Put Social Media to Work for Your Site

Original Article from IntelliSites, the smart choice for Albany Web Design (and Albany SEO)



Social media is an increasingly popular function on websites, but your social media sites and your website are not the same thing. And you shouldn’t confuse the two. Each has separate goals and purposes, and it’s important to have a separate plan of action for each. Here are three differentiators to help you navigate the separation.

Linking to other websites. Once you get people to your website, don’t let them get away. Keep them for as long as possible through a series of calls to actions and conversion points. But on your social media sites, you certainly want to drive people away from your page and to your website. Your website is the hub of your social media activity, while your social media pages are marketing efforts to get traffic to your site.

Updating content. Undoubtedly, you’ve spent considerable time creating sharp content for your website. You probably don’t spend as much time analyzing the content on your Facebook posts and Tweets. The tone of your social media entries should reflect that of your website, and should be updated frequently with relevant information. Your website should remain relatively static in its content, and be a solid foundation to people to learn about your company. Keep your website consistent and provide timely updates via social media.

Creating strategy. Divide your online strategy into two sections: Your website and your social media efforts. The strategy for your website should be consistent across all pages. The strategy for your social media should be custom-tailored for each platform, but be unified in the fact that all platforms should drive people to your website. Facebook, Twitter, forums and blogs all have separate purpose, so devise a strategy that works for each. Efforts for your website and your social media pages should have the ultimate goal of increasing sales and producing measurable results.

Your online presence is important, and it’s key to create a unified identity in all online efforts. But don’t mix the purposes of your website and your social media pages. While they go hand-in-hand for successful online engagement, each has a distinct task, so plan your involvement accordingly.