How to Use Social Media to Drive Site Traffic

Last updated on September 15th, 2023 at 06:47 am

In digital marketing, social media is key to success. These platforms are where your target audience spends its leisure time. Users watch videos, scroll through photos, discover new products, and much more.
If you’re not taking advantage of social media to drive traffic to your website, you’re missing out.

In 2019, more than 90% of companies in the U.S. used social media as part of their marketing strategy. Facebook has long been a fan favorite, with a steady popularity rate since 2015. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, spiked in 2017. It remains a top advertising platform for businesses, including Twitter.

Do you want to drive traffic to your website? Then you must utilize social media. Luckily, it’s easy to craft an effective social strategy with the seven tips below.

Know Your Platforms – or You’ll Hear About It

Each social media platform has a method for success. Understand what users want before you publish your first post. Instagram, for example, is focused on photo posts. YouTube and Snapchat work primarily with videos. Do you want to target B2B brands? Then consider LinkedIn as a potential network.

Determine which platforms will give you the best access to your target audience. For example, older audiences like Facebook, while younger audiences prefer Snapchat and Instagram. You should also decide which platforms will help you best relay your product or service. If you own a beach cabana, you can’t go wrong with posting beachside photos on Instagram. Be prepared for feedback in the form of online taunting if you don’t use a social platform correctly.

Learn From Success – The Best Teacher Around

Developing an audience online, especially on social media, can be difficult. One unconventional strategy transforming marketing around the globe is growth hacking. The key is to look for a successful, already-established framework you aspire to grow to. Then, engage with its content. With growth hacking, you can attract potential customers to your social media pages and website.

What posts is the audience engaged with most? Try to mirror your content based on their success. Determine pain points – what problems your audience is having and how you can solve them. How can your product or service meet their needs? The idea of growth hacking is to learn as much as possible before establishing your own strategy.

Always Reassess – You Can Never Stop Growing

If you already have a social media strategy, now is the time to conduct an audit. Pinpoint what’s working and what’s not. You can also learn about opportunities for improvement, including how to increase social engagement and website traffic. Use a file or spreadsheet to track everything you learn during the process.

Start by looking up all your social media accounts and making sure they’re complete. Your profiles should be consistent with brand standards, including a profile photo, bio, and handle. Scroll through your posts and identify which worked best. Look for patterns to determine what your audience wants.

Authentic Communication – the Easy Way

Social influencers are taking over the digital landscape, especially on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. By 2020, the influencer marketing industry is expected to reach $15 billion, which is up to $8 billion from 2019. Influencers are a cost-effective way to reach your target audience in an authentic and accessible way.

The first step is to look for an influencer who creates interesting content. Quality content equals an engaged audience. You should also choose an influencer who naturally fits your brand. A protein shake company might pair up with a known health and fitness influencer. A health activist paired with a burger company, on the other hand, won’t come across as genuine – unless that burger is made with faux meat.

Situational Awareness – It’s Time to Learn It

People want to relax on social media. It’s a place to laugh, share interesting ideas and have fun. No one wants a salesperson virtually shouting across the room. When it comes to your social media strategy, if you want to build an audience and drive traffic to your website, you can’t sell. Instead, you need to lend an ear to listen. You should also offer valuable content that users actually want to read.

Avoid stuffing your posts with buzzwords like “free,” “limited-time” and “exclusive discount.” Today’s social audience is smart – they can smell a promotion from a mile away. Write how-to guides and informational posts that link back to your website. Share photos of new products and industry innovations without a direct sales pitch. Start a community where users can chat with your brand and among themselves to stay connected and up-to-date.

The Hashtag – Nothing to Fear

You’ve likely seen posts dotted with phrases like “#SpringFashion” or “#TuesdayThoughts.” The symbol breaks up the ordinary text and draws in the user’s eye. The accompanying word or phrase succinctly sums up the entire purpose of the post. Analytics revealed posts with hashtags received 75% more engagement than those without them.

There is no trick to discovering a viral hashtag – it’s a trial-and-error process. Pick words and phrases relevant to your content and niche. Monitor engagement analytics to determine which ones get the most clicks. On Facebook and Twitter, including one to two hashtags per post. On Instagram, however, you can stuff 10-plus hashtags into each.

Success – The True Mark of the Chosen

A solid social media strategy that redirects traffic to your website can’t be accomplished in spare moments throughout the day. It’s a project that needs a budget and dedicated manpower. You need to be active online each day – not just producing original content, but also responding to users and cultivating organic relationships.

Many people free up this time by allocating posts to guest blogs, which allow outside writers to share knowledge and gain exposure. Others take advantage of marketing automation software, which enables you to create hundreds of social media posts ahead of time. That means you don’t have to produce engaging content on the fly. If you put in the time and effort, the results will come.

Social media, if used correctly, is a great tool for driving traffic to your website. Discover how to target your audience through the right platform. Learn what users want by studying successful, established brands. Audit your current strategy, and pinpoint how you can improve. If you use social media effectively, you can develop a group of dedicated brand advocates who will visit your website again and again.