Category: Social Media

We must have been bitten by the video bug at Seek Marketing Partners because following on from last week’s post about our new Livestream, this week we’re going to turn our attention to the art of using YouTube for business, and advertising on YouTube. If you want to use video as a medium for business, then you need to be present on this platform. But what should you be doing to ensure your business YouTube channels get the most exposure possible? Read on, and the Seek Marketing Partners team will be happy to enlighten you!

Prepping your Business Youtube Channel:

YouTube Channel Creation

The beginnings of a successful business YouTube channel are created way before you upload (or even record) your first content. Appearance and imagery are VERY important when using YouTube for business. They put your business YouTube channel on brand, and leave people in no doubt that they are on your channel.

Creating Banner Images & Icon

So, step one is to make sure that all of YouTube’s default imagery is replaced with something bespoke to your business. At the very least you’ll need a banner image for your channel page and a channel icon.

Creating Video Trailer

If you want to take things to the next step, add a video trailer to your channel. A watermark for inclusion in your advertising on YouTube and the videos themselves could be a good idea too. Why? It would mark your YouTube business channel and its content out as something you have created.

Optimizing Your Channel

The graphical elements are just the beginning though. You should also optimize your channel’s text introduction to include keywords or phrases often seen in your video titles. In a way, this is very similar to traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Analytics Tools to Measure Ads Campaign

You should also link your YouTube account to your Google Analytics and Google Adwords accounts so that you can do three key things. One, use insights gleaned from your Google data to inform your initial YouTube business plan. Two, help target your YouTube ads. And three, have a way of recording how your YouTube advertising actually performs.

The Next Step – Define a YouTube Business Plan

You can do this before you even set up your YouTube business channel if you like. The key takeaway here is that when using YouTube for business, your YouTube business plan should be in place before your content is. Know what you want to accomplish with your online advertising, and how you will measure success.

Crucially, also know which of the many kinds of YouTube ads you want to employ, and develop a bidding strategy designed to get you the right amount of plays, at the right times and in the right places. And of course, your YouTube business plan should also establish what your budget and the maximum bid are going to be.

Defining Demographics – Identify an audience for your advertising on YouTube

The other part of a successful YouTube business plan – and something that will really help you get the most out of your YouTube advertising and using YouTube for business in general – is identifying the right target audience to get potential customers.

The great thing is that you can use your Google Analytics and Adwords data to figure out who those people are! Of course, metrics such as age group, location, gender can be used here as they would elsewhere. However, your YouTube business channel and the ads associated with it have a few more options due to the nature of the platform.

For instance, when using YouTube for business you can also target (or rule out) people who have an affinity with a certain topic, even people who watch a certain channel’s content.

One Last Thing – Pro Tips for Advertising on YouTube

Once you have all of these things set up, you’ll be starting your business YouTube channel and any online video advertising campaign you may run off on the right foot. However, there is more that you can do to increase your chances of success.

Firstly, don’t operate your YouTube business plan in isolation. Use the Google data available to you to inform your decisions when using YouTube for business, and vice versa. Cross-market between Google and YouTube. Don’t forget that you can have too much of a good thing though – and avoid your audience getting burnt out on your video ads and your business YouTube channel content by setting frequency caps. Finally, for today, avoid marketing to children logged in on their parents’ accounts. Kids don’t control the purse-strings in the family, so seeing your advertising on YouTube does you no good. How can you do this? By excluding the numerous child-focused channels on YouTube when defining your target audience.

This week Seek Marketing Partners take time out to pass along some insider knowledge to all you SME owners… And we’re talking the kind of thing that usually only other social media companies in the UK and worldwide would know about. So read on, as our team fill you in on some of the best tools out there for Instagram marketing. We’ll even start off this list with one that we use ourselves… A tool we think EVERYONE should be using to make their Instagram marketing experience easier – whether you’re a professional social media marketing agency or a business owner providing your own social media marketing services. Are you ready? Then let’s begin!

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is an intuitive, easy to use scheduling tool that will make planning your Instagram marketing content easy. As promised in the intro we use Hootsuite ourselves, as do a lot of other companies offering Social media marketing services. As a result we can vouch for its simple but effective, and easy to understand nature. For Seek Marketing Partners, Hootsuite is the first step on the road to Instagram marketing success!

Linktree

Firstly, we have covered Linktree in depth in a previous blog post… So be sure to check that post out too later on! In brief though, Linktree helps your chosen social media marketing agency add extra links to your Instagram bio. That lets you raise your Instagram marketing game five-fold compared to everyone who’s still getting by with the single link Instagram gives you by default.

Combin

Combin helps your Instagram Marketing effort by offering insights into your current audience. In short, it shows you how you (or the social media marketing agency providing your social media marketing services) can grow that audience organically. Know where your audience is located, what hashtags they use, and more… Then find like-minded people who haven’t connected with you yet. Get the same power social media companies in the UK and abroad have. All by installing Combin and linking it to your account!

Socialrank

Incite and be prepared for the growth that top quality social media marketing services can bring by using Socialrank. Feel like a professional social media marketing agency as you get insights into a variety of key data points and follower demographics. That’s just the kind of info we and other social media companies in the UK can see… And Socialrank also gives you the power to organise and filter your audience based on a number of metrics. The golden rule for anyone providing social media marketing services is to ‘give the people what they want’. Well, Socialrank is a very effective tool for doing just that!

Socialinsider

Socialinsider is your agent in the competition’s ranks when it comes to Instagram marketing. This tool lets you see what your competition is doing with their own Instagram Marketing, what’s working for them, what isn’t and so on. The ability to look at historical data is really useful too. Using it, you can see what today’s Instagram marketing giants were doing back when they were your size, and have your social media marketing agency (or yourself, if you’re providing your own social media marketing services) adopt a similar approach. With Socialinsider, there’s no more need for guesswork!

Squarelovin

Squarelovin is in our opinion the best tool out there for making use of user-generated content. Collate that great content, share it, and use it in your own Instagram marketing to show your fans some love! Squarelovin will help you find awesome content and forward it on easily… and you’ll also receive crucial analytics data that a social media marketing agency, or anyone providing social media marketing services should be aware of…

Iconosquare

However, if you don’t want to be dealing with all of these Instagram Marketing tools individually, you’ll want to consider the last tool on our list. Icoosquare combines the scheduling capabilities of Hootsuite with the analytics of Socialrank and Combin. So, if you’re not signed up with a social media marketing agency and you’re providing your own social media marketing services, Iconosquare could offer you the most bang for your Instagram marketing buck!

These are some of the tools that boost productivity and ease your Instagram content creation process. Moreover, these tools help you to schedule your post. But you need an analytical tool to read your audience and their demographics—Instagram Insights is the right analytical tool built by Instagram itself.

In today’s online world, your website is just one part of your internet presence. Social media marketing is now really important for any good online plan. But why do social media links matter so much for your website? Let’s look at how connecting social media to your website can help make your business more visible online, get more people interested, and be more successful overall.

Key Points: Social Media Links on Websites

• Social media links boost website visibility and traffic
• They help build trust and credibility with visitors
• Links encourage sharing and expand your online reach
• They provide additional channels for customer engagement
• Social proof from active profiles can increase conversions

The Power of Social Media Integration

Social media links on your website are like bridges between your different online spaces. They make it easy for people to find all your online profiles. By adding these links, you’re helping more people discover your brand and interact with it in different ways. These connections can really boost how many people see and engage with your brand online.

Boosting Brand Visibility and Recognition

When you add social media links to your website, you’re giving visitors more ways to connect with your brand. This can lead to:

• More people knowing about your brand: Easy access to your social profiles helps more people find and engage with your content.
• More interaction: Social media links encourage visitors to interact with your brand on platforms they like, building a sense of community.
• Better customer loyalty: Multiple ways to connect create more chances for customers to build a relationship with your brand.
• Stronger online presence: A well-connected social media strategy helps create a consistent brand image across all your online spaces.

Studies show that 71% of people are more likely to buy things based on social media recommendations. By making it easy for visitors to find and follow your social profiles, you’re tapping into this powerful way of marketing and increasing the chances of making sales.

Driving Traffic and Improving SEO

Social media links don’t just send visitors to your social profiles – they can also bring people back to your website. When users share your content on their social networks, it creates valuable links back to your site and helps more people find you through search engines. This two-way flow of visitors can really boost your overall online presence and help you reach more people.

While social media activity doesn’t directly affect your search engine rankings, it can indirectly help your SEO performance. Here’s how:

Social Media Platform Usage in the UK (2024)

More people talking about your brand online, more visitors to your website, better ways to share your content, and improved local search rankings are all benefits of good social media integration.

Building Trust and Credibility

People want to know brands are real and trustworthy. Social media links on your website help build that trust. They show real interactions with your brand and invite visitors to connect with you in a more personal way.

For example, in a recent social media case study, we helped a client sell more through Facebook and Instagram ads. This shows how connecting your website with social media can lead to real business results.

Best Ways to Add Social Media Links

To make the most of your social media links, try these tips:

1. Put social media icons where people can easily see them on your website, like at the top, bottom, or side of the page.
2. Use clear, good-quality icons that match your website’s look.
3. Make sure your social media accounts are active and updated regularly.
4. Add buttons to share your blog posts and product pages on social media.
5. Consider showing live social media feeds on your website to keep it fresh and interesting.

The goal is to make it easy for people to move between your website and social media profiles. This can lead to more engagement and a stronger online presence.

Measuring How Well Social Media Links Work

To understand if your social media links are helping, it’s important to track some key numbers. Web design that includes social media well can lead to big improvements in these areas:

Increased Visibility

Social links help people find your brand across different platforms

Grow Your Audience

Easily connect website visitors to your social profiles

Boost Engagement

Encourage visitors to interact with your brand on social platforms

Improve SEO

Social signals can positively impact your search engine rankings

By checking these numbers regularly, you can improve your strategy and get the most out of your social media links. Use tools like Google Analytics and social media insights to gather this information and make smart decisions about how to connect your website and social media.

The Future of Social Media and Websites

As social media keeps changing, the way it works with websites is getting more advanced. Here are some trends to watch:

• Social shopping: Buying things directly through social media apps without leaving them.
• AI chatbots: Connecting social messaging with website customer service for quick, personal responses.
• User-generated content: Showing social media posts on websites to prove your brand is real and liked.
• Social login options: Making it easier for people to sign up or log in using their social media accounts.

Keeping up with these trends can help your business stay ahead online. As social media platforms add new features, be ready to change how you connect them to your website.

Conclusion: Making the Most of Social Media Links

In the end, social media links are really important for your website. They’re not just nice to have – they’re necessary for a good online strategy. By connecting your social media with your website well, you can get more people to see your brand, bring more visitors to your site, build trust, and grow your business. The way your website and social media work together can really boost all your online marketing efforts.

Remember, the online world is always changing, so your strategy should change too. Keep checking and updating how you connect social media to your website to make sure you’re getting the most out of these powerful tools. Stay informed about new social media features and trends, and be willing to try different ways of connecting them to find what works best for your brand and audience.Ready to make your social media strategy even better? Contact Seek Marketing Partners today for expert help on making the most of your website’s social media links and improving your online presence. Our team of digital marketing experts can help you create a plan that uses social media connections effectively, bringing real results for your business.