Many of us have invested a lot of time and/or money to make sure we have a professional-looking website that represents both us and our business. But how much time and money do you invest in driving visitors to your website?
If you’re like most small business owners it’s not very much.
What if I told you there was an amazing resource that didn’t have to cost you ANY money that could increase the number of daily visitors to your site?
Social media networks!
Now I know what you’re thinking: “I’m a solopreneur and a one-man show. How can I find the time to post on social media daily??? And what’s the point anyway?”
Well would you believe that social media is now a major source for all referral traffic?
According to the 2017 report by Shareaholic, social media drove 25.6% of all referral traffic to websites in 2017.
Now, I will admit that organic reach is down on Facebook and there may be a point that you want to consider adding some advertising dollars to your Facebook strategy, but there ARE things you can do to start getting free traffic from social media today WITHOUT spending all of your time there. (I know you have other things to do besides sit on Facebook all day!)
Check out these 4 tips for using social media to drive traffic.
1. Post value-based content to Twitter to Drive Traffic
People go to Facebook for pictures of family and friends (and their pets), Instagram for beautiful, inspiring images, and Pinterest for ideas (on decorating, DIY projects, fashion, etc.). They go to Twitter for useful content.
Now the one thing you need to know about Twitter is that it moves FAST, which means you need to post frequently or your content will be gone and out of the newsfeed before most of your audience sees it. Try to post hourly during the hours your audience is online (or awake) with a combination of tips that are related to your business, blog posts, promotional posts and inspirational quotes.
2. Post fun, engaging content to Facebook to Drive Traffic
One mistake so many people make on Facebook is that they post nonstop promotional content. Or, even worse, they just auto-post their blog content and nothing else. Is this you?
Think about the types of content you like to see and engage with people on Facebook. Just like Twitter, try to mix up the types of content you post. Post memes and ecards that are related to your industry, show behind the scenes photos for your business (like if you’re working somewhere different for the day) and funny pictures that show your own sense of humor. And don’t forget to share your blog content!
3. Pin your content on Pinterest for Engagement
Unlike Twitter, where tweets disappear quickly, or Facebook, where they may stick around for a week if they’re getting a lot of shares, Pinterest could drive traffic to your site for YEARS. Make sure you have a board set up with your blog content and that you use keywords in the board title (and pin names) that Pinterest users would be searching for if they were looking for content like yours.
Remember, the great thing about Pinterest is that even if you aren’t very active there it can STILL drive traffic to your website. Pretty cool, huh?
4. Post your blog on LinkedIn to Drive Traffic
Just like Twitter, LinkedIn users often use the platform to find information in their niche. Repurpose your blog content by publishing your posts to LinkedIn. At the end of the blog post, add a call to action and direct readers back to your website where they can contact you.
Why post the entire blog to LinkedIn rather than just a link?
The content will sit on your LinkedIn page so when someone visits your profile they will see all this great content that will further demonstrate your expertise in your niche.
Don’t Get Overwhelmed
The problem so many small business owners face is social media overwhelm. Try to avoid this by repurposing content you create and posting it to multiple platforms in the appropriate sizes. And don’t take on too many social media platforms. It’s really easy to get excited about everything these platforms can do, but if you try to be everywhere you’ll just get burned out and quit. Try to stick to just one or two initially and if you have the extra time you can add other social media sites.
And if you need some inspiration to create blog posts that you can share on social media, check out this blog post: Five Ways to Write Great Blog Posts
Good luck! Let me know in the comments which platform(s) you plan to focus on to drive traffic to your website!
This was originally published November 12th, 2015.
Great advice especially about information overload
Sehulong,
Information overload happens to ALL of us!
one step at a time…
Thanks Christina!
I love your four proven tips, for consistently driving highly targeted traffic
to our sites via social media.
However, as much as it pains me to admit, I really have not taken advantage of
Pinterest, as nearly as much I could or should be doing!
So I definitely need to pick up the slack in that regard!
But other than that admission, I certainly agree the possibilities of social
media are just waiting to utilized!
Thanks for sharing your four proven tips!
Mark,
yes there is always something more to do!
Just go ahead and open an account, and little by little, you will
have a pinterest strategy.
🙂