There are actually a massive number of social networking sites out there, though you only hear of the big two. However, before you start killing hours of time adding friends and sharing content, it is wise to take a step back and think about your purposes in SEO and in social networking. Most companies develop a list of goals and an agenda on why social networking matters, and what specifically each site can accomplish.
It serves no purpose to create an account on each site, besides building a few links and getting your name around. When it comes to actively promoting and interacting with your social network account, however, you should only use the sites that you plan to be active on and that can help you in your marketing outreach. For instance, consider these sites:
- Google Plus
- Google Places
- Yelp
- Yahoo Answers
- MySpace
- DeviantArt
- MeetUp
- Flickr
- Blogger
- StumbleUpon
- Del.icio.us
- Digg
All of these sites have their own committed fan base. Some users that hate Facebook might love Pinterest and vice versa, while others might prefer the business-minded approach of LinkedIn. So, there’s no use in signing up for all sites if you can’t manage them.
Remember the reason to use social networking lies in SEO purposes. (Not just wasting time like the rest of the world) You want to create profiles and share viral content, but you also want to direct attention towards the content you create on your company site and blog. Ideally you want to link all of your Internet pages together, creating one easy navigational system for new leads.
Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, you have to be careful of simply advertising your new content on your social media pages, since this will not really do much to excite your audience. You have to work your content into your social networking activity, so as to create a community of friends. For example, contests that involve visiting your website or indirectly mentioning your blog if a specific topic of conversation comes up and that your blog addresses. It’s not a big deal to run a solicitation on a social networking site once in a while…but if it’s all you ever do, your friends and acquaintances will eventually tune you out as a commercial, not a real social media presence.
In conclusion, try to determine in advance how social networking relates to your website and all of your SEO plans. Social networking does wonders for SEO and SERPs, but if you don’t know how to connect them altogether, and how to keep your online acquaintances reading your content, then it’s not worth the time investment.
An SEO company can help you with social media pages, and help you devise a plan that will lead to a boost in sales, more connections and more leads.
