Difference between revisions of "Social Sharing"

Revision as of 12:40, 4 February 2019

Introduction

Social media marketing is an issue that poses great challenges for companies but is almost inevitable nowadays. High-quality content on social media that motivates users to share it not only has positive effects on companies but can also positively impact search engine optimization (SEO) of the company website. So-called "social sharing", i.e. the sharing of company content on social media, can have a positive influence on the ranking of a website on Google. However, in order to achieve such effects, you have to choose suitable social media platforms and handle them correctly.

In the following sections, we will explain which positive effects social sharing can have and how you can make the best out of these SEO potentials.

Positive effects and dangers of social sharing

Better ranking on Google through social sharing

Although Google repeatedly claims that so-called "social signals" such as likes, shares, etc. have little effect on the ranking of a website, high-quality social media marketing shows the opposite. Social media function as a worldwide recommendation system. Users like, share and comment content that appeals to them. The more positive the social signals of a post, the greater the chance that it users will share it within and outside of social media. This can generate valuable backlinks, which in turn have a direct impact on the ranking of your website on Google. A decisive advantage of social media is that this can happen within hours within such networks (depending on the number of followers ). However, this requires a thoughtful social media strategy as planned posts and actions on social networks can build a fanbase that is happy to share the content of a company.

Higher sales and increased trust through social sharing

Users only like or share a page on Facebook if its content is interesting or appealing to them. Each like (or share) is, therefore, a potential customer, which is why popular content on social media can also lead to higher sales. If users share a specific post a lot (which has a similar effect to a personal recommendation) confidence in the company's content also increases.

Extended reach of new content through social sharing

Especially for websites that dynamically generate content (such as blogs), being active on social media has become indispensable. Only in this way readers can be informed immediately about new content. Other sites can then more quickly take up this content. In the best case, this generates new backlinks. Thus, social media can help you to quickly achieve a high ranking on Google for newly published content.

Danger of shitstorms

Despite the advantages mentioned above, social media also pose risks for companies, and shitstorms are certainly one of the biggest risks of Facebook and other social networks. As positive reactions in social media don't take long, negative comments quickly hail when users don't like something. Companies that don't react appropriately will soon be confronted with a shitstorm and tons of negative comments. It is, therefore, the best option to respond to the negative criticism and try to resolve the points of critique. This is much more positively received by users than to hush errors. In addition, a well planned social media strategy is necessary in order to provide users with content that is relevant and interesting to them and thus reduces the risk of shitstorms.

How to use the SEO potentials of social sharing as best as possible

Customize and plan content

An important factor in search engine optimization (SEO) of a website is to provide high-quality content to users. This also applies to social networks. Content on Facebook and Twitter is especially successful if it motivates users to like or share it. Companies should therefore always ask themselves whether a post encourages users to share it and is, therefore, suitable for social networks. For traditional industries such as insurance companies or banks, this is much more difficult as they can only seldom report on new products. But such companies have also found ways to use social media, for example by passing on tips on various topics to their followers. For example, insurance companies provide information on burglary prevention, while banks provide tips on how to handle money. Social media marketing, therefore, requires thinking outside the conventional norms of marketing, which, however, is appreciated by users, as they receive more differentiated information via social media than on the website of a company.

Find the best platforms

In order to be able to use social media effectively for a holistic search engine optimization (SEO) for Google, it is essential to find suitable platforms in Web 2.0. These should fit the company and its products as well as be used by the target group. For example, if a company wants to reach a young audience through visual posts, Instagram can be the right medium. If, on the other hand, you want to send messages to your users frequently or even several times a day, you are better off with Twitter. You should also give visitors of your website the opportunity to link or share your page or individual posts. For this purpose, you can integrate suitable like or share buttons on your website.

Regular maintenance and strategic planning of content

Success on social media, as with many other online measures, is not immediate. You have to maintain profiles and content on Facebook or other social networks regularly and on a long-term basis in order to achieve the best possible success in the context of search engine optimization (SEO). Similar to blogs, you have to constantly publish high-quality content that encourages sharing and thus generates important backlinks. The strategic planning of content is also important because not every type of content increases traffic on your site. Here it can be helpful to analyze the success of previous campaigns and to search for reasons for success or failure in order to better align future content with the needs of your target group.