It seems like everywhere you look on the Internet, people are touting the massive return on investment (ROI) generated by a strong standing on Facebook, Twitter, and all of the other major platforms. While this digital conversation is definitely loud, is investing in your social presence really all it’s cracked up to be?
The answer to this question is an overwhelming, “Yes!” However, instead of simply telling you how important social media is to your business’ current and future position in the digital marketplace, let’s take a few minutes to go beyond this basic concept and cover exactly why this digital outreach tactic matters so much, as well as what your brand can expect in terms of ROI if it enacts a winning social strategy.
Raw Increases in Conversion Opportunities
If you’re like most business managers, chances are you want to cut straight to the chase and see exactly what social media means for your bottom line. The best way to go about this process, according to Forbes magazine’s Jayson DeMers, is by taking note of the stark increase in conversions that occur via social platforms.
“…Studies have shown that social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing, and a higher number of social media followers tends to improve trust and credibility in your brand, representing social proof.” – Jayson DeMers, Forbes Magazine
Essentially, social media doesn’t just help brands like your own develop and close leads, it also spurs your following to spread the good word and help bring in new business opportunities via organic growth and enhanced brand recognition. Regardless of which industry your organization calls home, it doesn’t take much to see how beneficial these gains can be for your organization’s bottom line.
Going Beyond Short Term Benefits
However, there’s so much more to the social media ROI equation than just raw conversion numbers. Specifically, the team of digital marketing experts over at the Moz blog point out that giving your social presence its due offers a major boost to search engine optimization (SEO) and results page ranking potential.
The big key here is that the biggest player in the search engine world – Google – continues to place an emphasis on social media in relation to its page ranking algorithm. At its core, social signals account for five percent of the overall ranking factors utilized by Google.
While this might not seem like much initially, digging a little deeper uncovers the true nature of social media’s grasp on SEO. Most notably, adding in the realization that your brand’s social accounts directly influence the signals generated by consumer reviews (8.4 percent), general domain authority via embedded social content (20.3 percent), and inbound anchor text and other link signals that tether back to your profiles (20 percent) helps provide a better understanding of exactly how important social media is in the modern SEO landscape.
“With the help of Twitter, content that has generated a lot of traction on Twitter can cut the time it takes Google to find your content.” – Kristina Cisnero, Hootsuite Blog
Outside of the notion that social content (and the organic growth provided by an engaged following) can bolster your domain and page rankings with Google, Kristina Cisnero of the Hootsuite blog also explains that simply being active yourself is a great way to get ranked. Relevant Twitter, Facebook, and especially Google+ posts all rank well with Google, so regularly sharing content – both from a branded perspective and via curated offerings – provides your organization with yet another avenue for potential growth and digital presence development.
Putting It All Together
By now, the message here should be fairly clear and straightforward: Enacting a winning take on social media isn’t just a good idea, it’s one of the best strategies your brand can adopt in today’s digital world. From boosting conversion rates and building lasting social connections with the people that matter most, to tapping into the SEO benefits of these platforms, the social world is ripe with opportunities that advance your standing in the online marketplace. The only question left to answer now is whether your brand is ready or not to take advantage of this potential and start winning on social media today.
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