We get asked this question all the time. In fact it is probably one of the most common marketing questions we get. It seems everyone wants to get involved with social media but they are not sure how it will help their website.
Social Media can be a great way to market your website. Some of the benefits of this type of marketing are:
-Extreme Exposure
-Branding
-Backlinks
-Increased Search Engine Rankings
-Offline Media Exposure
Websites that can bring the most exposure are “news aggregator” type of sites. Specific examples are Digg, Reddit & Mixx. In these communities users vote on content they like. If that specific content gets enough votes and comments it can go make it to the homepage of these websites, which will bring thousands of visitors.
Why are these visitors important? More than likely visitors from news aggregator websites will not convert into sales or leads. What happens is it brings your website in front of thousands of people. A Digg story that hits the homepage can bring anywhere from 5,000 to 60,000 visitors within 24 hours. A percentage of the people that see your story on Digg will write about it and often will link to it. This is the true value of getting your content in front of the thousands of readers.
You will gain more exposure by getting articles on other blogs and websites. From our experience a story that hits the front page of Digg can get anywhere from 50 to 2,000 external links and mentions on other websites.
Another popular way to get some exposure via social media are to participate on websites like Twitter and Facebook. Some companies do a great job reaching out to their customers or potential customers this way. If you haven’t read our article that provides some examples please take the time out to do it now.
One of the best ways to connect with people on social media websites is to just participate. Users flock to these social media websites for connections and information. Don’t make your business account one-sided. Some of the biggest most successful brands are dominating Twitter and Facebook by getting involved in the discussions.
