SEO TIPS: Social Isn’t Just for Mommy Bloggers

What are you doing to bring in traffic to your site? Are you going the PPC route? Are you crossing your fingers and hoping that your site will be found based on nothing more than how awesome you are sure it is?  Are you sitting around relying on SEO alone to deliver you traffic? PPC and SEO certainly do help – but thinking happy thoughts is not the key to making it.

Maybe you’ve added a blog to help draw some more traffic and provide some strong backlinks. That is certainly going to be helpful, but is that enough? Are you satisfied with the routine tactics alone to deliver you everything you need to reach your maximum potential in the SERPs and build up more conversions? The odds are that you’re willing to do whatever is needed to get ahead, aside from black hat tactics, and to that end there is a way to take things to the next level.

The main reason we suggest social media is that it holds a huge advantage over mass marketing or even television or Google AdWords ads because people TELL you upfront what they are interested in and you can quickly target and build a following of people directly interested in your niche! There is very little guesswork in operating this way. It isn’t a blind email blast or some form of ad that is going to make you look spammy – it is giving people what they ask for. That is how you build a solid presence and reputation online.

Getting social share, bookmarking and a number of factors come into play once you start getting the word out there. They all have a particular value. What they all share is that it is people who liked your content interacting with it and sharing it with their friends who may also want to interact with it. Think of it like a grassroots movement. A good piece of content, like an idea, being spread from one person to the next. The better it is, the more it is spread. This is why social media is so powerful – it potentially harnesses millions to spread the word – just as happened with PSY and his Gangam Dance video with over 1.2 billion, yes billion with a B, views to date.

Also, don’t overlook asking friends for help. Even if you don’t blog or socialize online, but have a friend who texts tweets from her Blackberry, ask for a little social media love. Don’t be too timid to reach out – they will likely be more than happen to give you hand. Let an enthusiast help you out. If needed, hire a professional SEO /SEM firm – most of the best ones now offer social media as part of their marketing approach as well as for SEO. If you have a viable product to offer, this is a good route to take. Let them help build your network and run the show. Social media is not an option, don’t treat it like one. Your competition takes it seriously and leverages it so you should as well.