Can Social Media Boost Your Website Traffic?

Can Social Media Boost Your Website Traffic?

Even the most remote parts of the world may have already heard the term social media and probably used it as well.  As social media began to be more accessible to everyone, it has evolved a lot and even its initial goal shifted. Initially, it aimed to let people connect to family and friends with great convenience. Now more than just a tool of communication, social media has become an integral part of digital marketing to grow a business. 

Social Media, as defined by Merriam, “are forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content” and it has definitely become one the strongest tool to succeed in digital marketing campaigns.

It has become a place to build a company’s name and reputation. It has enabled a lot of businesses to find your target market, communicate with your customers instantly and effectively, build relationships and loyalty to existing clientele and promote your products and services while enjoying cost-effectiveness.

In 2019, there are about 3.484 billion users of social media worldwide which equates to 45% of the world’s population however in January 2020, almost 50% of the global population has been using social media. That is about 3.8 billion people with a global increase of 9.2% since 2019. Social media giant, Facebook, has continuously dominated the landscape with YouTube following suite while a new kid on the block, TikTok has been emerging fast. Instagram and Twitter still show great significance in the social media world. 

Social media users have grown over time. Here are some numbers to you need to know:

• 97% of digital consumers have been active and used social media platforms. 
• From 3.5 billion users in 2019, it is 2 billion above from January 2012 with just a reported user of 1.48 billion
• The average spends the time of a social media user is 2 hours and 24 minutes. 
• There are about 2.1 million social media advertising audiences on Facebook in 2019 while about 895 million audiences on Instagram. 
• 43% of internet users use social media to research things to buy.

With all of these statistics, startup companies have a vast opportunity to promote their brand, services, and products. But can social media drive and boost traffic to your website? 

Social Media Trends

If you want to make it big in social media and eventually build a name that people can trust online, it is essential for you to know these latest social media trends.

• Domination of Video Content  – If you are not currently creating videos on your social media pages, I think this is the best time to start including it in your marketing plan. It is expected that video content will dominate the social media landscape in the near future. It has been proven to be one of the most engaging forms of content. 
• Personalized Ads – direct social ads are an essential tool to let your consumers feel that you understand them and consider their needs. 
• Rise of Authentic Influencers – influencers have been one of the most essential parts of success in doing social media marketing. As the new year starts, another group of influencer have been on the rise and are called Nano-influencers with only 1,000 – 5,000 followers
• Social media as discovery engines for products and services
• Shoppable posts in social media platforms

Social Media channels for your business

Not all social media platforms are created equal and the same principles apply to businesses utilizing these channels. Some platforms have already built a large number of users while some are relatively new but with a growing number of users. Some of the channels may have been overused but if used properly, can still be an effective tool for your business.

• FaceBook

This powerhouse started the game for social media marketing. Throughout the years, Facebook still proves its significance by dominating surveys as the widely used platform in the world. Though it has begun suppressing organic postings which some took negatively, there are still a lot of ways to promote your brand like live videos, managing FB groups and messenger.

• Instagram

It has become one of the most leading platforms especially for several brands that work well with eye-catching visuals. It became a powerhouse as it introduced Instagram Stories, IGTV, and shoppable posts. 

• YouTube

The 2nd visited website after Google and with over 2 billions users each month, Youtube has also become a powerhouse in terms of business promotion. This channel has allowed brands to build reputation and credibility with video content. 

• Twitter

This channel may not be used much to advertise a product or a service but has been effective in creating a company’s voice and persona.

• LinkedIn

A much more formal and reserved platform from other social media channels, LinkedIn has been connecting B2B and professionals all over the world. This could be beneficial in growing your network and your company’s connection.

• TikTok

One of the newest social media platforms that have been growing significantly. With over a billion downloads worldwide, a lot of marketers think it has a lot of potentials to promote your brand, product or services.

Ways social media can boost traffic on your website

• Know the best platform for your brand

A lot of people and business owners get too excited when starting a new business and tend to create accounts for all the social media platforms available. While this may be effective to some, more often, it simply doesn’t work. Take a step back and know your business’ objective on social media. It is also essential to know the purpose of each social media channel and check if it tailor fits your business’ needs. 

• Optimize your profile

As your website acts as your online brochure and one of the best tools for your online marketing, your social media channels act as your persona and your voice. It sets the first impression of your brand. Many customers may have heard or read about your brand on social media before making a leap to know you more on your website. 

Your social media profiles may act as your company’s foundation thus the need to make it strong. Streamline your profile by making sure that your site’s URL is visible. Use the right set of keywords and information. As the number of social media users has been growing steadily over the past few years, this will definitely give you a boost in your brand awareness as well as drive a good amount of traffic on your website.

• Place contents from your site

Your social media channels are a great tool to be able to share what is on your website. Share direct links from your website to your platforms but make sure your links are working and will not be spammy as this will leave a bad impression to your customers. As you establish your brand in social media, make sure that you incorporate content from your site. If done correctly and does not sound pushy, this will be the easiest way to drive traffic in your site.

• Work on your customer engagement

One of the greatest advancements social media has provided is the ability to interact with your audience in real-time. This is one of the most important and vital keys to building your brand on your social media platforms. Be attentive to comments and make sure to reply in any question or suggestion left by your visitors in your comment box. Check your inboxes regularly and answer in a prompt manner. Always direct them to your website for more information and use “call to action” words like visit now, check it out, read now or like and click the link. Be personal in your response as customers tend to shy away from robot-like answers. 

• Post interactive contents

One of your goals in having social media for your brand is to have people know more about you and have them talking about you. Just creating a profile and putting a link to your website is not enough. You should be engaging and interactive to help your brand be always on top of their minds. 

Some of the ways to do this are creating a contest, running surveys and polls, asking your audience for your direct opinions or throwing questions and trivia. As more people stay on your page and talk about you, your brand awareness increases and the potential for more people to visit your website also increases as well. 

• Get to know when your audience is active

Social media feeds move very fast and if you do not know when to post, your content will likely go unnoticed. The different social media platforms have seen an influx of users over the years and the number of posts is quite overwhelming. It has made it harder for brands to compete for brand awareness however knowing when your audience is active will help you to become more visible. Create your content plan based on these statistics to give you more chances of visibility and you can be certain that your post will reach your desired target market. 

• Be consistent

As simple as it may sound but consistency is a key to your brand’s awareness strategy. Being consistent builds your reputation and credibility and allows your brand to grow in customer engagement. Be consistent not only to your schedule of postings but also to your brand’s tone of voice and aesthetics. 

Depending on the brand, products, and services that you offer, find the right theme that you can follow. You can use this scheme in your copies and visuals which can give a greater impact to your audience. Streamline and dress up not your social media profiles but your website as well during special occasions like Christmas, New Year, Mother’s Day or Easter Sunday. Doing reinforces your brand that can translate to your website. 

• Use of teaser contents

Who can say no to special promo deals during special occasions? Basically no one. People always clamor for ways to save their money in any way. Creating teaser contents for promo deals especially during special occasions like Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day and promoting it by providing a link in your social media will definitely drive traffic to your website. Since basically no one can say no to discounts, coupons or even a token or freebie, your site’s visitor can be converted to sales which is your primary goal. 

• Collaboration with influencers

Considered as one of the most effective and powerful tools in building your brand nowadays, social media influencers have definitely deserved a spot on this list. However, as the consumers’ behavior continuously changes and trends in social media rapidly evolve, influencer marketing has seen some shift as well. More and more brands have now been willing to work with Nano-Influencers or the authentic ones as they call it as customers now seem to trust them more. Their followers are relatively small ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 which gives them an edge by building closer and stronger connections to their audience. 

Collaboration with influencers to market your brand, products or services is not only cost-effective but gives you greater visibility in different platforms. 

Final Thoughts

Social media marketing is a powerful tool and when used correctly to leverage your site’s visibility and awareness, it will yield the results that you want and need. You have to take note however that these strategies may not come in handy and may require tons of effort on your part. Results may not come in fast so you have to be patient and be persistent but once you have mastered these techniques and tactics, you will produce the numbers you are aiming for.  

So, to answer the question, can social media boost your website traffic? It definitely can but it is always up to you to make it work. 

AUTHOR BIO

John Ocampos is an Opera Singer by profession and a member of the Philippine Tenors. Ever since Digital Marketing has always been his forte. He is the Founder of SEO Guru and the Managing Director of Tech Hacker. John is also the Strategic SEO and Influencer Marketing Manager of Softvire Australia – the leading software eCommerce company in Australia and New Zealand.