Connecting Social Engagement, SEO Optimization and Content Creation for Marketing Success

Dot-to-dots were great, weren’t they?

I used to spend hours with those books creating rather jagged-looking pictures as I shakily joined the dots together.

Marketing your business is a bit like doing a dot-to-dot.

Many companies produce content, some dabble in social media, a few play around with video marketing and one or two even throw in the occasional graphic for good measure.

All of these are great for your exposure, but the real magic happens when you use all of them.

Content marketing (using all types of content) is great, but combining this with social media will widen your reach.

Only by merging the power of great content, social engagement and search visibility will you flourish into an unstoppable force, pushing aside your competitors.

So what should you be doing and how do these three elements work together?

Start Blogging

When you think about content marketing, you instantly think about blogging. It’s a very popular method amongst businesses because blog posts are a great way to share your knowledge with the world and promote your business through your expertise.

But, because it’s so popular, it is also very competitive. That’s why it’s important to develop your own style so you can stand out from the crowd. It is very easy to emulate the styles of blogs you like, but what’s the point in that? Readers want to get to know the real you and they can only do that if you write from the heart. Yes, that sounds a bit sappy, but writing with personality will really help you attract readers.

Of course, simply writing and publishing will seriously limit your reach. That is why you must write your blogs with keywords in mind to help their SEO potential. Then, once published, promote them through your social media outlets to widen your audience.

Newsletters and Email Marketing

Building your own opt-in list is an effective way to increase engagement with your customers and to make sure your company’s name is always close to hand.

You can use your newsletters to give your customers useful information, tips and advice, as well as news about up and coming offers or new products or services.

You can also tie these in with your blog by adding a snippet from your latest post with a link to the main article on your website.

Making sure your social media links are visible will also give your customers the option to follow you on Twitter and Facebook, further increasing potential opportunities for engagement.

Make the Most of All the Media

You don’t have to confine your activities to your blog or website. Research and list all the industry websites, magazine and bloggers in your niche and ask if they will consider you as a guest blogger. It could help extend your reach even further.

Once your article is published, don’t forget to promote the link through your own blog and social media channels.

Social Networking and Social Media

I have already mentioned these quite a bit, so there are no prizes for guessing what you’re supposed to be doing with them!

They should be part of your everyday marketing activities. You customers will expect you to be active and respond on Twitter and Facebook, so don’t disappoint them.

Involve Video

It’s worth remembering that not everyone likes to read. Some prefer to get information in visual form, hence the importance of video marketing.

It is helpful for SEO and can draw loads of traffic your way if done well.

You don’t have to create long videos. In fact, it’s best if they’re only about 60 to 90 seconds in length. If you are recording a product demonstration, it will probably need to be longer, but for advice or tutorials, shorter is better.

To sum up, connecting content marketing, SEO and social media provides the best results.

About the Author

Sally Ormond is an independent copywriter and owner of Briar Copywriting Ltd. For tips on copywriting, marketing and social media, you can also read her words of wisdom on Briar Copywriting’s Blog.