When it comes to online marketing, you’re constantly pulled two ways – trying to appease the algorithms of Google Search and social media indexing with SEO and trying to provide engaging content for the users on these platforms. What if I told you that if done right, you can do both simultaneously with the large amounts of content search engines crave and the information (and catchy headlines) that get you clicks on social media? Today, we will talk about social media and blogs and how this combination can be your biggest tool in content marketing.

Blogs: Crafting the Perfect Marketing Content

While all content is good for marketing, blogs still hold the prime spot when it comes to SEO for websites. Blogs are not only a great source of relevant keywords for your business but can also be a powerful lead generator. You need to craft blogs that show your expertise, provide helpful information, and have a relevant call to action to get people to use your products and services. Doing this properly allows you not only to generate more search traffic but also retain the readership you get from social media.

Social Media: Getting Your Content Seen

If no one is reading your blog, you’ve got a problem. Search engines can only do so much, and they thrive when people start coming in from other sources, like social media referrals. Blogs work great on social media when you craft the right headlines and images. Make sure your meta titles and description are engaging and relevant. Depending on your industry, you might have better luck on different platforms:

• Facebook: While the largest audience, Facebook can falter on higher-grade professional services, especially B2B. Make sure to set up your business page
• LinkedIn: While you can share blogs via post, think about using their built-in article publisher to re-blog your content. This is especially useful in B2B services.
• Instagram: Graphic-heavy content means you’ll need to step up your graphic design. As a newer platform, take careful attention to track recent trends on Instagram.
• Twitter: A great platform for newsworthy or in-depth articles to show your expertise. Make sure your content is original, and you’re adding to any conversation.

Further Tips for Both Forms of Content Marketing

I could go on for hours about blogging and how it pairs with social media, but here are a few quick tips to keep in mind with content marketing.

• Backlinks are your friend. Creating links on social media platforms to your blog (and from your blog to other sources) enhances SEO and increases the reliability of what you say.
• Rework blogs as article pitches. When you write a blog that does well, think about pitching it as an article to a local or international agency. Here are some examples of our own work online.
• Engage on social media. Posting your blogs to social media isn’t enough. Engage online, including responding to comments and seeking out conversations to link back to your blog.

This might seem like a daunting task, especially if you’re unsure if your industry is a good fit for social media and blogs. You don’t have to go it alone. Vision Advertising provides expert marketing advice to businesses of all sizes, from figuring out the best marketing strategy for your needs to taking over marketing for you, including outsourcing blogs. If you’re interested in learning more, contact us today.