag campaigns that emerged as result of the scandal.

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Top ten worst PR fails, bad PR examples & reputation disasters ever

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From the BP Oil crisis and supermarket horsemeat scandal to Nestle's fight with Greenpeace and the launch of a racist board game, in this post we've identified some of the worst PR disasters of all time.

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When Avvo Corp. hired a slew of new advertising sales people in 2009, many of the new employees were enthusiastic, young and savvy about social media. Naturally, they began blogging, tweeting and posting to Facebook about their new employer.

At first, it all seemed good. "You like to see a lot of initiative in a startup," says Josh King, vice president of business development and general counsel for the three-year-old Seattle-based online directory of lawyers and physicians. But as he was checking Twitter mentions of Avvo, using a free online tool called TweetDeck, he found a number of employees actively talking about the company had less-than-professional profile photos.

"There was one where someone had drinks in their hand, for example, and beer bottles around," King says. Since he realized it was probably neither wise nor feasible to ban employees from using social media or mentioning the company name when doing so, he began crafting a social-media policy to guide the company's 50 employees.

Offensive behavior and image issues are among the most common problems that surface when employees mix business with personal use of social-networking sites, according to Andrew Tanick, an attorney with employment law firm Ford & Harrison in Minneapolis. "People put things on their Facebook page that they wouldn't normally put in writing," he says.

To avoid such snafus in your company, consider crafting your own social media policy. Here are three ways your business can benefit from establishing even the most basic guidelines.
Reason No. 1: Protect your company's reputation
A social media policy takes the guesswork out of what is appropriate for employees to post about your company to their social networks. As a general rule, they shouldn't write anything they wouldn't want plastered on the front page of their local newspaper, says Chris Boudreaux, a senior vice president at New York-based social-media consulting firm Converseon.

King's approach was to craft a one-page policy that emphasizes professionalism above all else. "In many respects it's like you're at a party talking about your company," he says. "You're not going to get up on a table with a lampshade on your head."

His social-media guidelines, which were sent out by email and included in the employee handbook, remind the company's social-media enthusiasts that "context matters." It also provides specific advice on things like acceptable profile photos and how to respond if a journalist contacts his employees through their personal networks.
Reason No. 2: Minimize confusion about murky legal issues.
Social media policies can also help entrepreneurs and managers avoid errors, Boudreaux says. For instance, he cites the case of a New Jersey restaurant tripped up when a manager fired an employee after reading complaints about the company on a private social media page he had secretly gained access to. Among other allegations, the company faced charges that it violated federal wiretapping laws.

"These [incidents] can involve very serious crimes," says Boudreaux, who also established the Socialmediagovernance.com, a resource for entrepreneurs looking for social-media guidance. The site provides a free, searchable database of more than 150 social-media policies used by other businesses and organizations.
Reason No. 3: Raise awareness of your brand.
A social media policy can do more than avert problems. "Too often organizations think about social media policies as a list of restrictions," Boudreaux says. But having clear guidelines can also help employees understand ways they can use social media to help achieve business goals. For instance, policies should advise employees how they can comment on blogs or social networks to boost brand awareness and drive traffic to the company's site.

As for King, when employees mention Avvo on their social networks, it's now coordinated through the company's marketing department. While employees aren't required to clear every Twitter post in advance, for example, they are expected to speak with company executives before starting any new social-media page specifically related to Avvo.

"We had a few people change their profile photos and there hasn't been a single issue in the six to eight months we've had it in place," he adds.

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When Avvo Corp. hired a slew of new advertising sales people in 2009, many of the new employees were enthusiastic, young and savvy about social media. Naturally, they began blogging, tweeting and posting to Facebook about their new employer. At first, it all seemed good.

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10 ways to protects your online identity 

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10 ways to protects your online identity 

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1. Exclude important personal information from your social media profiles

Details like your phone number, address, children's age or school can all present ways for hackers to glean more knowledge. On Facebook, that means culling any 'friends' you don't know, minimising the details in your 'About Me' section and being selective about hitting the 'like' button, all of which will make you harder to find - particularly when Facebook's new search tool, Graph Search, is rolled out in the UK.

2. Check your social media privacy settings

Change all Facebook settings to "Friends Only" for all posts for a more secure profile. Facebook often makes changes to these settings and, when it does so, can even reset your secure settings.

3. Protect your online passwords and strengthen them too

Many of us use passwords we won't easily forget, like 1234, our birth dates, or our home towns. But the rule is, if they're easy to remember, they're easy to crack, too. If you want to test the strength of your password, try Ask The Geek's password meter which hides characters as you type them in.

4. Use multiple passwords

Have more than one password for online accounts or - if it's cracked - thieves will be able to gain access to all your private data at once.

5. Check your phone's privacy settings

Turning your GPS location settings to "off" can also keep your family's whereabouts more private.

6. Watch out for 'phishing' emails

Spam email is getting more and more sophisticated. Never respond to any emails with account info or passwords. Banks will never ever ask for your information in this way. If in doubt, call the bank directly to check or, better still, delete the email.

7. Keep your communications networks secure

Password protect your Wi-Fi so hackers in the local area can't use your connection to carry out malicious activity.

Before entering payment details into any website, check the web address has an 's' - which stands for secure - after the http. If it doesn't, don't use it.

9. Keep a close eye on your bank statements

Really savvy people cross check their receipts with the payment history on their statements, but this isn't absolutely necessary - just keep an eagle eye out for any unfamiliar transactions to recipients you've never heard of.

10. Monitor post you get through your door, as well as online

Be alert to anything suspicious in the mail, like pre-approved credit cards you've not applied for and other financial offers.

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1. Exclude important personal information from your social media profiles Details like your phone number, address, children's age or school can all present ways for hackers to glean more knowledge.

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http://www.techdonut.co.uk/staff-and-it-training/your-it-policies/sample-social-media-policy-template

https://www.pandadoc.com/social-media-policy-template

http://keyhole.co/blog/download-social-media-policy-template/

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Beginners' Guide To Facebook Advertising

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Beginners' Guide To Facebook Advertising

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Beginners' Guide To Facebook Advertising

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Facebook advertising is a powerful and cost-effective advertising channel that all businesses should be utilising. Never rule out Facebook as a viable advertising channel for your business by believing that your target audience doesn't exist on Facebook, i.e. in B2B industries. It is an effective platform for all businesses with the right ads and targeting.

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How To Create A Content Strategy For Your Content Marketing

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How To Create A Content Strategy For Your Content Marketing

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How To Create A Content Strategy For Your Content Marketing

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Creating a content marketing strategy can be an incredibly difficult process, especially if you're unsure of you you're targeting, or what you're trying to achieve. An effective content strategy is an invaluable resource, helping to structure and drive your content campaign.

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Setting up social media profiles on Twitter, Facebook or any other social network can be a lot of work. And if you're starting from scratch, it feels like a big impediment to overcome before using a new tool. We need to choose a photo or fill out a bio when all we want to do is start sharing content and engaging with friends.

Your social media profile is a window into your personality, your job, your interests-sure, but, if done correctly, it can be so much more than that. It can drive people to your website or other online assets; it can promote some of your best content; and it can lead to new clients and sales. When you reach out to a new contact or prospect, the first thing they're going to do is look you up online. Your profile needs to be both impressive and discoverable.

With so much potential value in each social media profile, it's worth investing the time and effort required to set them up properly. (Or, if you've neglected yours for an extended period of time, it can be just as important to give it a complete overhaul.) Here's our complete guide on how to social media profiles.
Jump to:
General Rules

Bio/Description

Why is your bio so important? In addition to sharing basic information about yourself, adding your website and email address turns any social network bio into a potential source of referral traffic. Especially on company pages, the opportunity to describe your products and link out to an external website makes bios a powerful marketing and sales tool. Plus, including your Twitter handle or Google+ page in the personal information section of another social network is a simple form of cross-promotion that could help grow your social following across the board.

Social media bios should always be catered to the social network and the audience of that particular profile. Your personal Facebook bio can be more fun and interesting than your LinkedIn bio, which should be very focused on professional skills and job history.

Though each profile bio will differ, your name or handle should be consistent across all networks. This allows people to find you more easily. If they see your Twitter handle, they can then enter that into Instagram and immediately find your personal or branded account. Online service know'em allows you to quickly check if a desired handle is available on almost every social network.

Finally, if you're curious about which of your social networks need work, there's any easy way to check: Google yourself.

Images

You should always strive to have photos fall within the dimensions recommended for a certain network. Why? A square is a square, right? Well, you never know when profile images will be reused elsewhere on a social network. Even though your giant headshot might look nice in the profile picture, it might look weird when appearing on a mobile device or in a home feed.

With profile images, simple is usually better. Don't try and fit tons of information about your business or product into a cover photo. The cover photo's job is to be eye-catching and reflect who you are, so focus on that. The profile picture should be of you, or of your logo, so people know who they're following or talking to.

Finally, image consistency across social networks will help people connect with and trust you. If someone follows you on Twitter and seeks you out on Instagram, using the same profile photo will increase your chances of them finding the right account, and following you. Much like with account names, consistent imagery results in better discoverability and more immediate trust. It's a very easy way to cross-promote your social accounts.

Bonus: Download a free cheat sheet to quickly find the best image sizes for every social network and learn how you can use Hootsuite to easily add them to any post.

Extras

Like the rest of your social media presence, your profiles should be regularly updated. Bios should be updated with the latest information or the latest content to ensure everything is accurate and fresh. Set yourself a reminder to check your profile information every couple of weeks, and don't ignore it.

In the same vein, regularly changing cover photos keeps your profile interesting to existing followers and gives you an opportunity to re-engage people who weren't impressed the first time. Meanwhile your static profile picture will help you maintain brand recognition and consistency across networks.

Facebook

Your Facebook profile is one of the largest social media profiles on the web. Since Facebook is also the biggest social network on the planet, with 1.3 billion users, it's important that people are able to quickly find you and connect.

Bio

Both your personal information or company information will fall under the "About" tab on your Facebook profile or page. For personal profiles, the About tab contains an overview on which you can update the following fields:

Each of these sections can be further expanded on in addition tabs within the About page. If you're using your Facebook profile for public or professional purposes, we recommend keeping the relationship status out of your bio. People want to know where you work and how to contact you. That being said, you can change the reach of each piece of information in your bio by editing the audience setting so certain information can only be viewed by friends.

For Company Pages your about section offers the opportunity to include the following information:

Take the time to fill out these sections with care, as customers and prospects will turn to them frequently. You also have the opportunity to write a lengthy " About" description of your company. Use this space to show visitors who you are, what you do and why they should care.
Follow Facebook's directions on how to update your bio info.
Images

Facebook profile picture: 180×180 pixels

Facebook cover photo: 851×315 pixels

Your Facebook profile picture is the square photo on the left side of your profile. It's the same photo that shows up on other people's walls or homepages when you post. For that reason, your profile picture should be a headshot. If you're creating a business page your profile image should be your logo. The image you choose for your profile picture should be square and should also be clear in small and large sizes.

Your Facebook cover photo is the large image that appears behind your profile picture. The larger size of this image offers opportunities for your to make an impression, sell your business or get creative.
Learn how to add or update your profile or cover photo here. As Facebook image sizes will change with redesigns, you can stay up to date with their recommended image sizes here.
Extras

Facebook photos you've added or have been tagged in will also figure prominently on your profile. Make sure you keep a close eye on photos you're being tagged in so you can untag anything you don't want others seeing on your page. To avoid this process you can also turn on Timeline review, which allows you to approve tags before they appear on your profile.

Interest categories, from sports to music, can also appear on your profile if you so choose. If you're using a profile for professional purposes, you may want to avoid these sections unless they are industry-relevant or they offer relevant insight to connections.

Twitter

Whether it's a personal or branded account, Twitter profiles are exactly the same for everyone. This should be an advantage, since you don't need to learn different processes if you're building a profile for you or your business. That isn't to say these profiles don't require effort. Just like the network's approach to social media as a whole, Twitter profiles are a test in brevity. Have a look:

Bio

Your Twitter bio is very minimal in comparison to networks like Facebook and LinkedIn. There are only five fields you can update:

Each of these sections should be filled out but, with so little opportunity for customization, special attention should be paid to the bio field. In true Twitter fashion, your bio is limited to 160 characters, so you can't go into much detail. Instead, focus on sharing insight into what you'll be talking about on Twitter. This saves visitors the trouble of scrolling through your Tweets to see what they can expect from you. If you manage the Twitter account of a bank, you might want to state in your bio "Tweets about personal finance, insurance and investing." No gimmicks, but a strong incentive to follow for people who are after that information.

To guide new followers effectively, your bio could cross-promote other relevant branded accounts as well. A bank might include in their bio,for example, "For cust serv, @bankhelp."

The bio writing process will be a test of your editing skills. If you're having trouble, ask yourself 'does this really need to be in here?' for each section and work to trim the fat. Take your time and do it right. And if you're stuck, look to the accounts of other industry leaders for inspiration.
Follow Twitter's steps to update your bio information here.
Images

Suggested Twitter image dimensions

Twitter profile photo: 400×400 pixels

Twitter header image: 1,500×500 pixels

Your Twitter profile photo is the smaller, square image that appears on the top-left side your profile. Your photo should be clear and recognizable whether small or large, since the same photo you choose for your profile image will be used within other people's streams, and in Twitter's "Who to Follow" section on the right side of your feed.

Just like on Facebook, your Twitter header image is the much larger, rectangular photo that appears behind your profile photo and across the top of your profile page. This large photo is a great asset. It's the first thing most people will notice when they visit your profile, and should therefore serve the purpose of piquing their interest right from the get-go.
Learn how to add or update your Twitter profile or header image here Twitter profile image sizes may change with a redesign, so stay up to date on recommended image sizes here.
Extras

Earlier this year Twitter added the ability to pin a Tweet to your profile. This Tweet is one of the first things someone who lands on your profile will see. It's is also an amazing opportunity to promote your content to new contacts. Choose a Tweet that promotes a strong piece of content you or your brand has created, and includes an image or video. Discover how to pin a Tweet here.

Google+

Many people are quick to brush off Google+, when in fact it has some of the most passionate social media users today. Add the fact that Google+ profiles have a role in Google search results of your name or brand, and you shouldn't need any more reason to work hard on your Google+ presence.

Bio

Google+ offers several choices to customize what information appears in your profile bio. Make sure you go through every part to see what you want made public and what is better off private.

The bio section of your Google+ profile can really be split into two parts. First, there is a small section under your profile picture containing some info about you. On personal profiles your work, school and location will appear in that position, while on business pages your website will appear there. While you may not want your school or workplace to appear on your profile, you should always have your website in that position if you run a business page. Users are drawn to your profile picture, so having your website right there is a great way to point followers back to your other online properties.

Second, every profile has an About tab containing much more information about you or your brand. This tab can contain simple details like your job and education history as well as contact information. However, there are 3 sections worth focusing your attention on:

People: This section shows how many people you've circled, and how many people have you in circles. People are more likely to follow you if they know you will probably follow them back. They're also more likely to follow you if they see that lots of others do, since it adds credibility. As a result, you may want to keep this information private until these numbers are impressive to profile viewers.

Links: Google+ has done us a favour by including cross-promotional opportunities from the get-go. Use this section to point to other social network profiles, all of your websites as well as blogs you've contributed to. The value of this section can't be understated.

Story: This section is where you have lots of flexibility to get creative. It is comprised of three different categories. Tagline is where you should offer people a quick sell of yourself. Who you are, what you do and why they should follow. Make sure it includes keywords you want associated with you in search. Introduction is where you can delve into a little more detail. If you've lured them in with your tagline, this section will be the next information they're after. The Introduction could also include a call to action, like "Add us to your circles today!" The third section of your story is "bragging rights." This is a section for awards and accomplishments. If you don't have anything relevant, don't force it.
Follow Google's instructions on how to edit your Google+ profile bio here.
Images

Suggested Google+ image dimensions

Google+ profile picture: 120×120 pixels minimum

Google+ cover photo: 1080×608 pixels

Your Google+ profile picture, unlike Facebook and Twitter, will appear as a circle rather than a square. That being said, you still upload that picture as a square; you just need to be aware of what will be cut off when Google crops that photo.

The Google+ cover photo is the large rectangular image that sits to the right of your profile picture. One opportunity unique to Google+ profiles is the ability to make your cover photo a gif rather than a static image. Hootsuite's cover photo on Google+ is currently a gif that we use to showcase our brand, product and one of our best pieces of content. The purpose of a cover photo is to capture a visitor's interest, and a gif is a very appropriate and effective means of doing that. If a gif fits with your branding, you may want to get creative and take advantage of this feature.
Learn how to add or update your profile or cover photos, and stay up to date on Google+ recommended profile image sizes here.
Extras

Google+ also offers a variety of options to customize what information publically appears on your profile. You get to chose if photos, YouTube or other videos, +1s and reviews by you can be seen by profile visitors. When it comes to photos and videos you've produced, you likely want your audience to see them. They show off your content marketing efforts and offer a bigger picture of who you are and what you do. Public +1s and reviews may not be the best fit for professional profiles however. Consider each field carefully before deciding which to make public.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn's personal and business pages are so different that each one needs its own section. We've broken them down separately below.

LinkedIn Personal Profile

Bio

On LinkedIn, your bio is at the core of effectively using the social network. LinkedIn is a professional social network where you list your experience and expertise in order to attract potential employers, clients or connections. Being that your profile is so essential for this purpose, LinkedIn has made their profiles very substantive. In fact, there are no fewer than 21 sections to your LinkedIn profile. While almost all of these should be filled out, we've ranked them roughly in their order of importance and added a line about each one:

Name - First and last

Headline - Will default to your current job title, but you can customize for more punch and to include key terms for search

Summary - LinkedIn describes it as info "about your mission, accomplishments, and goals."

Contact Info - Email, phone, IM, address, Twitter handle and websites.

Experience - Professional positions and experience, both jobs and volunteer work.

Recommendations - Professional recommendations displayed on your profile are a major asset while on the job hunt.

Skills & Endorsements - The skills you list should represent your real strengths, since your contacts will ideally be endorsing you for them. Spend time to make this section very representative of you and your abilities.

Industry - Choose from their drop-down menu

Location - Important to let people know where you work

Education - Where you went to school and what you studied

Certifications - Do you have a specific certification that would benefit your job?

Publications - Specifically relevant for marketers, writers and researchers

Projects - Have you worked on a noteworthy project that would impress connections or employers?

Languages - Being bilingual or trilingual can be a major career asset. Share your language skills.

Volunteer Experience & Causes - Organizations you support, causes you care about, and the types of volunteer opportunities you're looking for.

Additional Information - If it isn't professional, keep it out of this section. Your marital status isn't particularly relevant on LinkedIn.

Honors & Awards - Keep these to large, noteworthy awards. Not your 'most improved softball player' trophy.

Organizations - Be careful of noting political organizations. They could influence hiring.

Courses - Only fill this out if your school courses are very relevant to your desired field.

Patents - Not very relevant for most of us, but a select few can benefit from this section

Test Scores - Generally, skip this. Unless you got a perfect score on the bar exam.

As a general rule, your LinkedIn profile should be strictly professional. Avoid the humorous or quirky in favor of the straightforward. LinkedIn also favors profiles that are 100% complete, so put in the effort to check off all the boxes in the creation of your profile.
Follow LinkedIn's instructions on how to update any of your profile sections here. Gain insight on how to be found on LinkedIn.
Images

Suggested LinkedIn profile image dimensions

LinkedIn profile photo: 200×200 pixels minimum

LinkedIn custom background: 1400×425

LinkedIn profile photos should be square headshots. This is a standard that exists for a reason. You can also choose a custom background photo for your profile. Since it is LinkedIn, we recommend choosing a photo with some professional context, or something that speaks to your career.

Extras

Last year LinkedIn made its publishing platform open to all users, a move that turned the social network into a veritable blogging platform. When you publish a post on LinkedIn, it will appear high up on your profile. This important real estate is a major incentive to start writing posts for your LinkedIn audience. It's an easy way to extend your reach and impress profile visitors. Think of it like your own mini thought leadership program.

LinkedIn Company Page

Bio

LinkedIn Company Pages require a much smaller set of information than LinkedIn profiles.

These fields are all either self-explanatory or are chosen from a dropdown menu. This leaves only three sections that require effort to fill out.

First, your company description should describe who you are and what you do, and appeal to both prospects and prospective hires. Include links to your website and careers page in this section.

Next is your company specialties. In this section list key terms that someone who uses your product or service might search for. There are several slots open, so you can get very specific with these specialties.

Finally, there is a featured groups section which is meant for LinkedIn groups that you participate actively in or are an administrator for. LinkedIn groups are a great way to make connections on the social network, so we recommend actively participating in them. If you see a void on a particular topic, starting a group is a great way for your company to be perceived as an authority or leader on that subject.
Follow LinkedIn's instructions on how to edit your LinkedIn Company Page.
Images

Your LinkedIn Business Page has three main images you should take time to optimize.

Suggested LinkedIn Company Page image dimensions

LinkedIn standard logo: 100×60 pixels

LinkedIn banner image: 646×220

LinkedIn square logo: 50×50

The first is your standard logo, the small icon that appears in a box on the top right of your page. This image will be reused in LinkedIn's "Companies You Want to Follow" section, which is a great reason to make this image stand out. Make it clear and appealing, since it will be the first impression many LinkedIn users have of your brand.

Next is your banner image. This appears on your business page under your logo and is the LinkedIn equivalent of a cover image. It's a bigger, landscape image and should be used to capture people's attention, while telling your company's story.

Finally, your business page will need a square logo. It will be used when you post updates and when users search for you, so make it clickable.

Extras

LinkedIn is now an incredibly important part of hiring for many businesses. With that in mind, the social network offers an opportunity to highlight career opportunities on a separate tab within your Company Page. While not immediately visible, this tab would appear on your profile and is worth completing.

Instagram

Bio

Instagram is likely the simplest social network you will deal with when it comes to your bio. Aside from your username and real name, the only information that appears on your public profile is your website and a short (maximum 150 characters) bio. For your bio, since you're limited in terms of length, keep things straightforward, but not serious. Say who you are and what you will be sharing photos of, but don't make it dry.

For business accounts, always include any branded hashtags you use. This allows people to browse the hashtag and see what kind of content you produce and promote before they follow you.
Follow Instagram's instructions on how to edit your Instagram bio.
Images

Suggested Instagram image dimensions

Instagram profile picture: 180×180

Instagram is unique in the sense that you'll likely be setting up your profile on mobile first, with only secondary considerations about the web version. Most people use Instagram on mobile, but you can't ignore the fact that some people will view your profile on their desktop browser. As a result, with Instagram it's always a good idea to use higher resolution images with greater resolution than required for mobile.

Your Instagram profile picture will be cropped into a circle on the app, so make sure you choose an image that will look good in that shape. Though the profile picture will be 110 pixels in diameter on the mobile app, it is recommended that you choose a larger square image since it will appear larger on the web.
Learn how to change your Instagram profile photo.
Extras

It's worth noting that your Instagram profile will showcase your latest Instagram photos. As a result, every photo you take will potentially take a prominent place on your profile and be the first thing a visitor sees. This is a big reason to take time and share only the best photos, especially if the profile is a professional or branded one. You may be tempted to share a mediocre or low-quality photo because it was taken in a specific context, or features people you want to recognize. However, visitors to your profile won't understand the context. All they'll see is a bad photo, and they almost surely won't follow you.

Consider sticking to a certain style of image, keeping to a specific set of filters or one style of cropping. Doing so will give your Instagram feed a specific brand, making it more recognizable to followers and more consistent to new profile visitors.
Save time managing your social media presence using Hootsuite. Try it free today.

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How to Set up Facebook, Twitter and Every Other Major Social Media Profile

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Setting up social media profiles on Twitter, Facebook or any other social network can be a lot of work. And if you're starting from scratch, it feels like a big impediment to overcome before using a new tool.

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Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard

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Social media marketing is all fun and games until it's time to measure your results, right? Have no fear: A social media audit is your business BFF.

Don't let the name scare you - the IRS isn't about to knock down your door. Regular audits help you understand what's happening across all your platforms and how each fits into your marketing goals. And if you use a simple template, it's not a labor-intensive or complicated process.

Keep reading to learn how to conduct an effective social media audit from start to finish. We'll even walk you through our handy (and free) social media audit template to make it super easy.

What is a social media audit?

A social media audit is like a report card for your social strategy. It measures how well your social content is performing on different accounts and networks. An audit identifies what you're good at, what needs improvement, and suggests the next steps to make things better.

After an audit, you'll have everything you need to optimize your social media marketing strategy.

You'll know:

Your most effective platforms,

What your audience wants to see on each network,

Who your audience is (demographics and more),

What's helping grow your audience (and what's not),

How each platform contributes to your goals,

Which new ideas will help you grow,

And where to focus your attention next

How to perform a social media audit in 7 steps

If you're ready to start your social media audit, download the free social media audit template, and follow along with this video:

1. Create a list of all your social media accounts

You may think you know all your social accounts off the top of your head, but chances are, you've forgotten one or two. So start by listing all your social media profiles, including inactive ones.

Where to find this info:

Search each major social network for your brand and product names. You might uncover a few unexpected results, like old test accounts. Whoops.

Then, make a plan to deal with any troublesome accounts you've found. Old test ones your company has created probably won't be too hard to get rid of, but finding old login info may be a pain.

Find any imposter accounts or others infringing on your copyrighted material? The legal department will likely need to get involved. Still, write down the steps required to tackle each phony account. For some, it could be as simple as contacting the fake account owners or reporting the account to the social network it's on.

Once you've tracked down all relevant accounts, set up a social media monitoring program to watch for any new impostors.

In addition to your current social media presence, think about the accounts you don't have yet. For example, are there any social platforms you haven't considered? Should you be there?

Of course, you don't need to be on every network. But an audit is a good opportunity to add new ideas to your social strategy for the future. At the very least, you should reserve your business username on new platforms, so no one beats you to it.

Where to list this info:

List your basic account info on the Summary tab of the social media audit spreadsheet.

Don't worry if you don't have the information for every column in this tab yet - we'll continue to fill it out as we go through the audit.

2. Check in on your branding

Look through each profile to ensure they fit your current brand style guidelines. Check on your profile and banner images, hashtags, copy and phrases, brand voice, URLs, and more.

Here are the key areas to review for each social account:

Profile/bio text. You have limited space to work with when creating a social media bio, so make the most of it. Are all fields filled in accurately? Does the copy match your tone and voice guidelines?

Username. Try to use the same username across all social channels. Having more than one account per network is okay if they serve different purposes. (For example, our Twitter accounts @Hootsuite and @Hootsuite_Help.)

Links. Does the URL in your profile go to the correct website or landing page?

Pinned posts (if applicable). Evaluate your pinned posts to ensure they're still appropriate and up-to-date.

Verification. Is your account verified with a blue checkmark badge? If not, should you try? We have guides on how to get verified on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter if you want to pursue this.

Where to find this info:

The best way to make sure that your accounts are on brand is to act like a member of your audience.

Visit each of your social profiles and see how your posts look to your followers. Be sure to click on any links to see if they need to be updated.

Where to list this info:

Use the information from your summary tab to start creating and populating the platform-specific tabs of your social media audit spreadsheet.

After this step, you should be able to fill out the handle, bio, hashtags, link in profile, verified, channel owner, and "most recent post" columns. We've highlighted them in the image above!

If you've found any off-brand content or profiles that need to be updated, make sure to note that in the notes section.

3. Identify your top-performing social media content

It's time to audit your your social media content. For each social profile, list your top five posts. Then, copy the post links into your social media audit template so you can easily review them later.

What makes a "top-performing post?" Well, that depends. If you want to find the content your audience likes best, we suggest ranking posts by engagement rate. You may want to choose a different key metric to focus on, like link clicks or conversions.

Look through your top posts for patterns. Then, ask yourself:

What type of content is getting you the response you want? Photo posts? Videos? Feed, Stories, or Reels?

What has the highest engagement metrics: Candid, behind-the-scenes content or polished and pro posts?

Are people responding in the same ways across all networks? Does specific content perform better on one platform than others?

Do people engage with your posts if you ask a question?

Are your top posts aligned with your current brand voice? (If not, and they're performing well, maybe it's time to re-evaluate that voice.)

Use the notes column of your audit document to record your thoughts. We'll come back to these notes later!

Where to find this info:

You can use the built-in analytics tools for each social network to sort and find your top posts for the key metric you've chosen. Not sure how? We have complete guides to using all of them:

But hold up: That could take forever. Instead, make life easier and use Hootsuite Analytics. You can find the top posts for all your social accounts in one place with just a few clicks.

Hootsuite Analytics is a great all-in-one tool for reviewing your data at a glance. You can even schedule regular custom reports, sent straight to your email.
Try Hootsuite for free. (You can cancel anytime.)
In Hootsuite Analytics, each report has a flexible, customizable interface. You can drag-and-drop an unlimited number of "tiles," each of which displays your chosen metric. That way, it's easy to review your top metrics and adjust your social strategy on the go.

Where to list this info:

Once you've identified your top content for each platform, add a link to that post in the highlighted column of your audit spreadsheet.

4. Evaluate each channel's performance

Now, it's time to evaluate how each social channel contributes to your overall marketing goals.

If you haven't already created a mission statement and a few key goals for each social account, now's the time.

Several accounts may have similar goals, like driving traffic to your website and increasing conversions. Others may be exclusively for customer service purposes or brand awareness.

For example, our YouTube account is all about product education. Our @Hootsuite_Help Twitter account, though, is only for tech support:

For each channel, list out its goal(s) and track your progress toward them. For measurable goals like traffic or conversions, write down the actual numbers.

How many website visits came from Instagram? How many sales came from Facebook Page visitors? If the goal is customer service, write down your CSAT score and see if it's improving over time. Be specific.

For goals without quantifiable data, record supporting evidence. If your Facebook account is for brand awareness, has your following grown? Have you increased your organic or paid reach?

We want to get clear on the purpose of each of your social channels and measure their effectiveness.

Where to find this info:

Finding relevant information will depend on the goals you set for each channel.

Tracking customer service or brand awareness goals? Try using social listening tools to gather data from real customers.

If you're measuring traffic or conversion goals, you can use Google Analytics. You can view the traffic breakdown by channel (plus a lot more information) by going to Acquisition -> Social -> Network Referrals.

Tracking conversions from social media isn't an exact science, though it's easier on some channels than others. You'll need to set up Meta Pixel (formerly Facebook Pixel) to track Facebook conversion data, for example, and many networks have their own tracking codes. Many e-commerce platforms also have built-in social channel tracking.

Going platform by platform can be tedious (so many tabs!), but you can make your life much easier by using a social media management tool like Hootsuite Analytics for this, too.

And you don't have to take our word for it, either - our own social team uses Hootsuite to conduct their own social media audits.

"I use Hootsuite to run social media audits for our own channels because it's got all of our analytics and channels in one spot. That makes it super easy to scroll through our various posts and networks, understand what is working or not working, and build my recommendations to make changes for the future." - Nick Martin, Social Listening & Engagement Team Lead at Hootsuite

Where to list this info:

Add each platform's mission statement to the appropriate tab of your audit spreadsheet, then move down to the Performance section.

Your mission statement will tell you each platform's purpose and determine which KPIs are most important.

For example, if your mission statement for Instagram is "Grow brand awareness and drive traffic/leads," you'll probably want to list metrics like audience growth rate and website traffic from social. Get specific!
Optional:
Go one step further and compare each channel's performance against your top competitors.

Scroll down to the SWOT Analysis section of your audit spreadsheet and use the data you gathered in this step to list your internal strengths and weaknesses. Maybe your posts earn an unusually high number of likes and comments, but you're producing fewer videos than your competitors. Make a note!

Then, take a closer look at the competition. Have they failed to capitalize on a new feature? Are their accounts growing faster than yours? Those are opportunities and threats to your brand, so make sure you've got your eye on them.

Manually collecting this type of data can be overwhelming. The good news is, there are easier ways to do it.

Hootsuite Analytics does Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter competitive analysis for you. You can track up to 20 competitors per network and get a clear view of your strengths and weaknesses - plus actionable insights on the top posts, hashtags, and content formats in your niche.
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Competitive analytics in Hootsuite go as far as telling you the average caption length and number of hashtags used per post.

Hootsuite Analytics also features a handy industry benchmarking tool that helps you compare your performance against averages across your industry.

To get social media industry benchmarks, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your Hootsuite dashboard and head to Analytics.

2. In the menu on the left side of the screen, scroll to Benchmarking and click Industry.

3. Pick an industry that best describes your business.

That's it! Now you can see how your results compare to average performance stats within your industry. You can set up custom timeframes, switch between networks - Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok - and look up benchmarks for the following metrics:
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You will also find resources to improve your performance right in the summary section:

And, if you need to present your results to your team, boss, or other stakeholders, you can easily download your comparison report as a PDF file.

If you want to conduct an even more thorough competitive analysis, check out this related blog and free template.

5. Understand your audience on each platform

Now that you know how each account is helping support and grow your brand, it's time to dig deeper to understand who you're reaching on each platform.

Audience demographics are a good starting point. For example, Instagram gets a lot of attention for its ecommerce features, but consumers actually spend the most money on TikTok. Likewise, Facebook is the most popular platform for people 35-44, but YouTube is the place to be for the 18-25 group.

While your audience may differ from the norm, we've compiled all the top demographic data for each social network to get you started:

Learn the demographics of your unique audience on each platform and use that, along with the types of posts they prefer, to create buyer personas. (Don't worry; we've got a free buyer persona template to make that easy for you.)

Where to find this info:

You can find demographic information within each platform's native analytics. It's a lot faster if you use the all-in-one audience reporting in Hootsuite Insights, though.

This enterprise-level tool can give you an instant overview of millions of online conversations in real time.

Search for any topic or keyword, and filter by date, demographics, location, and more. You'll be able to identify thought leaders or brand advocates, understand the perception of your brand in the market, and get immediate alerts if and when your mentions spike (for good or for bad.)

Hootsuite Insights can tell you a lot about your target audience - and how they feel about you. If you want to learn more about your unique audience, Insights is the only tool you'll need.
Request a demo of Hootsuite Insights
Where to list this info:

In your audit spreadsheet, scroll down to the Audience section for each platform and add in any relevant demographic information.

Be sure to include the number of followers you have now and the percentage change over the past year.

Find something interesting in your social listening audit? Be sure to note it here. If positive (or negative) sentiments about your brands have increased, for example, you'll want to keep an eye on it.

6. Take action: Update your social media marketing strategy

Now that you know where you stand, think about ways to improve your social media metrics. It's time to revisit the notes you made earlier!

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

Which platforms are driving the most results?

Are there any new social media platforms you should be using?

Are you neglecting any platforms? Do you even need them, or would it be better to ditch them and focus on your higher-performing ones?

What content types are working best right now? How can you make more of this?

Is your content resonating with your expected audience demographics, or has a new potential persona emerged?

Think about new content and campaign ideas, building off what you learned from your top content in step three. For example, if video is a big hit, write down a specific strategy to work more of it into your marketing. That could be "Post 3 new Instagram Reels per week" or "Repurpose existing long-form video into short, 15-second clips for social media."

These decisions don't have to be forever. Successful marketing depends on testing and experimenting to find what works for your audience. Don't be afraid to take risks. Regular social media audits will let you know if you're on the right track or need to go in a different direction.

For each new strategy and idea, write it down in your marketing plan. (Don't have one yet? We gotcha with yet another awesome template: this free social media marketing plan document.) Your marketing strategy is a living document, so keep it current.

Where to find this info:

Your brain! Use all the data you've collected so far to generate new ideas. Have your goals for each platform in front of you so that you can connect your updated marketing plan to them. Remember to let others know when you've updated the marketing plan, so everyone is on the same page.

Once you're done with your audit... plan the next one! Stick to a regular schedule. Quarterly works well for most companies, although you may want to check in monthly if you run many campaigns or channels.

Regular audits connect your team's day-to-day marketing work with your company goals. Over time, you'll refine your social strategy and learn how to best connect with your audience.

Where to list this info:

After you've had a chance to review your data, add in your new goals for each platform to the goals section of your audit spreadsheet. Be sure to set a date to come back and review your progress.

Congratulations - your audit spreadsheet should now be complete! To make it easier to review your findings, fill out the rest of the information on the summary tab.

Free social media audit template

A spreadsheet is the best way to keep track of your social media audit information (and everything in life).

If you've been following along, you know that we've created a ready-to-use social media audit template for you. Download it above, or make your own with the following fields:

Account details:

Your username

Link to your profile

About/bio text for the account

Any hashtags that appear in your bio or that you'll regularly use

URL to use in your bio

Whether your account is verified or not

Internal person or team responsible for managing the account (also known as the "owner"-for example, the social marketing team)

Mission statement for the account (for example: "To promote company culture using employee photos," or "To provide customer service")

Details of the current pinned post (if applicable)

Date of the most recent post (to help you identify underused/abandoned accounts)

Performance details:

Total number of posts published

Total engagement numbers: Engagement rate, click-through rate, views, comments, shares, etc

Change in engagement rate vs. your last audit

The top five posts for each platform by engagement rate (or the key metric you've chosen)

Your campaign ROI (if you run paid ads)

Audience details:

Demographics and buyer personas

Follower count (and change +/- vs. your last audit)

Goals:

2-3 S.M.A.R.T. goals you want to achieve by your next audit

Whether you met the goals you set for this audit, or changed course (and why)

Now you know everything you need to conduct your own social media audit. Go forth and analyze!

Frequently asked questions about social media audits

What is a social media audit?

A social media audit is a process used to measure the success of your social strategy across accounts and networks. An audit identifies your strengths, weaknesses, and the next steps needed to improve.

Why is a social media audit important?

A social media audit helps you review how your social media efforts track against your business goals.

An audit will show you which content and platforms are performing best, who your audience is and what they care about, and where to focus your efforts next.

How do I start a social media audit?

Start your social media audit by listing all of your accounts, then go through each account to review its performance. For a guided tour of the process, scroll up in this blog.

How long does a social media audit take?

That depends! You can conduct a quick social media audit in as little as 30 minutes, but if you want to do a deep dive into each of your accounts, you might want to set aside a few hours.

What are the steps of a social media audit?

A social media audit is pretty straightforward. Just follow these steps:

1. List all of your accounts

2. Check in on your branding

3. Identify your top-performing content

4. Evaluate each channel's performance

5. Understand your audience on each platform

6. Take action and set new goals

Save time by managing all your accounts in one place with Hootsuite. Plan content and campaigns, schedule posts, manage conversations, and see all your analytics and ROI data with quick, automated reports. Power up your social marketing today. Start Your Free 30-Day Trial

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How to Run the Easiest Social Media Audit [FREE TEMPLATE]

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A social media audit is the best way to review and improve any social marketing strategy. Check in on your efforts with this free template.

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Getting Started With LinkedIn Advertising

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http://www.koozai.com/tv/ - If your target audience is on LinkedIn, why not expand your reach by advertising on LinkedIn. Dean explains what to expect from using LinkedIn Ads. Subscribe to our channel to receive a new Digital Marketing video each week!

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How To Grow Your Linkedin Network and Connections

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http://www.koozai.com - LinkedIn is a great way to network and get introduced to new people. In order to do this you need to grow your network, and in this video we show you how to do that. From mining your existing colleagues to meeting LIONS we explain the ins and outs of LinkedIn.

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http://www.koozai.com/tv/ - Struggling to gain traction for your 'unexciting' business on Social Media? Harry has some great tips to get people talking about your business. Subscribe to our channel to receive a new Digital Marketing video each week! Check out our other useful Digital Marketing posts at: https://www.facebook.com/koozai https://twitter.com/koozai http://www.koozai.com/blog/ For more information about our Social Media services please visit http://www.koozai.com/social-media/.

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Top tips for updating your social media 

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Top tips for updating your social media 

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social media marketing (website category)

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Top Tips For Updating Your Social Media Accounts

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http://www.koozai.com/tv/ - How often should I post to my social media accounts? What should I be posting? John answers these questions and more in his tips on updating your social media accounts. Subscribe to our channel to receive a new Digital Marketing video each week!

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http://www.koozai.com/tv/ - You may think you are aware of your competitors SEO, but it's most likely not enough. Emma explains the best ways to perform Competitor SEO Analysis. For more information about our Search Engine Optimisation services please visit http://www.koozai.com/seo/ Don't forget to Subscribe to our channel to receive a new Digital Marketing video each week!

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social media marketing (website category)

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Snapchat For Businesses – The Essential Guide

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Have you tried your hand at Snapchat yet? With an audience of over 100 million daily users, it's much more than just a temporary messaging platform. If used correctly, Snapchat can be a powerful platform for reaching a young demographic.

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3 configurations for creating a mobile website 

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3 configurations for creating a mobile website 

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3 Configurations For Creating A Mobile Website

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Mobile Configurations Back in April 2015, Google made it clear to digital marketers and website owners that mobile was to be of high importance to them with 'Mobilegeddon'. This algorithm update aimed to give mobile-friendly websites a ranking boost in the mobile search results, ensuring that users are served websites that are optimised for the device they're using.

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In this video, Emma discusses five common mistakes made with AdWords PPC which could be costing you money or reducing the performance and ROI of your campaign. 1. Not bidding on your brand name is a major oversight as doing so can provide many advantages both for your business and your AdWords campaign.

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What’s The Difference Between Mobile & Desktop SEO?

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What’s The Difference Between Mobile & Desktop SEO?

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One of the questions I get most often about mobile SEO is this: I'm already doing SEO- do I really need to do mobile SEO separately? What's the difference between the two?

There are some who would say that there is no difference between desktop SEO and mobile SEO. It's a topic that often garners friendly debate - Andrew French, a fellow Mobile Mondays columnist, has even gone so far as to say there is no mobile SEO, just SEO for mobile search.

To me, this is like saying "there is no oncology, just a branch of medicine for cancer."

On the one hand, yes, oncology is a branch of medicine for cancer, just as mobile SEO is a niche within SEO that deals with SEO for mobile search. On the other hand, if my general practitioner thinks I might have cancer, my next step is not to have him or her diagnose and treat the cancer. My next step is to a specialist, an oncologist, who will help me diagnose, treat, and hopefully remove that cancer.

Likewise, SEO for mobile sites can be done by SEOs, or even webmasters without an SEO background, who apply general SEO principles about accessibility, relevance and marketing to mobile search. But there are nuances and differences in optimizing mobile sites that don't apply to desktop sites, and some that apply more to mobile sites than they do to desktop sites.

Sherwood Stranieri covered one of these differences in The Mobile Content Dilemma: Brevity Vs. Optimization. When it comes to text on a website, SEOs in general are going to push for more keyword-rich text to convey the relevance of the page to search engines, and Web designers are going to push for less. This applies even more to mobile sites, and it becomes harder to justify the SEO best practice of putting at least 250 words of relevant text on a mobile webpage.

There are different standards for mobile sites because of the different user experience, and SEOs who try to apply general best practices to optimize these sites are generally going to fail at implementation. Someone who has done mobile SEO regularly, however, will understand the nuances and attack the problem with enough precision to make a difference.

Mr. Stranieri's is one example of a difference between mobile and desktop SEO, but it's not the only one. In an upcoming seminar, I'll be presenting 18 differences between mobile and traditional SEO, and there are probably even more than that. Let's focus on a few of the more crucial differences here.

Mobile Web Versus Apps

Mobile SEO is not just about optimizing mobile sites. In my career, I've actually optimized more apps than sites, as many companies decide to build an app instead of a mobile site. If you are an SEO, when is the last time you began an SEO project knowing that you wouldn't be optimizing a site, but a piece of software?

It doesn't happen very often in 2011, because most marketers are now convinced of the value of putting branded digital content up on the Internet, and allowing potential customers to find it through Google or other search engines, but this isn't yet the case in mobile marketing.

Some analysts are coming around to the mobile Web, but too many companies greenlight mobile apps without understanding that even the most visible iPhone app only reaches 7% of the mobile population.

If you're a generalist SEO without knowledge of the apps versus mobile Web debate, you may not know the arguments to make to do SEO in the first place, and you might not realize that apps can be optimized as well.

Mobile Often Uses Different Search Behavior

First, understand that not all mobile users are searching with keywords.

With Google Goggles, Gesture Search, Voice Search, and other mobile-first modes of search, a mobile user doesn't have to go to the Google home screen and type in a query anymore and that can change how their intent is conveyed. And, sometimes the mobile context is going to change the frequency or type of their needs.

Sometimes searchers use the same keywords, but there's a different meaning (e.g. coupon that is printed out vs coupon that is scanned from a phone), and sometimes they use different keywords altogether. Google research also indicates that they search at different times and in different contexts than desktop searchers.

To find these differences, you really need to include mobile keyword research as a part of your regular keyword research routine, as looking at desktop keywords exclusively is no longer enough.

Mobile Search Has Different Quality Signals

If you read Mobile Mondays or Search Engine Land regularly, you've probably heard of QR codes, which have been called paper-based hyperlinks that have the potential to disrupt your URL strategy. Indeed, QR codes are a separate type of link that the search engines could use to understand how searchers interact with the physical world in order to bring them more relevant content when they search for it.

But it's not the only type of signal that the engines can use to make a better mobile search experience. Mobile links versus desktop links is another that was mentioned in a Google patent for blended mobile search algorithms, but any of the following could be used to that effect: access through SMS, mobile bookmarks on Android, mobile usage data in Google Reader and Google+, and mobile versus desktop search volume.

Given the similarity of smartphone results to traditional results it's unlikely that any of these are playing a big part in Google's mobile search quality at the moment, but given that Google will need to focus on speed, relevance and simplicity in order to remain competitive in mobile search, it's fair to expect the search results will be improved by any or all of them in near future.

Mobile Search Uses Different Ranking Algorithms

At Searchology 2009, Google Director of Engineering Scott Huffman revealed that separate mobile algorithms exist to provide a better mobile user experience. This was confirmed in a NY Times feature in late April 2011, in which location was one factor that changed the search results for mobile versus desktop searchers.

Indeed, when I looked at smartphone versus desktop rankings for Resolution Media clients in Google Webmaster Tools, I found that there were variations in ranking for 86% of the smartphone rankings studied. I've since detailed 14 of these differences in the search results..

Mobile Has Different Levels Of Engagement

Finally, one of the biggest takeaways from Google's Zero Moment of Truth ebook for me was its discussion of mobile, which Google says is "not 'the wave of the future' any more - it's right now".

According to the book, "First position matters even more in mobile. That's true whether you're talking about search results or ad positions. The digital shelf gets really small on the mobile screen! A drop from first to fourth position on mobile phone can mean a CTR drop off of more than 90%."

In other words, if you're forecasting traffic for your SEO campaigns and you're not taking into account mobile click through rates and mobile search volume, you could be seriously underestimating the number of mobile visits from natural search.

A mobile searcher (compared to a desktop searcher) is highly engaged, but is less interested in scrolling than a desktop searcher. So if you don't already have that number one spot and you're not optimizing for it, it could be argued that you're not really doing mobile SEO, and not really optimized for mobile search.

There are other differences between what's commonly called mobile SEO versus desktop, traditional or regular SEO. I've touched on five here, but I consider eighteen when optimizing for mobile search.

If you're not also considering differences when doing mobile SEO, you may not actually be doing mobile SEO. What's more, you may not be doing SEO for mobile search particularly well either.
Some opinions expressed in this article may be those of a guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.

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What's The Difference Between Mobile & Desktop SEO?

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One of the questions I get most often about mobile SEO is this: I'm already doing SEO- do I really need to do mobile SEO separately? What's the difference between the two? There are some who would say that there is no difference between desktop SEO and mobile SEO.

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Kate Eastham from our PR & Outreach team explores the relationship between PR & SEO.

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Local SEO and Link Building Techniques by Koozai's Sally Newman.

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Koozai's SEO Star, Luke, shares his take on the recent Google mobile-first index news. Is your mobile site optimised and ready for any updates? Let us know in the comments below!

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Optimizing for Mobile - SEO Best Practices

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Mobile SEO is more than a responsive site design. Learn how to best optimize for Google's mobile first index (as well as mobile and tablet views).

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What Is Link Building & Why Is It Important?

Whether you're brand new to link building or have been doing it for a while, we're sure you'll find something useful in this guide. The landscape of SEO and link building is always changing, and today, the importance of building high-quality links has never been higher. The need to understand and implement high-quality campaigns is essential if you're going to compete and thrive online, and that isn't going to change any time soon. This guide is designed to get you going quickly and in the right direction. There is a lot to take in, but we've broken everything up into easy-to-digest chapters and have included lots of examples along the way. We hope you enjoy The Beginner's Guide to Link Building!

Definition of link building

Link building is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. A hyperlink (usually just called a link) is a way for users to navigate between pages on the internet. Search engines use links to crawl the web; they will crawl the links between the individual pages on your website, and they will crawl the links between entire websites. There are many techniques for building links, and while they vary in difficulty, SEOs tend to agree that link building is one of the hardest parts of their jobs. Many SEOs spend the majority of their time trying to do it well. For that reason, if you can master the art of building high-quality links, it can truly put you ahead of both other SEOs and your competition.

Why is link building important for SEO?

The anatomy of a hyperlink

In order to understand the importance of link building, it's important to first understand the basics of how a link is created, how the search engines see links, and what they can interpret from them.

1. Start of link tag: Called an anchor tag (hence the "a"), this opens the link tag and tells search engines that a link to something else is about to follow.

2. Link referral location: The "href" stands for "hyperlink referral," and the text inside the quotation marks indicates the URL to which the link is pointing. This doesn't always have to be a web page; it could be the address of an image or a file to download. Occasionally, you'll see something other than a URL, beginning with a # sign. These are local links, which take you to a different section of the page you're already on.

3. Visible/anchor text of link: This is the little bit of text that users see on the page, and on which they need to click if they want to open the link. The text is usually formatted in some way to make it stand out from the text that surrounds it, often with blue color and/or underlining, signaling to users that it is a clickable link.

4. Closure of link tag: This signals the end of the link tag to the search engines.

What links mean for search engines

There are two fundamental ways that the search engines use links:

1. To discover new web pages

2. To help determine how well a page should rank in their results

Once search engines have crawled pages on the web, they can extract the content of those pages and add it to their indexes. In this way, they can decide if they feel a page is of sufficient quality to be ranked well for relevant keywords (Google created a short video to explain that process). When they are deciding this, the search engines do not just look at the content of the page; they also look at the number of links pointing to that page from external websites and the quality of those external websites. Generally speaking, the more high-quality websites that link to you, the more likely you are to rank well in search results.

Links as a ranking factor are what allowed Google to start to dominate the search engine market back in the late 1990s. One of Google's founders, Larry Page, invented PageRank, which Google used to measure the quality of a page based in part on the number of links pointing to it. This metric was then used as part of the overall ranking algorithm and became a strong signal because it was a very good way of determining the quality of a page.

It was so effective because it was based upon the idea that a link could be seen as a vote of confidence about a page, i.e., it wouldn't get links if it didn't deserve to. The theory is that when someone links to another website, they are effectively saying it is a good resource. Otherwise, they wouldn't link to it, much in the same way that you wouldn't send a friend to a bad restaurant.

However, SEOs soon discovered how to manipulate PageRank and search results for chosen keywords. Google started actively trying to find ways to discover websites which were manipulating search results, and began rolling out regular updates which were specifically aimed at filtering out websites that didn't deserve to rank.

This has also led to Google starting to discount a number of link building techniques that were previously deemed fine, for example, submitting your website to web directories and getting a link in return. This was a technique that Google actually recommended at one point, but it became abused and overused by SEOs, so Google stopped passing as much value from that sort of links.

More recently, Google has actively penalized the rankings of websites who have attempted such overuse of these techniques-often referred to as over-optimisation-in their link building. Google's regular Penguin updates are one such example. Knowing which link building techniques to avoid and stay within Google's guidelines is an important subject that we'll discuss later in this guide.

We don't know the full algorithm that Google uses to determine its search results-that's the company's "secret sauce." Despite that fact, the general consensus among the SEO community (according to the 2015 Moz search ranking factors survey) is that links still play a big role in that algorithm. They represent the largest two slices of the pie chart below.

Weighting of thematic clusters of ranking factors in Google

It is generally accepted that if all other factors are equal, the volume and quality of links pointing to a page will make the difference between rankings. Having said that, with recent moves from Google, including the release of Penguin updates and its push of Google+, there is speculation that the impact of links is being reduced and replaced with social signals such as tweets or +1s.

For now, though, there is little doubt that if you get high-quality links to your website, it will help you rank better and get more traffic (we'll talk more about what makes a "good-quality" link in Chapter 2). We've mentioned "high-quality" a few times, now, and there's a good reason: The focus on quality is increasing as Google becomes ever more sophisticated at filtering out low-quality links. This directly impacts SEOs, as they need to make sure the link building techniques they choose focus primarily on that quality.

What you need to know about nofollow

There is an attribute that can sometimes be applied to links called the "nofollow" attribute. If added, you will not notice any difference if you're a user. But, if you look at the code of the link, it will look slightly different:

Note the addition of rel="nofollow". This tells Google not to pass any PageRank across this link to the target URL. Effectively, you're telling Google not to trust this link and to discount it from consideration. Therefore, it should not help the target URL to rank any better.

The main reason a site might use nofollow relates to scenarios in which that site lacks total control over the links that are added to its pages. In other words, they don't want to show Google a vote of confidence when they don't know whether or not they actually are confident. This is more common than you'd expect; here are a few examples:

Blog comments

Forum posts

Guest book comments

Editable Wiki pages (e.g. Wikipedia)

Yahoo! Answers

Guest post signatures

Users can freely add links to each of these places, and because of their size, it isn't really practical to moderate every single one of those links. So, in order to deter link spammers from taking advantage of a site's PageRank, the site will often choose to apply the nofollow attribute to all links posted by other users.

Another use for the nofollow attribute is for advertisers to use on links that have been paid for. So, if you buy an advertising banner on a website which links to you, Google says that the nofollow attribute should be added so that they know not to pass any PageRank across that link. The idea here is that you shouldn't benefit in the organic results by buying advertisements that include links on other websites.

More recently, Google has expanded this concept to included optimized links in press releases, article directories, and advertorials. These are all examples where the use of nofollow is entirely appropriate.

In terms of your work, you should know that links that have the nofollow attribute applied will probably not help your organic search rankings as directly as followed links. That isn't to say they're not worthwhile. After all, typical users don't notice whether a link is nofollowed or not, and may actually click through and visit your website even if it is. That is, after all, the point of buying advertisements online. That being said, for the purposes of link building, you want most of your links to be followed and therefore counted by Google. Looking for a way to indentify followed versus nofollowed links on a website? You can use the MozBar to highlight these links on any site.

How can link building benefit my business?

As we've discussed, links are a very important signal that the search engines use to determine rankings. So, we know that increasing the number of high-quality links pointing at your website can significantly increase your chances of ranking well.

There are other benefits to link building, though, that may be less immediately obvious yet still worthy of consideration.

Building relationships

Link building can often involve outreach to other relevant websites and blogs in your industry. This outreach frequently relates to the promotion of something that you've just created, such as a piece of content or an infographic. A common goal of outreach is to get a link, but there is much more to it than just this: Outreach can help you build long-term relationships with key influencers in your industry, and these relationships can mean that your business becomes highly regarded and trusted. This in itself is valuable, even if we forget link building for a moment, because we are creating genuine evangelists and advocates for our business.

Sending referral traffic

We've talked about the impact of links on your rankings, but what about the impact of links on referral traffic? A good link from a highly-visited website can lead to an increase in traffic, too. If it is a relevant website, chances are that the traffic is also relevant and may lead to an increase in sales, as well. Again, in this situation the value of a link isn't just about SEO-it's about customers. A great example of this in action was this guest post written by Michael Ellsberg on Tim Ferriss' blog. He also wrote a case study on Forbes explaining just how valuable this guest post was to him. "There's a big difference between being exposed to a large audience," he says, "and being exposed to a comparatively smaller (but still large) audience which is ridiculously passionate." In other words, the avid followers of a single blog were far more likely to take the advice of the blogger than (for example) viewers were to pay attention to the anchor on CNN, even if the latter group outnumbered the former.

Brand building

Good link building can help build your brand and establish you as an authority in your niche. There are some link building techniques, such as content creation, which can show people the expertise of your company, and this can go a long way toward building your brand. For example, if you create a piece of content based upon industry data and publish it, you have a chance of becoming well known for it in your industry. When you do outreach and try to get links to the content, you are showing your expertise and asking other people in your industry to help spread the word and show others the same.

An important note on link building vs link "earning"

Or, the importance of having webpages worth linking to.

Before building links, you need something of value to build links to. Often it's the homepage of your website. More often than not, though, you build links to specialized resources such as a blog post, tool, research study or graphic. Sometimes these assets exist long before you begin your link building campaign. Other times, you create these resources specifically with the goal of building links in mind.

This introduces the concepts of link earning and "deserving to rank." All link building campaigns must start with something worth linking to. It's very difficult to build links to low-value webpages, but when you begin with something truly valuable that people find useful or share-worthy, link building is a much easier endeavor.

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What Is Link Building & Why Is It Important? - Beginner's Guide to Link Building

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Whether you're brand new to link building or have been doing it for a while, we're sure you'll find something useful in this guide. The landscape of SEO and link building is always changing, and today, the importance of building high-quality links has never been higher.

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Selecting the right keyword list for your campaign can help you show your ads to the right customers. Your keywords should match the terms that your potential customers would use to find your products or services. Learn more about how to add, edit and remove keywords.

This article explains some basic ways that you can start building a good keyword list.

Think like a customer when you create your list

Write down the main categories of your business, and then write down the terms or phrases that might fall under each of those categories. Include terms or phrases that your customers would use to describe your products or services.

Example

If you sell men's athletic footwear, you might start off with some basic categories that customers would use, like "men's sports shoes". You can also add "men's trainers" and "men's tennis shoes", if you find out that these are commonly used terms for your products. Expand your list further by including your brand and product names.

Select specific keywords to target specific customers

Select more specific keywords that directly relate to your ad's theme if you want to target customers who may be interested in a particular product. Using more specific keywords would mean that your ad only appears for terms that apply to your business. But keep in mind that if the keywords are too specific, you might not be able to reach as many people as you'd like.

Example

If you sell men's athletic footwear, you might choose specific keywords like"men's basketball shoes", a type of shoe that you offer. That way, your ad would be eligible to appear when someone searches for these types of shoes or visits a website about tennis.

Select general keywords to reach more people

Select more general keywords if you'd prefer to reach as many people as possible. Keep in mind that you might find it difficult to reach potential customers when adding very general keywords because your ad could appear for searches that aren't always related to your business. Also, more general keywords can be more competitive and may require higher bid amounts.

Test general keywords, and then decide which ones give you better results. No matter how general your keywords are, they should always be relevant to your ads and website. However, you should avoid using duplicate keywords in your account because Google shows only one ad per advertiser on a particular keyword.

Example

If you're a large shoe shop, you might choose a general keyword like "shoes". That way, for example, your ad would be eligible to appear when someone searches for a wide variety of shoes or visits websites about fashion.

Group similar keywords into ad groups

To show more relevant ads to potential customers, group your keywords and ads into ad groups based on your products, services or other categories.

If instead you add all your keywords and ads to one ad group, a customer searching for "women's evening shoes" may see your ad about "men's tennis shoes".

Learn more about creating a new ad group.

Example

If own a shoe shop, you might create 2 ad groups: 1 for running shoes and 1 for evening shoes. Your ad group for running shoes could include ads with keywords like "running shoes" and "running trainers". Your ad group for evening shoes could include keywords like "evening shoes" and "dress shoes".

That way, potential customers could see your ad about evening shoes when they search for "evening shoes" - not when they search for "running shoes".

Pick the right number of keywords

We recommend 5 - 20 keywords per ad group, although you can have more than 20 keywords in an ad group if you want. Remember, each ad group should contain keywords that directly relate to that group's theme.

Your keywords will automatically match variations such as possible misspellings or plural versions. So you don't need to add those.

Example

If your ad group contained the broad match type keyword "tennis shoes", then your ad would be eligible to appear when someone searched for that keyword or any variation of the keyword such as "buy tennis shoes", "running shoes" or "tennis trainers".

Choose keywords that relate to the websites or apps your customers see

On the Display Network, your keywords allow your ads to show on relevant websites or in apps. Choose keywords that are related to each other and that are related to the content that your customers browse.

For apps, AdWords may extend the scope of your keywords in order to match your ads to more relevant search terms. Learn more about ads in apps.

Since your ads are matched to relevant websites using your keywords, all keywords used for Display Network campaigns are considered broad match. You can fine-tune your keywords by excluding certain keywords from ad groups that target the Display Network.

Learn more about choosing keywords for Display Network campaigns.

Example

Imagine that you create a keyword list that includes terms related to boots. Websites about boots would be targeted by the keywords on your list. You could also exclude the terms "ski" and "snowboard" to prevent your ads from appearing on sites about winter sports.

Related articles

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Selecting the right keyword list for your campaign can help you show your ads to the right customers. Your keywords should match the terms that your potential customers would use to find your products or services. Learn more about how to add, edit and remove keywords.

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Why does it look like search engines prefer the posts of some bloggers to others? Why does it seem almost improbable to outrank these sites even with better content and perfect on-page SEO? The secret to SEO success here is having a proper link building plan to generate high authority backlinks that drive organic visitors to your content through improved search rankings.

In the following, I want to touch on several points surrounding the why and how of link building and offer suggestions on how to create your own link building plan to ensure your posts rank and generate enough search traffic. But first, let's have a look at the infographic below.

What is Link Building?

Link building is the art of getting other bloggers/site owners in related niches to link to your site in order to increase your search ranking. According to Brian Dean of Backlinko "Link building is the most important (and challenging) SEO skill. Actually, it's a culmination of several different skills: you need to master Content Creation, Sales, Programming, Psychology and good old-fashioned Marketing if you want other people to consistently link to your site."

Search engines don't care if you got the best content in the world on your website if there are no other sites linking to your content. You need authority sites linking to your site, backlinks from high domain authority sites. However, relevancy is key. You never make money with just traffic, you make money with targeted traffic because they are the ones most likely to convert and become a sale on your site. In trying to achieve this, you really only need to focus on three of the skills Brian mentioned to do well in your link building endeavour: Content Creation, Psychology and Marketing.

3 Key SEO Skills to Focus On

1. Content Creation

Link building will be very difficult if your content is not of a high quality and useful to your audience. The term high quality can be relative, but what about useful? Nobody wants to link to or associate with an average or low quality content. So you've got to get to work. Once you have useful and detailed content, then you make it easier for other bloggers to want to link to you.

Use Buzzsumo to research content that has already gone viral in your niche. For example, if you were in the dog training niche; you could type in "dog obedience" in the Buzzsumo search bar and it would pull up different titles of posts with that keyword that went viral. This would give you an understanding on what kind of posts you should write.

Then use Hubspot's Blog Topic Generator to get ideas of what you can title the post you have decided to write.

Use linkbird to research what other bloggers have written on the topic and determine to add your own angle to the topic. If there's nothing distinct and unique about your post, why should anyone link to it? Determine not to be a me-too blogger - Find your voice and make it loud.

2. Psychology

Why should anyone be interested in your post? What problem has your post identified? Have you solved that problem with your post? Did you solve it in such a way that a six-year-old old could understand it? Review these points while writing your posts and you will most likely come up with a post that wil resonate with your audience.

3. Marketing

Link building is all about marketing. A big mistake to make would be to think that because you have created a quality post that bloggers will just start linking to it and traffic will start increasing. You've got to market your new quality post to bloggers in your niche; it's called Blogger Outreach. But you should not just collate email addresses of bloggers and start telling them to link to you! Some bloggers might get offended and regard it as spam. Instead give something first before you expect to receive.

Here's How I do Blogger Outreach

Infographic is one powerful way to get backlinks as people love to share it but it can be both expensive and time-consuming to make. So when I pitch bloggers to link to my post, I offer that I'd be interested to build an Infographic for one of their most popular post. (If you run a fairly popular blog and you'd be interested to strike such a deal with me, you can contact me 😉 ). You see, all of a sudden they don't see my email as spam, but realize that I'm trying to build a relationship, that I'm giving something valuable in exchange.

I understand that you may not have the budget to always create Infographics for your prospective link partners, but there are other things you could do:

1. Share their posts and be consistent in doing this.

2. Write thoughtful comments on their posts, if you do this, overtime they'd notice you and check out your blog to reciprocate.

3. Link to them first; it's way easier to approach them if you have linked to them first.

You can get creative to find more value you can bring to the table. But bear in mind the dangers in trying to go for quantity rather than quality in building links, i.e. building backlinks too fast, or from irrelavant or low quality sites, and getting too many of the same kind of links (too many comment links too fast for example, always try to diversify your link portfolio).

Here's How Adrienne Smith Does Successful Blog Commenting

My good friend Adrienne Smith enlightened me to the benefits of blog commenting as part of relationship marketing. She commented on 5 blogs per day 5 days of the week and in 3 short months, her blog became popular and she crafted a niche for herself, today she's a thought leader, with her own tutorial on how to become a blog commenting superstar, go read it.

Use the free tool DropMyLink to find blogs out there that give do-follow links, you could even find .edu and .gov domains that give comment do-follow links. I recommend you model after Adrienne by commenting on 5 blogs in your niche daily; see the comments as mini-blog posts, make it useful and a bit detailed. Seek to add value to the post, if you know an angle to the post that the blogger didn't cover; that's your time to shine. People would notice that and would click on your link to check you out on your blog. That's the way to do blog commenting.

Follow Me:

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How to Create a Link Building Plan for More SEO Success

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Why does it look like search engines prefer the posts of some bloggers to others? Why does it seem almost improbable to outrank these sites even with better content and perfect on-page SEO? The secret to SEO success here is having a proper link building plan to generate high authority backlinks that drive organic visitors to your content through improved search rankings.

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The Beginner's Guide to SEO

Chapter 3

Understand what your audience wants to find.

Now that you've learned how to show up in search results, let's determine which strategic keywords to target in your website's content, and how to craft that content to satisfy both users and search engines.

The power of keyword research lies in better understanding your target market and how they are searching for your content, services, or products.

Keyword research provides you with specific search data that can help you answer questions like:

What are people searching for?

How many people are searching for it?

In what format do they want that information?

In this chapter, you'll get tools and strategies for uncovering that information, as well as learn tactics that'll help you avoid keyword research foibles and build strong content. Once you uncover how your target audience is searching for your content, you begin to uncover a whole new world of strategic SEO!

Before keyword research, ask questions

Before you can help a business grow through search engine optimization, you first have to understand who they are, who their customers are, and their goals.

This is where corners are often cut. Too many people bypass this crucial planning step because keyword research takes time, and why spend the time when you already know what you want to rank for?

The answer is that what you want to rank for and what your audience actually wants are often two wildly different things. Focusing on your audience and then using keyword data to hone those insights will make for much more successful campaigns than focusing on arbitrary keywords.

Here's an example. Frankie & Jo's (a Seattle-based vegan, gluten-free ice cream shop) has heard about SEO and wants help improving how and how often they show up in organic search results. In order to help them, you need to first understand a little more about their customers. To do so, you might ask questions such as:

What types of ice cream, desserts, snacks, etc. are people searching for?

Who is searching for these terms?

When are people searching for ice cream, snacks, desserts, etc.?
Are there seasonality trends throughout the year?

How are people searching for ice cream?

What words do they use?

What questions do they ask?

Are more searches performed on mobile devices?

Why are people seeking ice cream?
Are individuals looking for health-conscious ice cream specifically or just looking to satisfy a sweet tooth?

Where are potential customers located - locally, nationally, or internationally?

And finally - here's the kicker - how can you help provide the best content about ice cream to cultivate a community and fulfill what all those people are searching for? Asking these questions is a crucial planning step that will guide your keyword research and help you craft better content.

What's that word mean?

Remember, if you're stumped by any of the terms used in this chapter, our SEO glossary is here to help!

What terms are people searching for?

You may have a way of describing what you do, but how does your audience search for the product, service, or information you provide? Answering this question is a crucial first step in the keyword research process.

Discovering keywords

You likely have a few keywords in mind that you would like to rank for. These will be things like your products, services, or other topics your website addresses, and they are great seed keywords for your research, so start there! You can enter those keywords into a keyword research tool to discover average monthly search volume and similar keywords. We'll get into search volume in greater depth in the next section, but during the discovery phase, it can help you determine which variations of your keywords are most popular amongst searchers.

Once you enter in your seed keywords into a keyword research tool, you will begin to discover other keywords, common questions, and topics for your content that you might have otherwise missed.

Let's use the example of a florist that specializes in weddings.

Typing "wedding" and "florist" into a keyword research tool, you may discover highly relevant, highly searched for related terms such as:

Wedding bouquets

Bridal flowers

Wedding flower shop

In the process of discovering relevant keywords for your content, you will likely notice that the search volume of those keywords varies greatly. While you definitely want to target terms that your audience is searching for, in some cases, it may be more advantageous to target terms with lower search volume because they're far less competitive.

Since both high- and low-competition keywords can be advantageous for your website, learning more about search volume can help you prioritize keywords and pick the ones that will give your website the biggest strategic advantage.

We've got a tool for that

Moz has a free tool that can help you discover and analyze keywords. When you're ready to get your hands dirty with keyword research, give it a try!

Diversify!

It's important to note that entire websites don't rank for keywords - pages do. With big brands, we often see the homepage ranking for many keywords, but for most websites this isn't usually the case. Many websites receive more organic traffic to pages other than the homepage, which is why it's so important to diversify your website's pages by optimizing each for uniquely valuable keywords.

How often are those terms searched?

Uncovering search volume

The higher the search volume for a given keyword or keyword phrase, the more work is typically required to achieve higher rankings. This is often referred to as keyword difficulty and occasionally incorporates SERP features; for example, if many SERP features (like featured snippets, knowledge graph, carousels, etc) are clogging up a keyword's result page, difficulty will increase. Big brands often take up the top 10 results for high-volume keywords, so if you're just starting out on the web and going after the same keywords, the uphill battle for ranking can take years of effort.

Typically, the higher the search volume, the greater the competition and effort required to achieve organic ranking success. Go too low, though, and you risk not drawing any searchers to your site. In many cases, it may be most advantageous to target highly specific, lower competition search terms. In SEO, we call those long-tail keywords.

Understanding the long tail

It would be great to rank #1 for the keyword "shoes"... or would it?

It's wonderful to deal with keywords that have 50,000 searches a month, or even 5,000 searches a month, but in reality, these popular search terms only make up a fraction of all searches performed on the web. In fact, keywords with very high search volumes may even indicate ambiguous intent, which, if you target these terms, it could put you at risk for drawing visitors to your site whose goals don't match the content your page provides.

The remaining 75% lie in the "chunky middle" and "long tail" of search.

Don't underestimate these less popular keywords. Long tail keywords with lower search volume often convert better, because searchers are more specific and intentional in their searches. For example, a person searching for "shoes" is probably just browsing. On the other hand, someone searching for "best price red womens size 7 running shoe" practically has their wallet out!

Questions are SEO gold!

Discovering what questions people are asking in your space - and adding those questions and their answers to an FAQ page - can yield incredible organic traffic for your website.

Getting strategic with search volume

Now that you've discovered relevant search terms for your site and their corresponding search volumes, you can get even more strategic by looking at your competitors and figuring out how searches might differ by season or location.

Keywords by competitor

You'll likely compile a lot of keywords. How do you know which to tackle first? It could be a good idea to prioritize high-volume keywords that your competitors are not currently ranking for. On the flip side, you could also see which keywords from your list your competitors are already ranking for and prioritize those. The former is great when you want to take advantage of your competitors' missed opportunities, while the latter is an aggressive strategy that sets you up to compete for keywords your competitors are already performing well for.

Keywords by season

Knowing about seasonal trends can be advantageous in setting a content strategy. For example, if you know that "christmas box" starts to spike in October through December in the United Kingdom, you can prepare content months in advance and give it a big push around those months.

Keywords by region

You can more strategically target a specific location by narrowing down your keyword research to specific towns, counties, or states in the Google Keyword Planner, or evaluate "interest by subregion" in Google Trends. Geo-specific research can help make your content more relevant to your target audience. For example, you might find out that in Texas, the preferred term for a large truck is "big rig," while in New York, "tractor trailer" is the preferred terminology.

Which format best suits the searcher's intent?

In Chapter 2, we learned about SERP features. That background is going to help us understand how searchers want to consume information for a particular keyword. The format in which Google chooses to display search results depends on intent, and every query has a unique one. Google describes these intents in their Quality Rater Guidelines as either "know" (find information), "do" (accomplish a goal), "website" (find a specific website), or "visit-in-person" (visit a local business).

While there are thousands of possible search types, let's take a closer look at five major categories of intent:

1. Informational queries: The searcher needs information, such as the name of a band or the height of the Empire State Building.

If you're enjoying this chapter so far, be sure to check out the Keyword Research episode of our One-Hour Guide to SEO video series!

2. Navigational queries: The searcher wants to go to a particular place on the Internet, such as Facebook or the homepage of the NFL.

3. Transactional queries: The searcher wants to do something, such as buy a plane ticket or listen to a song.

4. Commercial investigation: The searcher wants to compare products and find the best one for their specific needs.

5. Local queries: The searcher wants to find something locally, such as a nearby coffee shop, doctor, or music venue.

An important step in the keyword research process is surveying the SERP landscape for the keyword you want to target in order to get a better gauge of searcher intent. If you want to know what type of content your target audience wants, look to the SERPs!

Google has closely evaluated the behavior of trillions of searches in an attempt to provide the most desired content for each specific keyword search.

Take the search "dresses," for example:

By the shopping carousel, you can infer that Google has determined many people who search for "dresses" want to shop for dresses online.

There is also a Local Pack feature for this keyword, indicating Google's desire to help searchers who may be looking for local dress retailers.

If the query is ambiguous, Google will also sometimes include the "refine by" feature to help searchers specify what they're looking for further. By doing so, the search engine can provide results that better help the searcher accomplish their task.

Google has a wide array of result types it can serve up depending on the query, so if you're going to target a keyword, look to the SERP to understand what type of content you need to create.

Tools for determining the value of a keyword

How much value would a keyword add to your website? These tools can help you answer that question, so they'd make great additions to your keyword research arsenal:

Moz Keyword Explorer - Input a keyword in Keyword Explorer and get information like monthly search volume and SERP features (like local packs or featured snippets) that are ranking for that term. The tool extracts accurate search volume data by using live clickstream data. To learn more about how we're producing our keyword data, check out Announcing Keyword Explorer.
Bonus! Keyword Explorer's "Difficulty" score can also help you narrow down your keyword options to the phrases you have the best shot at ranking for. The higher a keyword's score, the more difficult it would be to rank for that term. More about Keyword Difficulty.

Google Keyword Planner - Google's AdWords Keyword Planner has historically been the most common starting point for SEO keyword research. However, Keyword Planner does restrict search volume data by lumping keywords together into large search volume range buckets. To learn more, check out Google Keyword Planner's Dirty Secrets.

Google Trends - Google's keyword trend tool is great for finding seasonal keyword fluctuations. For example, "funny halloween costume ideas" will peak in the weeks before Halloween.

AnswerThePublic - This free tool populates commonly searched for questions around a specific keyword. Bonus! You can use this tool in tandem with another free tool, Keywords Everywhere, to prioritize ATP's suggestions by search volume.

SpyFu Keyword Research Tool - Provides some really neat competitive keyword data.

Download our free template!

Keyword research can yield a ton of data. Stay organized by downloading our free keyword research template. Customize the template to fit your unique needs. Happy keyword researching!

Hungry for more keyword research?

We've got a whole 'nother guide for that. When you're ready, check out our new Keyword Research Master Guide to seriously level-up your skills.

Now that you know how to uncover what your target audience is searching for and how often, it's time to move onto the next step: crafting pages in a way that users will love and search engines can understand. Head to Chapter 4 (On-Site Optimization)!

Written by Britney Muller and the Moz staff.

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Keyword Research | The Beginner's Guide to SEO

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The Beginner's Guide to SEO Chapter 3 Understand what your audience wants to find. Now that you've learned how to show up in search results, let's determine which strategic keywords to target in your website's content, and how to craft that content to satisfy both users and search engines.

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Building Brand Loyalty Having a loyal following of customers is a vital component behind business success. In order to attain loyalty from your users, you need to establish and encourage trust amongst a community of fans.

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We teamed up with Alan Donegan from PopUp Business School to share his top tips on how to create great quality content.

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A look at the upcoming trends in the world of Content Marketing in the next 12 months, by Koozai's Head of Content, John.

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Whitepaper

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Chapter 1 -7 - Keyword research for SEO the definitive guide 

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With all the talk in the SEO world today about content and social signals it’s easy to forget a little thing that happens to be the foundation of SEO: keyword research.

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One of my many talents - aside from an unerringly accurate double-handed backhand - is, to my surprise, blogging. Not necessarily my own but others', their ghosted blogs.

The other week I was asked to speak to a selected group of PR executives as to how I approach writing a blog and it was the first time I had attempted to put down in words, or rules, what until then had sort of come naturally.

Not because I have some sort of special gift but because decades in journalism have given me the tools to make blogging work. It's not, as some snake oil salesmen out there would have you believe, something complicated, some sort of new science called, oh I don't know, 'content marketing' perhaps. It is, simply, telling a story - pitching it, sticking to a headline, writing succinctly, rewriting it even more succinctly and checking it incessantly.

The 17 stages I've identified here are not the rules, they're just my rules, how I would have approached ideas and articles as a Features Editor on national newspapers. It turns out they're ideally suited to writing a blog as well...

1) The idea. The starting point, obviously. But make sure it's an idea you care about. Don't pretend to care about something, it'll look fake. Push the idea. Normally your first take on it will be good, the second worse and the third better than both.

2) Relevance to now. It needs to have a newsy feel to it, something connected to this moment.

3) Spin it. Try to challenge convention, have a maverick opinion, swim against the tide, don't follow the sheep.

4) Why do I give a ****? Sorry, I often swear. Newsrooms do that to you. But really, why do I give a damn about your idea? Why should I care. This is crucial before even starting to write. Convince me I not only want to read this but that I need to.

5) What's the headline? In 8 words or less. If you can't do that then the idea is worthless. Honestly. Forget 140 characters as being the key to brevity. Eight words is all you need.

6) Sell it to the editor. Idea, angle, headline - now sell it as a package. To yourself, obviously, but do you buy it?

7) Who's going to write it? You, obviously, but in a newspaper office I always used to analyse whose skills and personality would most suit the idea. A blogger needs to be different people, subtle nuanced voices, chameleon-like. Who are you going to be according to the idea you have? Angry, helpful, inquisitive, flirtatious, serious, inventive, wistful, witty, playful, all of the above?

8) Who's it for? Right, at last. You're ready to write. But who's your audience? Is it inward-looking or outward? Are you trying to gain business or protect it? Do you want to shout and provoke debate or quietly add your tuppence worth. Who do you want to read this? Got him or her in your head? OK, start writing.

9) What's the personal element? Don't write about things, write about people. Be personal and anecdotal. About yourself if you like (but not too much) or about someone you know whose experiences you think will highlight the issue at hand. People, people, people. Things are boring.

10) Is there any proof? Include figures and research when at all possible. Not too much but evidence to back your premise, aside from the anecdotal, is crucial.

11) What's the picture? Some blogs are suited to multiple images. Personally, I find them distracting. If you must use an image, keep it to just one. But don't be too clever, make sure the image doesn't require too much interpretation but tells the story clearly.

12) First draft - now rewrite/cut. You will think your finished piece is perfect. It isn't. It needs editing, rewriting, cutting, possibly ripping up and starting again. Nothing - nothing - should make it without a rewrite.

13) Go back to the beginning - what's the story? Have you stuck to the idea/headline/why do I care element? Have you strayed from the premise? You spent ages at the beginning distilling the essence of the blog, don't spoil it by veering off-piste.

14) Polish that first par - the most important bit. Sometimes you'll need to redo this paragraph completely. This is the hardest bit and probably needs tightening. Perhaps bring the anecdote to the top. Don't be afraid to adjust the order of things and liberally sprinkle adjectives. Both will undoubtedly make your first draft better.

15) Does it work as a whole? Look at it all again. Does it gel? Are there different lines fighting each other? Does every single paragraph - sentence even - refer back to the headline? They should.

16) Check and check again. You've read it for mistakes, used the spell-check and are happy with it. Believe me, there are still errors. Punctuation, missing words, repeated adjectives. You are not a literary genius (sorry). Revisit your work, correct it and make it better.

17) Is it over 700 words? If so, cut it. A blog should ideally be between 350-700 words. Just enough to make a point and not to become self-indulgent and boring. I have just broken this rule, which perhaps means I don't know what I'm talking about. But then neither do hundreds of 'content experts' out there either. In fact, in the wise words of screenwriter William Goldman: 'Nobody knows anything'.

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One of my many talents - aside from an unerringly accurate double-handed backhand - is, to my surprise, blogging. Not necessarily my own but others', their ghosted blogs.

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Heres are some free  sites that you may like

https://wordpress.com/
https://www.drupal.org/
www.typepad.com
https://www.blogger.com/
https://www.theblogstarter.com/

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New to SEO? Need to polish up your knowledge? The Beginner's Guide to SEO has been read over 3 million times and provides comprehensive information you need to get on the road to professional quality Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.

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New to SEO? Need to polish up your knowledge? The Beginner's Guide to SEO has been read over 3 million times and provides comprehensive information you need to get on the road to professional quality Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.

1. How Search Engines Operate

2. How People Interact With Search Engines

3. Why Search Engine Marketing is Necessary

4. The Basics of Search Engine Friendly Design & Development

5. Keyword Research

1. How Usability, Experience, & Content Affect Rankings

2. Growing Popularity and Links

3. Search Engine's Tools for Webmasters Intro

4. Myths & Misconceptions About Search Engines

5. Measuring and Tracking Success

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

SEO is a marketing discipline focused on growing visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results. SEO encompasses both the technical and creative elements required to improve rankings, drive traffic, and increase awareness in search engines. There are many aspects to SEO, from the words on your page to the way other sites link to you on the web. Sometimes SEO is simply a matter of making sure your site is structured in a way that search engines understand.

SEO isn't just about building search engine-friendly websites. It's about making your site better for people too. At Moz we believe these principles go hand-in-hand.

This guide is designed to describe all areas of SEO-from finding the terms and phrases (keywords) that generate traffic to your website, to making your site friendly to search engines, to building links and marketing the unique value of your site. If you are confused about this stuff, you are not alone, and we're here to help.

Why does my website need SEO?

The majority of web traffic is driven by the major commercial search engines, Google, Bing, and Yahoo!. Although social media and other types of traffic can generate visits to your website, search engines are the primary method of navigation for most Internet users. This is true whether your site provides content, services, products, information, or just about anything else.

Search engines are unique in that they provide targeted traffic-people looking for what you offer. Search engines are the roadways that make this happen. If search engines cannot find your site, or add your content to their databases, you miss out on incredible opportunities to drive traffic to your site.

Search queries -the words that users type into the search box-carry extraordinary value. Experience has shown that search engine traffic can make (or break) an organization's success. Targeted traffic to a website can provide publicity, revenue, and exposure like no other channel of marketing. Investing in SEO can have an exceptional rate of return compared to other types of marketing and promotion.

Why can't the search engines figure out my site without SEO?

Search engines are smart, but they still need help. The major engines are always working to improve their technology to crawl the web more deeply and return better results to users. However, there is a limit to how search engines can operate. Whereas the right SEO can net you thousands of visitors and increased attention, the wrong moves can hide or bury your site deep in the search results where visibility is minimal.

In addition to making content available to search engines, SEO also helps boost rankings so that content will be placed where searchers will more readily find it. The Internet is becoming increasingly competitive, and those companies who perform SEO will have a decided advantage in visitors and customers.

Can I do SEO for myself?

The world of SEO is complex, but most people can easily understand the basics. Even a small amount of knowledge can make a big difference. Free SEO education is widely available on the web, including in guides like this. Combine this with a little practice and you are well on your way to becoming a guru.

Depending on your time commitment, your willingness to learn, and the complexity of your website(s), you may decide you need an expert to handle things for you. Firms that practice SEO can vary; some have a highly specialized focus, while others take a broader and more general approach.

In any case, it's good to have a firm grasp of the core concepts.

How much of this article do I need to read?

If you are serious about improving search traffic and are unfamiliar with SEO, we recommend reading this guide front-to-back. We've tried to make it as concise as possible and easy to understand. There's a printable PDF version for those who'd prefer, and dozens of linked-to resources on other sites and pages that are also worthy of your attention.

Each section of this guide is important to understanding the most effective practices of search engine optimization.

Let's Get You Started

In the wonderful world of SEO!

The Beginner's Guide to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an in-depth tutorial on how search engines work. This guide covers the fundamental strategies that make your websites search engine-friendly. Download your copy of the world's most-read guide on SEO!

Try out Moz Pro

Subscribe to Moz Pro free for 30 days. In addition to marketing analytics software, you'll get to access dozens of SEO and inbound marketing resources.

Start My Free 30-Day Trial

To Chapter 1

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SEO: The Beginner's Guide to Search Engine Optimization from Moz

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New to SEO? Need to polish up your knowledge? The Beginner's Guide to SEO has been read over 3 million times and provides comprehensive information you need to get on the road to professional quality Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.

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emaze is the next generation of online content creation technology,
enabling beautiful content design within minutes.

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Content Creation: Best Presentations, eCards & More | emaze

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Content creation with the help of AI. From amazing presentations and websites, to eCards and more, create beautiful visuals with our ready-to-use templates.

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MailChimp - Professional emails managed in one place 

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MailChimp - Professional emails managed in one place 

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Marketing Automation - Sell More Stuff | MailChimp

MailChimp is the world’s largest marketing automation platform.
15 million customers, from small e-commerce shops to big online retailers, use MailChimp to reach their customers and grow their business

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Use real-time behavior data and AI to convert more customers with Mailchimp's marketing, automation & email marketing platform. Easy to use - start for free!

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Amazing videos and presentations created with PowToon!

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Powtoon | Create Awesome Videos Yourself

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Powtoon gives you everything you need to easily make professional videos and presentations that your clients, colleagues, and friends will love! No design or tech skills are necessary - it's free, easy, and awesome!

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Canva - An amazing free tool to use when creating professional looking posts

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Canva - An amazing free tool to use when creating professional looking posts

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Canva is a free graphic-design tool website, founded in 2012. It has an easy to use drag-and-drop interface and provides access to over a million photographs, graphics, and fonts. It is used by non-designers as well as professionals. The tools can be used for both web and print media design and graphics.

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Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

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A guide to Facebook and the tools available

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1. Understanding Your Key Facebook Tools

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There are lots of success stories and case studies that document the success businesses have had through Twitter. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use the social network for new business benefits.

1. Monitor real-time conversations

Use Twitter search and other simple listening tools to monitor real-time conversations about your brand. This will help your marketing and management teams see what people are really saying about your company.

There are a variety of free and effective listening tools available that allow you to save searches, such as Tweetdeck and HootSuite. One heating and air-conditioning company had its best year ever simply because it monitored tweets about broken home systems and offered prompt help.

2. Extend customer service

A lot of companies and organizations use Twitter as a form of customer service. You can find many well-documented best practices if you do an Internet search on the topic. When people "call" your company on Twitter, do you pick up the phone?
3. Offer helpful links and headlines
Drive traffic to your website, blog, landing pages, YouTube channels, Facebook, etc., when you offer helpful links and headlines in your tweets. Despite the hype about social media, websites are still important in the social information eco-system. Your website is usually the place where you ask for money-registrations, downloads, or whatever you're selling.

4. Catch problems early

Twitter can help you discover consumer problems, product issues, or potentially damaging PR disasters before they cause trouble. Pick up conversations about your company and respond quickly.

5. Break through communication barriers with tweets

If you have a hard time making business connections with cold calls and email, try a tweet or direct message. You will not believe how well this works. People may not return calls, but they almost always return tweets. I don't know the psychology behind this, but I know it works.

6. Run special deals and promotions

Special deals and promotions on Twitter can drive traffic or move slow-moving stock. If you've done a good job surrounding yourself with targeted connections, they should be interested in your specials, right?

A local bakery can use this idea to move its products if it baked too much of a certain item that day. Here's an example tweet: "Come by before 4 p.m. for 2 for 1 coffee cakes." In my opinion, coffee cake qualifies as meaningful content!

7. Build your personal brand

Twitter is an exceptional way to build your personal brand. It provides an opportunity for global reach that a several-month speaking tour could never accomplish. And, Twitter causes a lot less wear and tear.

8. Find new business contacts

Find new business contacts and sales leads through directories such as Twellow and the advanced Twitter search.

9. Enhance business relationships

You can learn a lot about your potential customers if you follow them. This information will help you connect when you meet the person.

I once recognized a stranger at a meeting because he looked just like his Twitter picture. When I introduced myself, he greeted me like a long-lost brother; he felt he knew me through my Twitter posts. How many cold calls would you have to make to get a reaction like that?
10. Boost your visibility on search engines
Did you know Twitter can help your visibility on search engines? Just a few years ago, search results only turned up websites. Today, searches bring up everything from LinkedIn profiles to videos to Twitter profiles.

11. Use tweets as real-time testimonies

Use your tweets as marketing tools. One college featured real tweets about the school on an electronic highway billboard (not in real-time). A coffee shop featured happy customer tweets on a flat-screen display in the shop.

12. Find public validation

As people post nice tweets about you, save them to your favorites. Simply direct people to your Twitter page when you need to show some social validation. Tweets are public information for all to see.

13. Take advantage of PR opportunities

Journalists are extremely active on Twitter; they use it to seek information on leads and sources. You might get some PR placements if you establish yourself as a voice of authority on Twitter-especially if you combine your tweets with blog posts.

14. Host a tweet-up

I love the way businesses use tweet-ups-networking meetings of Twitter enthusiasts-to effectively promote themselves. Twitter loyalists love to get together in real life.

If you have an appropriate meeting space or venue, sponsor a tweet-up to introduce people to your facility. This would be effective for restaurants, clubs, banks, nonprofits, schools, health clubs, real estate offices-almost any place with a large meeting space that serves local clients.

15. Keep up on news and trends

Twitter is a great way to keep up with the latest news and trends. Turn this into a competitive weapon for your organization. What if your employees had access to real-time news and market information that your competitors didn't have?

Mark Schaefer is the executive director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. He blogs at , where a version of this article originally ran.

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There are lots of success stories and case studies that document the success businesses have had through Twitter. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use the social network for new business benefits. 1. Monitor real-time conversations Use Twitter search and other simple listening tools to monitor real-time conversations about your brand.

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LinkedIn has been creating buzz in social media circles for many years now, however many businesses are yet to fully capitalize on this remarkable tool for their online marketing and promotional needs.

So what exactly is LinkedIn and what are its capabilities? In this article we'll explore the various features and functions of this business network and why it is such an invaluable resource for online marketers.
So what is LinkedIn?
This might appear a rather simplistic question; however it's important to understand that LinkedIn is not merely a social network aimed for business users. Rather, it should be viewed as an online network of influential people all over the world. For most individuals, gaining contact with the most powerful people in business is one of their biggest challenges. Getting round conventional 'real-life' obstacles, LinkedIn essentially brings business people together in a new and unique way. If utilised properly, this tool can even allow the humble office junior to engage in discussion and build connections with company CEOs.
Find Business Partners, Clients and Service Providers
Whatever your business objectives, LinkedIn will help you to build a network of useful contacts. Simple searches in your field will reveal thousands of experts, service providers and potential clients. If you do not personally know an individual, you may request to be introduced through a mutual contact or can send an introductory email.
Recruitment
If your business is recruiting, LinkedIn can provide easy access to potential candidates. There are both paid options and those involving no financial outlay. Businesses can search for candidates that fit their required level of expertise and approach them directly, provided they are at least '2nd degree' contacts. In order to search further afield, a monthly subsciption is needed. However, even the basic or 'business' package allows users to contact any individual with a LinkedIn profile. Businesses also have the option of posting a job ad for a monthly fee dependant on location. Whatever your recruitment objectives, LinkedIn is the ideal networking site to find the connections you need to grow your business.
Access Expert Advice
LinkedIn's latest release, LinkedIn Answers, aims to facilitate information and idea-sharing online. In brief, the product allows you to post business questions to both your own network and the greater LinkedIn community. However, even before the introduction of this feature, LinkedIn was commonly used for 'knowledge sharing'. Users have always been free to use their mailbox to pose questions to connections and the multitude of groups on LinkedIn serve as forums for the discussion of many industry topics.
A Blog Promotion Tool
If you or your business has a regularly updated blog, LinkedIn is a great way to share and promote it. Users are able to add a blog or website to their individual profile in order to give it exposure.
Linked in for Recommendations
Another useful tool for businesses is the recommendations feature. Once you have added products or services to your company profile, you can request recommendations from your customers. Recommendation is the ultimate way to boost your company's credibility and gain new clients.
LinkedIn for SEO
LinkedIn allows you to make your profile information available for search engines to index. Since LinkedIn profiles receive a high PageRank in Google, this is a good way to influence what people see when they search for you or your business. As previously mentioned, you can also link to your personal blog or website from LinkedIn. When making this link, if you select "Other" you can modify the name of the link to include your name or descriptive terms. Provided your public profile setting is on "Full View", this is instant search-engine optimization for your site. Furthermore, as with Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn now gives users the capacity to share content. This activity is widely known to be an influencer of search engine ranking positions (SERPs).
Starting Groups
Groups represent a fantastic opportunity for businesses to network and grow. If you are looking to drive traffic to your blog or company website, look no further!

Firstly, you can put your website link in the group profile for great visibility. Next you can add the site's RSS feed to the News Section. It is also a good idea to send a weekly message to your group in order to maintain interest and enthusiasm. In this message you can reference relevant and interesting articles from your site.

There are further opportunities to include links in the group welcome message and in each new discussion thread that you create. The only challenge in some industries is to make your group stand out. The key is to find a niche/area of your business that is under-represented and aim to be the authority on the subject. Nevertheless, based on perception alone, the owner is naturally viewed as the thought leader for that niche unless proven otherwise. The more quality content you produce to back this up and the more effectively you run your group, your community will support you and look to you as a leader in that niche. This will do wonders for your business.
Advertising
Linked in has 120 million users worldwide and extensive targeting capabilities to entice advertisers. The business network has followed Facebook's example and introduced a 'self-service' system 'LinkedIn Ads'. This has opened up advertising to all LinkedIn users on a cost per click (CPC) or impression basis (CPM). It is possible to tailor advertising by job title and function, industry and company size, seniority, age, gender or particular linked in groups. So whatever your campaign or idea, LinkedIn has potential solutions.
If you would like to know how LinkedIn could help your business, Relevance Web Marketing provide tailored Social Media Managment Services. To find out more, contact us and see how a strong social presence could complement and build upon your current marketing activity.

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The Benefits of LinkedIn for Businesses - Relevance Web Marketing Blog

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LinkedIn has been creating buzz in social media circles for many years now, however many businesses are yet to fully capitalize on this remarkable tool for their online marketing and promotional needs. So what exactly is LinkedIn and what are its capabilities?

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10 benefits of a Facebook Business page 

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10 benefits of a Facebook Business page 

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I'm seeing a lot of gripes about Facebook lately.

People are saying Facebook is dying because of the new restrictions on the news feed and the drop in Reach.

Some "experts" are even claiming there's no longer a reason to even have a Facebook business page.

Facebook is dead, they say.

I completely disagree!

Facebook continues to be the best social network to set up camp on as a business. It's an absolute no-brainer to be on there.

What exactly are the benefits of having a Facebook business page?

Glad you asked. ;)

Top 10 Benefits of a Facebook Business Page

1. Increased Exposure to Potential Customers

1.19 BILLION USERS.

Need I say more?

If your business can't find new customers on Facebook, maybe you should rethink your line of work.

2. Gather More Leads

Just having people Like your page isn't enough to provide yourself with a long-term, sustainable business. Sure you can make a good living short-term off just using your Facebook page.

But what if Facebook does actually disappear one day?

If you haven't made a connection with your followers outside of Facebook, then you'll be in trouble.

That's why smart businesses gather leads in the form of email addresses -- so they can contact their community outside of Facebook.

Most do this through contests, giveaways and newsletters -- and it's a proven system.

But you also need to be careful how you use your leads.

For example, don't hammer fans with daily emails peddling affiliate products and other junk -- unless that's what they signed up for.

Email them consistently once or twice a week with helpful information that also leads them to your website -- where they hopefully will become customers.

3. Lower Your Marketing Expenses

Starting a Facebook business page costs you exactly $0.

Sure, you may pay a graphic artist to design a profile picture and cover photo -- but that's not a necessity.

Simply using photographs you take of your business will work -- and in some cases that's better than a creative image from a designer.

My point is that getting rolling with a page costs you nothing until you start paying for ads to get page Likes, boosting posts and running Sponsored Stories -- all of which you should be doing with your page.

Facebook ads are relatively inexpensive when compared to traditional print, radio or TV ads -- and are 1,000x more targeted.

Just last week I started a page called Fans of Bigfoot -- the creature not the monster truck. I started it for fun, but to also test ads and monetization tactics.

Plus, I have a slight Bigfoot addiction/fascination.

Check out my result after running Page Like Ads for just over 3 days:

(The duration isn't accurate. I stopped the ad on January 1).

Yes, I got more than 1,400 Likes and only spent $34! That's 2 cents per Like!

And now the page has grown by an additional 600 Likes organically because of the engagement from those 1,400 paid fans.

Can every page find new Likes for 2 cents each?

Maybe not, but by targeting your ads to people interested in your page's topic, you can definitely keep costs low.

4. Reach a Targeted Audience

This is carry over from #3 -- and it's super important.

Just because there are 1.19 billion Facebook users, it doesn't mean they all want to Like your page.

In fact, I wouldn't want all of them to Like my page -- because only a small percentage of them would actually engage with my posts.

As shown in my example above, I was able to get inexpensive Likes by targeting my ads.

I targeted people who already had an interest in Bigfoot -- almost guaranteeing that many of them will give my page a Like.

Same is true for your page and business.

If you're a local business, direct your ads to target customers within a 10-15 mile radius. The ads might cost you more, but the Likes and potential customers are laser targeted.

If you run an ad on TV, during say an airing of "Seinfeld," you'd be hard pressed to know with certainty whether your ad targeted the right kinds of people for your business.

With Facebook ads, you can be certain -- if you target the ad correctly.

5. Use Facebook Insights

I've admitted countless times that I'm not a numbers guy -- I just don't get my jollies by digging through stats.

But I love the new Facebook Insights provided on Facebook business pages.

Why?

Because they're easy to understand -- even for non-technical people like me. And they provide great information for business owners.

Taking a quick look at the insights of my new Bigfoot page, I see:

How many page Likes I have

The Reach of my posts & page (take a look at that Reach & tell me Reach is dead!)

Engagement of the page

Post Performance... and more

You can dig around and find out how specific posts are performing, the demographics of your fans, etc.

And as Jon Loomer would point out, you can download your insights to really dive in deep. But you don't have to -- and most of you don't need to worry about that.

The results provided are usually sufficient.

Compare this to running an ad in your local paper. Are you given any such stats as to how many people visited your store/website based on the ad?

No!

6. Build Brand Loyalty

Besides being a place to build a customer base and sell products, a Facebook business page can do wonders for helping you build brand loyalty.

What exactly does that mean?

Well, if you consistently provide valuable and entertaining content, your followers will stay loyal -- even when you make mistakes.

These days, people look online to find businesses to buy from -- and they predominately search social media.

If your followers see you being active & responsive, they're much more likely to do business with you than a company with no Facebook presence or a poorly run page.

Today, for example, I delivered a bounce house to a family for a birthday party for their son. I have a bounce house business through Space Walk -- which I use to test Facebook ads.

Her exact words to me were:

I decided to rent from you because I'm on Facebook more than anything else & I see your page consistently posting about the business & being responsive. Plus you have pictures of your units for me to look at before renting. And I can do it from my phone!

I only started the Facebook page for the bounce house company 2 months ago, but I already have brand loyalty above and beyond my competitors -- businesses that have been working in my area for more than a decade!

Guess what? They aren't active on Facebook.

I am!

7. Increase Your Web Traffic

Smart Facebook page owners use their pages to drive traffic to their websites.

If all you're doing on Facebook is getting engagement on your posts, then you're really just an entertainer -- not a marketer.

So start using link posts to drive traffic to your site.

The great thing about link posts is Facebook now generates a full-width thumbnail image if your website makes one available.

Because they draw more attention, these wider images are more likely to get clicked.

This example from Starbucks looks like a photo post, but is actually a link. Clicking the photo takes you to the CNN article.

Posting links to your website is an essential part of any Facebook content strategy.

On the Post Planner page, you'll notice we post links to blog posts 2-3 times per day and mix in 2-3 light-hearted posts to get people talking.

The Likes, comments and shares are lower on the link posts -- and that's fine -- because our goal is to drive traffic with those posts, not necessarily get engagement on Facebook.

Let's look at these Google Analytics for the Post Planner website:

The stats above are from Dec. 2 through Jan. 2.

As you can see, our #4 and #5 traffic source are Facebook -- which represent roughly 15% of our web traffic.

I should also point out that our newsletter drives almost as much traffic -- showing why you must gather emails!

Bottom line -- having a Facebook page will greatly increase your web traffic if you use the right posting strategies.

8. Boost SEO

The topic of SEO and Facebook gets debated quite a bit.

Some argue that the information in the About section of a business page is scraped and thus searchable by Google.

It's hard to accurately verify or dispute this claim.

I've tried searching with various keywords for our page and do not find results related to Post Planner's Facebook page.

But when someone searches for "Post Planner" -- our Facebook page shows up on page 1 of the Google search results.

I believe the more ways people can find you the better!

9. Be Mobile Ready

The vast majority of Facebook users are accessing the site via their mobile devices -- many of them only with a mobile device.

As this trend grows -- it becomes more and more important for your business to have a presence on Facebook.

The great thing about a Facebook page is Facebook does the heavy lifting for you! -- optimizing your page for both desktop and mobile devices.

The exception are the custom apps (tabs) on your page that are seen on the desktop but not on mobile devices (unless you supply the mobile friendly link created by an app provider like ShortStack).

When people view your Facebook page on a mobile device it shows users:

Hours of operation

Address

Reviews

Phone number to call directly from the Facebook mobile app

Below is a screenshot from my Galaxy S3 showing the business page for my favorite sushi restaurant -- Fuji's Steakhouse.

Tapping "More" results in a 2nd image -- which lets me call the business.

10. Spy on Your Competition!

An interesting new feature on Facebook pages lets businesses spy on competitors.

Now this doesn't mean you can look over their shoulders and check out sales or results from their ads -- but it's a great way to see how others in your area and niche are growing on Facebook.

Just above your cover photo you should see something like the image below:

Click "+ Add 5 Pages" and you'll be taken to a lightbox. I did this via the local business page for Hornets' Nest -- my wife's baking business:

Facebook makes suggestions based on competition in my area in my same (or a similar) niche. I choose those pages by clicking "Watch Page" or search for pages in the search box.

Facebook lets you select more than 5 if you want -- and it should look like this when you're done:

After clicking "Done" the original image shown above your cover photo is replaced with a box showing the Like count of the competitor's pages and how much that count has increased this week:

Why is this useful?

If you look at the Pages to Watch and see a page has exploded and gained lots of new Likes, you can visit that page to see what they're doing right.

Perhaps a post had huge success and you can copy what they are doing on your page to gain more Likes.

This may not give you a ton of insight, but sometimes just a little motivation can cause you to break bad habits on Facebook and improve your posting and advertising.

After all, no company wants a competitor beating them to Likes!

Are you convinced?

Hopefully these 10 benefits have convinced you that having a Facebook business page is an absolute no-brainer.

I personally can't imagine running a business and NOT having a Facebook page.

For those of you who already have pages -- I hope you've been motivated to improve your page and post better content using Post Planner! :)

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Top 10 Benefits of a Facebook Business Page

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I'm seeing a lot of gripes about Facebook lately. People are saying Facebook is dying because of the new restrictions on the news feed and the drop in Reach. Some "experts" are even claiming there's no longer a reason to even have a Facebook business page. Facebook is dead, they say.

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Why your business needs a digital marketing apprentice ....

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To some entrepreneurs, social media marketing is the "next big thing," a temporary yet powerful fad that must be taken advantage of while it's still in the spotlight. To others, it's a buzzword with no practical advantages and a steep, complicated learning curve.

Because it appeared quickly, social media has developed a reputation by some for being a passing marketing interest, and therefore, an unprofitable one. The statistics, however, illustrate a different picture. According to Hubspot, 92% of marketers in 2014 claimed that social media marketing was important for their business, with 80% indicating their efforts increased traffic to their websites. And according to Social Media Examiner, 97% of marketers are currently participating in social media-but 85% of participants aren't sure what social media tools are the best to use.

This demonstrates a huge potential for social media marketing to increase sales, but a lack of understanding on how to achieve those results. Here's a look at just some of the ways social media marketing can improve your business:

1. Increased Brand Recognition. Every opportunity you have to syndicate your content and increase your visibility is valuable. Your social media networks are just new channels for your brand's voice and content. This is important because it simultaneously makes you easier and more accessible for new customers, and makes you more familiar and recognizable for existing customers. For example, a frequent Twitter user could hear about your company for the first time only after stumbling upon it in a newsfeed. Or, an otherwise apathetic customer might become better acquainted with your brand after seeing your presence on multiple networks.

2. Improved brand loyalty. According to a report published by Texas Tech University, brands who engage on social media channels enjoy higher loyalty from their customers. The report concludes "Companies should take advantage of the tools social media gives them when it comes to connecting with their audience. A strategic and open social media plan could prove influential in morphing consumers into being brand loyal." Another study published by Convince&Convert found that 53% of Americans who follow brands in social are more loyal to those brands.

3. More Opportunities to Convert. Every post you make on a social media platform is an opportunity for customers to convert. When you build a following, you'll simultaneously have access to new customers, recent customers, and old customers, and you'll be able to interact with all of them. Every blog post, image, video, or comment you share is a chance for someone to react, and every reaction could lead to a site visit, and eventually a conversion. Not every interaction with your brand results in a conversion, but every positive interaction increases the likelihood of an eventual conversion. Even if your click-through rates are low, the sheer number of opportunities you have on social media is significant. And as I pointed out in my article, " The Four Elements of Any Action, And How To Use Them In Your Online Marketing Initiative," "opportunity" is the first element of any action.

4. Higher conversion rates. Social media marketing results in higher conversion rates in a few distinct ways. Perhaps the most significant is its humanization element; the fact that brands become more humanized by interacting in social media channels. Social media is a place where brands can act like people do, and this is important because people like doing business with other people; not with companies.

Additionally, studies have shown that social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing, and a higher number of social media followers tends to improve trust and credibility in your brand, representing social proof. As such, simply building your audience in social media can improve conversion rates on your existing traffic.

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The Top 10 Benefits Of Social Media Marketing

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To some entrepreneurs, social media marketing is the "next big thing," a temporary yet powerful fad that must be taken advantage of while it's still in the spotlight. To others, it's a buzzword with no practical advantages and a steep, complicated learning curve. Because it appeared quickly, social media has developed [...]