Which Social Media Platforms Boost Web Traffic?
Why blog?
Whether you're building a brand or pursuing a love of writing. I'm guessing that you're writing with the intention of others reading your work.
Regardless of the context, content is always king in the world of the internet. If you don't believe me, think of a reputable brand and hop onto their website. I'll bet you anything that they have at least one social media account and a blog tab.
Content is king, but you still have to take the time to shout about it. Unless you're an SEO pro or Jeff Bezos, people won't know about what you're doing unless you take the time to promote it.
That's where my job starts to become a bit more important. Social Media is the perfect marketing tool whether you're looking to promote a start-up business or embark on your career as a blogger. But LinkedIn is nothing like Instagram and Twitter is nothing like Pinterest; each social media platform works entirely differently than the other and thus can provide you with different ways to promote yourself and grow your audience.
So which is the best? Well, that depends on what you want to achieve real, while I was freelancing, I spent a large chunk of my time trying to figure out exactly what my client wanted from their social media management. Whether it's web traffic, emails for a marketing list, sales or just likes and followers, each site can give you different things.
So if you're stuck with your social media and struggling to decide which set is the best use of your time. Stick around! I'm going to go through some of the top social media platforms and tell you precisely what their good/bad for as a marketer.
As a young Marketer in the industry, I struggle to see any personal value on Facebook. I have a page connected to this blog and occasionally will post on it, but ultimately I just don't think it's the best platform for me to use to promote my blogs.
Before I started my career in social media marketing, I thought that Facebook was dead on its feet. But I think our personal definitions of a 'good' social media platform have just evolved. We all still use Facebook regularly, for checking the news, wishing friends Happy Birthday or scolding your offensive relatives. The average social media user scrolls through enough of their Facebook newsfeed to scale Big Ben twice.
But from a brand point of view, you're not doing social media marketing right if you don't have a Facebook page set up. As one of the first 'big' social media platforms, Facebook has had the time to properly cultivate its advertising strategy. Their advertising systems are so specific and allow you to market yourself to the right people for minimal cost. You can build an audience of active buyers on Facebook with less than £100 a month.
Always get Twitter. Brand, blog or whatever, Twitter doesn't provide too many perks in the way of e-commerce or web traffic, but it's valuable in ensuring you have a voice within your community.
The most crucial part of building your online presence is making sure you add value and positive commentary in your area of expertise. Twitter enables you to do that and more.
I've never been a fan of Twitter advertising. It's overpriced and provides little to no value.
Basically, just get a Twitter account.
I love Instagram. I rarely use it in my personal time, but throughout lockdown, I've absolutely smashed my blog Instagram page. Before I returned to full-time life, I was growing by 100 followers weekly (not counting people who unfollowed the page).
I think it's a brilliant tool for networking, finding new people and building your brand up to new opportunities. If you're able to build up an engaging audience on Instagram, then it can be one of the best places to host collabs and shout about PR samples.
However, some marketers and influencers have become apprehensive of the platform since the like counter was removed. But I think people are starting to adjust and find new ways to show they're worth on the platform.
Although there is a social media platform for everyone, I do believe that only so much can be done to promote a company or brand on Instagram. Instagram is the internets photo album, it's home to positive communities and aesthetically pleasing images. Obtrusive logos and poor quality pictures have no place on the platform.
I only recently started using Pinterest properly this year. But since opening a business account for my blog in February and posting almost daily. I've noticed my web traffic absolutely rocket. I was encouraged to start an account by a fellow blogger and work colleague, and I honestly will be eternally grateful for the tip.
I've noticed that a lot of people get hyped on the number of impressions (which are easily visible on all business accounts). It's an excellent way to get an idea on how someone's stats are looking behind the scenes but probably provide as much value as looking at someone's follower count. Yeah, people are coming to the page but are they actually engaging? Are they repining or even visiting the website you're linking?
I personally think Pinterest is the best platform out there for blog traffic right now. But if you decide to start, you're own platform my advice is just to do you.
TikTok
TikTok is a new and scary thing in the marketing world right now. But that does not mean we shouldn't take it seriously.
If you've ever wished that we were back in 2009 so you could start a YouTube channel, then you really should look into starting a TikTok. Although it's currently entangled in a wave of political issues, this is quite possibly your last chance to become TikTok famous. Here are a few reasons why:
If you build an audience now, you can encourage them to move elsewhere should TikTok be banned in your country.
They've only just started letting businesses advertise on the platform.
The specifications to be sponsored by companies is really low right now.
Usage is still at an all-time high due to lockdown.
After being slightly obsessed with TikTok over the past few months, I've noticed its absolutely brilliant for E-Commerce. There's been a multitude of small businesses that have sold out because of their TikTok account. My favourite is Moki Studios which I think evolved from a little Etsy shop, and thousands of young people have decided to start their own businesses after watching the success of others on the platform.
(I'm going to get a bit nerdy here) But I also really respect the way their starting to run ads on the platform. Most social media ads are intentionally disruptive, so they can leave an impact on the user. But TikTok has encouraged all advertising businesses to 'Make TikToks, not ads', which to me shows they have a respect for the user experience as well as the advertiser experience.