Harness social media data to enhance marketing campaigns

It’s already been established that social media is just one cog in the giant machine of your marketing efforts. However, sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest are good for more than simply making connections with others in your industry – they are also a great way to test the boundaries of your marketing campaigns and enhance all efforts. Because you are likely operating on a budget and with limited resources, consider using social media to find ways to enhance more traditional search engine marketing efforts.

Share and test creative content

This is a no-brainer: Social media can be one of the most effective ways to spreading your content marketing efforts across the Internet. But there are other ways to capitalize on these tools. Want to try something new, but aren’t totally sure how it will play out? Test the concept on social media before posting it on your company website. For example, you can reach out to followers to ask their opinion on certain tools you may be considering developing. Search Engine Watch also suggested sharing singular bits of creative that could be spawned into full-scale marketing campaigns, just to see what performs well in the space before investing heavily in it.

Research keywords

There are plenty of calculators and independent keyword trackers that can help you narrow down a list of terms to target. Search Engine Watch recommended supplementing these tools with social media-based research. Practical E-commerce agreed, noting that keyword data can from social media sites can be used to influence traditional marketing, and vice versa. Check to see what words or phrases frequently trend in your space, as well as what peers and competitors are talking about. You should also use current events and timely discussions to interact with others and add your opinions. This can be a good way to increase company exposure in a natural manner.

Monitor performance data

All of your social media efforts may be for naught if you’re not tracking performance metrics. Facebook shares and Twitter interactions are just the tip of the iceberg in this regard – in addition to these basic analytics, you should be monitoring all traffic directed to your site from these media. All it takes is a small section of code to keep track of referrals, ROI and other key stats, and the knowledge gleaned from these bits of information can go a long way toward fleshing out search engine marketing campaigns.