Social Media - Search Marketing Group®

How to get 5-star reviews for your business

July 5, 2022

We all want to be recognized for our hard work. For businesses, that recognition comes in the form of the coveted 5-star rating.

Everyone wants five stars to call themselves a 5-star business. Who wouldn’t? But unfortunately, it takes more than being good at what you do to get there.

If you’re wondering why you haven’t got more reviews or how to get 5-star reviews for your business, look no further. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to get 5-star ratings on Google, Facebook, and any other review platform.

Let’s get started!

The power of 5-star reviews

You know that five stars are good and 1 star-reviews are bad. And while it’s easy to take it personally as a comment on the quality of your business, reviews have far more power than we often realize.

It all boils down to this:

Humans are inherently social creatures. Therefore, we care A LOT about what other people think.

This is so ingrained in our psyches that 48% of people won’t even look at a business with less than 4 stars.

Of course, there is a delicate balance. Having all 5 stars can look too perfect, meaning businesses want to aim for a 4.7 or 4.9 average. It also means that the odd one or 3-star review won’t kill your business, so you can take a breath if you’ve been worried about that negative commenter who seems to have it out for you.

But at the end of the day, the more 5-star ratings, the better. So we’ll show you how to start bringing those reviews in droves.

How to get 5-star Google reviews

Not only do reviews account for 15% of your local SEO ranking, but they are also apparent.

As you can see below, our Google rating appears under our business when a potential customer searches for the ‘Search Marketing Group®.

Thankfully, we’ve brought in quite a few stars with our commitment to service. But if your customers are a little less happy…

…Well, it’s safe to say that your future customers will know about it.

So how can you make sure you get positive ratings? Here’s how you can get more 5-star Google reviews.

Keep doing what you’re doing – excellent work!

A quick note: before you can get a 5-star review, you need to give the customer something worth reviewing. You’re already delivering amazing products/services and customer service, so you should be covered.

But just in case, do a quick assessment of your business. Are there any areas where you could improve to generate more positive feedback? Have you received negative feedback on certain aspects of your business that you could take into consideration?

Of course, you’ll want to be careful with this. Many bad reviews out there tend to be fake, but it’s always worth considering the opinion of someone expressing genuine concern or letdown.

Ask every customer for a review.

What is the most reliable way to get 5-star reviews? Just ask.

Well, you can only ask for A review. But chances are you have a lot of satisfied customers who just aren’t taking the time to leave a review after their experience.

In fact, 70% of customers will be thrilled to leave a review for a business when asked.

So how do you go about it?

If you sell online or collect emails, simply send a follow-up email. Depending on the type of business you are in, you may want to send one immediately, or you may want to give people time to try and love your offering first. The choice is yours.

You can also put the call out on your social media accounts and display your request in-store.

Make it easy for customers to give you reviews.

Sure, most customers are happy to give you reviews. But they won’t jump through hoops to do it, so you want to make the process as easy as possible.

You can do this in several ways, including creating a custom link that sends customers straight to your reviews. Here’s how to create a custom Google review link.

You may also want to create a custom QR code for people on mobile devices and display these in your store, marketing material, and packaging.

Respond to reviews – even the negative ones.

Responding to reviews allows you to show appreciation for those who have left reviews and encourage others to follow suit.

And who knows? You might transform that 2-star rating into a 4 or 5-star with excellent customer service!

Apart from getting you more 5-star reviews, responding to reviews also helps boost your SEO, so this is a must.

Provide incentives

Some customers may love sharing their opinions or want to show their support, but others may need more prompting. There is a range of incentives that have been proven to work on customers, including:

Receiving a product free of charge. While this may not be ideal for small businesses, perhaps you have a small item in stock that you could use or a service you could add on top for a customer.
Receiving a product before everyone else. Those willing to give reviews are often your biggest supporters. Tempt them with a new item in stock that hasn’t been sold to your general public yet, and they’ll feel unique and valued.
Discounts with your store or brand. Everyone loves getting a deal. This is one of the most typical incentives businesses use – for good reason. You get a review and another purchase, with hopefully more to come. Consider offering a 5-10% voucher for anyone who gives you a review or something like free shipping.
Loyalty points with your store or brand. This may be the most doable for small businesses, as it doesn’t require you to give away stock or price things lower. And it is quite adequate, with 59% of consumers saying they’d be happy to leave a review in exchange for loyalty points. Not to mention that a good loyalty program is a great way to keep customers longer!

How to get 5-star Facebook reviews

As with Google reviews, Facebook reviews are essential to the buyer’s journey. Not only will they be seen by people looking up your business on Facebook, but Facebook pages also often rank on the results page whenever anyone searches for your business.

We can see below that our Facebook page is the second result when searching for Search Marketing Group® our Facebook page is the second result.

And under that result? Our 4.6-star rating.

Now, it is possible to disable ratings for your Facebook. However, this is an excellent opportunity to build trust with your customers and show them that others have received value from your business.

Provided that you can get those 5-star reviews, of course.

Most of the tactics we explored with Google reviews also apply to getting 5-star Facebook reviews. However, some other ways you can get reviews that are more specific to Facebook are explored below.

Make sure your reviews are set up.

Turned your reviews off at some point? Here’s Meta’s guide to turning on Facebook page reviews and ratings.

Ask customers to check in.

Facebook prompts people who have checked into a place to leave a review. So if you have a brick-and-mortar store, encourage your customers to check in while visiting – either verbally through your employees or with a reminder in-store.

This lets Facebook do the heavy lifting for you and means you can get reviews without asking!

Create a Facebook post asking your customers to leave reviews

As we explored above, many people just need to be asked in order to leave a review. Create a Facebook post asking for reviews and a link to your reviews – chances are, your followers will be happy to comply.

Keep your Facebook updated.

People will be far more likely to engage with you on Facebook – including leaving you reviews – if you’re active. Make sure you’re posting on a regular basis and give your customers fresh, exciting content that augments their experience with you in the real world.

Don’t have time to keep up with your socials? Our social media marketers can take care of everything for you. Book a free consultation today.

Wrapping up

We’ve shown you how you can get 5-star reviews for your business and boost your online reputation. While we only focused on Google and Facebook, the same principles apply to TripAdvisor, Yelp, Trust Pilot, and any other review site.

So go forth and get those stars!

For more digital marketing advice, check out our Blog . You can also reach out to our team of digital marketing strategists – we’ll be happy to chat about how you can improve your online reputation.

Our SEO Agency Ballarat, SEO Agency Bendigo, SEO Agency Adelaide, SEO Agency Sydney, and SEO Agency Brisbane services are planned and executed with the highest level of precision and thoughtfulness, leading to excellent results and satisfaction for the clients.

The Beginner’s Guide To Instagram Reels

May 1, 2022

Little Known Facts About Infusing Social Media with SEO

January 20, 2020

And how it can propel your business.

The first matter to understand is today, social media is as essential as your website, and in many cases, much more.

If someone hears about a service, product, or person and wants to know more, people generally now turn first to social media sites. This search is crucial to building trust and likeability in today’s competitive industries, which means what’s on your social media sites matters.

When talking about SEO, or search engine optimization, you’re trying to rank as highly as possible in search engines. And within social media websites, you have another need to maximize your rankings. Each social media platform has its search, and you want to ensure any pages that promote your business and link to your main website will appear high in the search results so people find you instantly.

If you’re running a chain of restaurants in Melbourne, for example, and you have an optimized website, which means you’re ranking highly in the main search engines, then you have a good chance of growing your customer base.

However, if you’re ALSO promoting through social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, restaurant-specific websites, and apps, you’re taking advantage of far more opportunities.

People search through social media platforms and share their experiences with family, friends, and other visitors. These platforms quickly build trust and powerfully spread the word about your business.

With your Melbourne restaurants, still, as an example, people will come to know your brand as a household name through merely using the same apps and websites they usually use. Then perhaps they’ll go and look at your website too.

It’s an essential part of marketing in today’s world, as people now take it for granted that they should be able to find a business on their favorite social media platform quickly.

The better your SEO is integrated into social platforms, the more effectively you take advantage of its power.

How SEO Works Together With Instagram

SEO is a major driving force for businesses to reach their audience and establish themselves as a market leader. It is a valuable tool, and when mixed alongside a social networking giant, the potential can be limitless. And currently, there is no more enormous networking giant than Instagram.

The photo-sharing app is a dominant force, and failing to maximize your SEO Melbourne techniques is a missed opportunity. Here we break down for you how search engine marketing optimization and Instagram can work together.

Hashtags Will Define Your Brand And Bring In Your Audience

One of the critical factors when it comes to managing your Instagram account is hashtags. They’re the definitive representation of the social media giant, and they get used by everyone.

It’s unwise to throw in any hashtag on your post without thorough research on its effectiveness for your business. You’ll end up wasting the potential to reach a greater audience. Take the time to research hashtags and keywords related to your industry and your business. From there, you’ll be able to maximize your reach to your wanted audience. This hashtag and keyword research is vital to connecting the right keywords to attract your desired audience.

“Keyword” Hashtags Are Powerful And Can Dominate Your Niche

This aspect of Instagram is tricky, as specific hashtags drive more interest than others. So you’ll have to compare and contrast the keywords you want to showcase to the hashtags trending on the social platform.

Another method is to throw in researched keywords within the descriptions of your posts. This strategy will help with Google indexing you and bring in the people you want from your chosen demographic.

Don’t Forget The Immense Potential Of Using SEO For Your Instagram Advertising

Like Facebook and other social media networks, you can SEO your advertising campaign to bring out the best for your business. Focus on keywords and the key demographics you want to reach. More so, you can maximize the reach of individual posts. The added benefit of this approach is you can read the metrics of your campaign to see what’s working and what isn’t.

Building Links Can Hurt Your Instagram Campaign More Than You Know

Unlike Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, links to your website don’t work on Instagram. The social platform implemented this to avoid hardcore spamming on the network. This means, you’ll have to work on other ways to bring people to your website, as links won’t work. It also provides you with a creative platform to reach out to your audience.

So please don’t waste time trying to direct your Instagram followers to your website as you can’t hyperlink them through to it.

By following these tips, you’ll be able to establish your brand as an authority on Instagram.

This social network platform has the potential to make a difference in your SEO campaign in the long term.

So when focusing on this social media giant, take your time and focus on the right plan. Before you know it, you’ll be a powerful and well-recognized online brand – and mastering the likes of Instagram can be a massive part of your overall online presence.

Maximizing Your Twitter With SEO

Ignoring SEO on your Twitter account is merely inviting trouble for your business.

SEO is so vital in establishing your business online, reaching your audience, and driving up your authority with Google, thus, to ignore it will be damaging in the long run.

You might be thinking, how can I use SEO for Twitter since it’s predominantly for websites?

Here are some vital and straightforward techniques to show you how you can mix SEO with your Twitter

Keywording your Twitter handle is as powerful as your website address.

Your Twitter name is as powerful as your website address. So when it comes to labeling your handle, use a keyword if possible. You only have a maximum of 15 characters, so be wise when it comes to naming yourself.

Create your bio filled with SEO to establish your name.

As with implementing your Facebook page with vital keywords, the same applies to your Twitter bio. Focus on getting the balance right when it comes to speaking about your brand and the right keywords. Much of Twitter is character-limited, so you have to focus on getting the balance right.

Tweets that get loaded with SEO will make a difference for your business.

The crucial crux of your Twitter SEO campaign is to include vital keywords in the tweets you post. Whether they come in the form of hashtags or just within the content itself, it’s a fantastic way of continually reaching out to your audience and being visible with your keywords regularly.

How a Twitter list can bring in a larger audience

When you make a list on Twitter, you bring in the opportunity not only to expand your network to other SEO parties (both businesses and potential clients), but you also to establish a robust search engine location. People can join your list, and before you know it, you have new followers and a stronger brand.

With these four sharp and simple SEO techniques, you’ll be able to maximize your online potential on Twitter.

Don’t discount the potential behind this approach, as you can
establish yourself as a leader in your industry on social media.

And lastly.

Let us know what you think. Were these tips helpful? Do you implement SEO strategies into your social media platforms?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.

Audience Segmentation: The What, Why and How

May 7, 2018

When you are developing your digital marketing strategy you will come across plenty of complex activities that play a crucial role in developing an effective marketing campaign. Audience segmentation is one of these activities that are incredibly important for developing a successful online marketing strategy. If you are not sure what audience segmentation is, then you can read on because we are going to reveal the what, why and how of audience segmentation right now.

What is Audience Segmentation?

Audience segmentation is a key part of your audience analysis. When you are identifying your target audience you also divide the audience into smaller groups or you segment your audience. Businesses divide their audiences or customers based on their needs, preferences, values, age, gender, race, characteristics and more. When you segment your audience correctly you will quickly note that different segments will react differently to your marketing content. This is because these categories or segments share the same basic compassion and interest with regard to certain products or services.

Why is Audience Segmentation Important for Your Business and Marketing Strategies?

Digital marketing isn’t cheap anymore. Every social media platform, every website, and every blog you use will charge a certain amount for hosting and boosting your advertisements, posts, and blogs. With expensive digital marketing fees, you must ensure that every position you choose to boost and every blog article you decide to promote appeals as much to a specific audience segment as possible. For example, a shampoo for color-treated hair will be advertised to a female audience between the ages of 25 to 50 because this is the segment that is most likely to click-throughs to the cosmetics website. Audience segmentation makes it easy to see which customers are most likely to invest in your product, and it makes it much easier to design marketing content that will capture the attention of that specific segment of people.

How Audience Segmentation Can Be Done

You should do your audience segmentation while you are analyzing your target audience. This task can be completed in a few hours. Here’s how to get started;

Step 1 – Review the information you have on your most valued audiences. Your team should study how each audience is affected by the need for your product, demographics, the size of your audience, behaviors of your audience, psychographics of your audience, and other information that might help narrow down your specific audiences.

Step 2 – Segmentation isn’t always necessary. You only need to do audience segmentation if your audience is not likely to see your available marketing content or your budget is extremely tight.

Step 3 – Next, you need to identify your segmentation criteria. Criteria might include your audience’s social demographic, geographical location, behavioral habits, or psychographic values.

Step 4 – When you have your segmentation criteria, you can start segmenting your target audience. When your audience has been segmented into different standards, you can easily design or create content that suits a specific segment group perfectly. You can market based on socio-demographic differences such as age or religion. You can choose to target an audience based on location. Choose to target an audience based on their behavioral traits and habits or approach audiences with a specific psychographic approach that appeals most to their core vision.

Audience segmentation isn’t the easiest of tasks. Still, this activity is essential to save a lot of money on marketing, get more conversions from your adverts and boost your business revenue.

Why Small Businesses should be using Google Place Listings

November 22, 2015

One underused and often neglected method to draw online traffic to your website is the optimization of Google Places Listings. Many local business owners of all industries (from labor to white office jobs) often ignore creating and developing a Google Place Listing because they figure it is time-consuming, inefficient, and less effective than other online strategies.

In fact, by neglecting the promotion of your business on this precious Google asset, you are potentially losing profits, damaging your reputation, and falling behind the competition. Optimizing your Google Places Listings is essential to maximize your business and its online potential.

What is Google Place Listings, you might ask? It’s a unique Google service that provides businesses with the platform to share vital information about themselves, including their services, products, and, most importantly, the location of its store or stores. Essentially, this Google asset aims to expand the audience and customer base of businesses, boutiques, and retail stores that sell their products in person and online.

These are, of course, the significant benefits of Google Place Listings. There are, of course, PLENTY of benefits:

It’s free. That’s right; you won’t spend a cent on it.
You don’t have to be tech-savvy to use the service. It’s easy, and you’ll know what to do once you’ve started.
Thanks to mobile phones and the Google app, you can manage, edit and promote your Google Places Listings anytime and anywhere.
You’ll connect with millions of Google users. It’s the number one search engine in the world (and the driver of all online marketing campaigns and algorithms), so you’ll be missing out on plenty of customers.
Streamlined analytics means your business will be found easily during searches.
Your online and offline reputation will increase if your service and information are well presented.
Your customers will be satisfied with your business, and that is vital to establishing reliable connections.
Potential to extend your brand online to new buyers.
Seamlessly integrates with your overall online marketing campaign.
Connects with customers through simple mobile phone use.
Your visibility increases thanks to the connection to Google Maps.

LinkedIn: Your business’ missing Social Media Beast

November 15, 2015

It’s part of social media’s “big three”, but LinkedIn has always been a little bit behind the eight ball for businesses compared to Facebook and Twitter. But over the last few years, it’s made strides to get ahead and help businesses grow their brand identity, their experiences, and their ideals. Within the world of LinkedIn, there are a few nifty ways in which you can promote your business on the world’s third-biggest social media platform.

Post recommendations/Give endorsements to people you know

The first part of networking is to make the first move. Posting a recommendation for one of your clients shows a willingness to establish a connection. Same too when it comes to endorsing businesses and clients’ skills. It highlights the value of your client’s/business’s talents and abilities. Be the first to make the move.

Showcase your company page.

Creating a company page is the best way to kick off a connection with everyone on LinkedIn. And remember, everyone on LinkedIn is either a potential client, business partner or customer. You have to think of ways to connect with them. A company page is much like Facebook’s profile page or Twitter handle. The idea is to create a central hub that provides a complete overview of your business and highlights what you are all about. From here, you can build a following and establish a credible reputation.

Promote your expertise and business.

There is no point in having a company page without having anything on it. That means loading it up with anything and everything you can is ideal. Upload videos, photos, projects, and works of what your business has done in the past to highlight your best work. Secondly, continually posting blog posts from your website or posts about your industry is great for establishing connections and showing future customers, partners, and so forth that you’re engaged in your company and with them.

Join industry groups

How do you connect with people in real life? You go to parties, functions, and public places and join groups. The same applies to LinkedIn: joining groups involved in your industry is a fantastic way of establishing customers and partners for the future. More importantly, it’s about networking.

Use SEO to boost your company page on search engines

Like boosting your website through SEO Melbourne, you should increase your LinkedIn company page. Using keywords that match your website will bring potential clients, customers, and partners to your LinkedIn page and will connect with you.

Make quality Connections

The bread and butter of LinkedIn: making connections to potential clients, customers, and business partners. But make sure you are connecting with quality connections that are going to help grow and network your business. Look for these two things when making a connection: a professional and respectable history and one with more than 150 connections. More connections mean more potential networking for you.

….but don’t just make a connection

What’s the point of making a connection if you aren’t going to connect with them? When a connection is established, don’t wait for them to message you; go ahead and get in touch with them first. And when making connections with direct messaging, make it personal; that way, it shows you are a) a human and b) treating your partners and customers as a person instead of numbers.

Standing Out in the Digital Job Hunt

October 11, 2015

The boom of the Internet and the conversion of business practices to the online world has meant an increase in digital marketing jobs. Of course, as with the case of an exciting, booming industry, more and more individuals are looking to break into it. We understand it is tough enough in this day and age to get a job in any field, let alone one specifically tailored to the digital field.

As professionals in the digital marketing world, we’ve gone through what you’re going through now, which is why we are ready to offload some valuable advice to make you stand out in the hunt for a digital marketing job.

Get that Experience Under Your Belt.

They say p’s get degrees, but degrees don’t guarantee jobs. In this day and age, experience is critical, so get it anyway and anywhere you can.

Ask online marketing companies and businesses for some work experience, pro-bono work, or, if you’re lucky, a cadetship. Ensure you gain valuable experience in the field – not just getting your boss a coffee. Work hard, gain experience, learn what your future job and career might entail, and add it to your resume (your online resume – but more on that below). When you finally get called into that job interview, you will have something concrete to show for your years of hard work.

Get that Experience Yourself.

Starting up a blog or a website with a portfolio only costs a handful of dollars and a few hours of commitment per week.

Your blog might not be that good, or your website might fail miserably, but in the long run, it pays off and puts you ahead of the chasing pack. Why? It shows initiative, commitment to building something from the ground up, and, more importantly, the desire to market yourself, your idea, and your beliefs.

Leave an online trail.

If you want to get into the online digital world, you must leave a paper trail of your online exploits. Get a Twitter handle and post about your work and your passions. Get two Facebook profiles – one for your work and one for your personal life. Update and get your LinkedIn profile loaded with the experienced needed. Show employers that you understand you know how to use these platforms and other online media. Show them that if you are given a job in the online world, they already know the basics.

Avoid Stupidity Online

Above, we mentioned “online exploits,” and we mean that in a professional and proper sense. Having a drunk photo as your Facebook profile picture is not going to help your cause. Employers are going to search you on Google to see who they are dealing with, and we’ve all read and heard stories of people getting sacked for stupid online posts. Be wary of what you put online.

LinkedIn Profiles are the new resume.

Facebook might be considered the behemoth of social media, but LinkedIn is the one that most employers are going to try to search for first. Make sure yours is immaculate. Keep it short, sharp, and loaded with all your online projects over the years. Make sure you tailor your profile to the industry and the career you are searching for. There is no need to mention your first job at Coles on Linked In. Also, ask for references and recommendations.

Most employers will ask for an emailed copy of your resume when you’re applying for a job and will search for your LinkedIn profile. There have been times when the two aren’t aligned or entirely different. This will damage your reputation because your employer won’t know what’s true. Ensure that your resume matches your LinkedIn “resume.”

Engage Yourself with the companies.

Retweets, comments on Facebook or blogs, re-pins, and so forth. Ensure your employers know you are interested in their company and the industry. It is all about networking, and employers want to see that you are keen to learn more and want to join the industry.

Read, Read, Read, and Understand.

Do you know what SEO means? Or PPC? Do you know which social media platform is better for one business than another? Which Web 2.0 features are best for specific projects? The online world is filled with vital information, and you must be always reading. Read blogs, read articles, read magazines about the online world, everything from SEO to blogging. The more you know, the better it is for you when you go for that interview. Employers want to see that you know the field. Read and learn.

How Social Media & SEO are your Recipe to Success

August 13, 2015

When establishing their online presence, businesses will often choose to “divide and conquer” by separating their SEO efforts from their social media platforms without realizing that these two techniques can work hand in hand with one another. While they may be different in the way each is put in place, they have more in common than meets the eye, and when combined with strength, they can become the most resilient pillar of your online campaign.

Quality of Social Media Audience

It’s all about the number of followers anyways, right? Although this may be common, believe, we must debunk this myth. Yes, the number of followers you have impacts your credibility, social “proof,” and overall online presence–but it is not the only factor that Google considers when drafting its ranking techniques. Just like with content, Google examines the “quality” of followers you have. So while some companies may purchase thousands of robotic followers regarding SEO services Ballarat, you would be better off working and nurturing your way to an active organic audience that interacts with your brand.

Creating External Interaction Through Links

One of the best ways to boost your SEO and establish yourself as a content genius in the eyes of Google is to have your content shared through external links. Social media is a phenomenal way to get your content recognized by members of your industry through the effective use of sharing, retweeting, posting, comments, and hashtags. These tools allow you to reach a good portion of your target audience and anyone who follows them. Utilizing hashtags to categorize your content gives you a likelier chance to be seen by these sources and, thus, a likelier opportunity for them to share your content on their websites—and just like that, you have built an external link without having to solicit anyone!

Social Media Platforms Are Smaller Versions of Search Engines

If you are solely focused on the results that appear on Google, you may need to rethink your strategy. These days, when consumers are interested in a brand or service, they head to social media platforms and perform a search that will lead them to more related content. For example, if a discussion about your industry is happening on Twitter, chiming in to interact will not only boost your voice as a knowledgeable source but will also have you appear on Twitter’s search results should someone look for that topic or hashtag.

Likewise, on a more visual platform like Instagram, businesses such as restaurants, boutiques, and design companies utilize location tags and hashtags to build the buzz around their brand. Instagram’s search tool ends up being used as a more marginalized version of Google Images, not only showcasing photos from websites but from other users themselves who have used these products or services.

Moral of the story: Google is not the only search engine you need to be optimizing!

While it is never wrong to focus on creating fresh and compelling content for your website to boost your SEO, you should never leave social media platforms on the back burner. Instead, aim to combine both of these tools for ultimate optimization. You will end up having more leads appear on both ends, boosting rapport among your industry and climbing up in rankings before you know it!

Social Media Platforms: Which One is Right for Your Business?

March 6, 2015

In order to have an effective social media marketing strategy, it is not only important to focus on a target audience; it is also imperative to know where to find that target audience. With the increased use of social media platforms over the last few years, we have seen a variety of content coming our way. Not only are social media platforms emerging left and right, but the way people consume their content is also evolving. Portable devices become increasingly popular each day, and people are absorbing media “on the go.” Keeping this in mind, knowing which social media platforms are most frequently used by your target audience will allow you to create impactful and compelling content that will make your brand thrive and generate revenue.

Facebook

No matter your business’s industry, it needs to be on Facebook! Unmistakably the most popular of all social media platforms, Facebook remains in the lead regarding the number of active users worldwide. The most compelling aspect of Facebook is probably in creating brand awareness; this is especially useful for small businesses that can target advertising methods on the platform to fit their intended target audience by utilizing more specific market segmentation details.

The demographic for Facebook gears more toward older generations and is less used by young teens. It is a highly visual platform, as photo content generates about 120% more interaction than content with some text. Furthermore, calls to action made by businesses in posts tend to double engagement.

Twitter

Next to Facebook, Twitter is probably the most identifiable social media platform. Users on Twitter are more likely to engage with brands and “follow” their favorites than on another network. Brands and businesses utilize this to their advantage by advertising most of their latest products, offers, and news through Twitter. Due to its “instant” nature, and the fact that it is a continuous feed that offers the most up-to-date information, businesses that have a plethora of current events, the latest news, or any connection to what is happening “at the moment” will benefit the most from Twitter. Another great benefit of this platform is the ability to be “mentioned” by users and reply to them more personably, nurturing a relationship between the brand and the consumer.

Instagram

Facebook’s offspring Instagram is not far behind as far as user engagement. Its users are highly active, with about 56% utilizing the app daily. The demographic for Instagram is relatively young, with most users between their late teens to late 20s. Businesses and brands that work with content that is visual, such as the food industry, design, infrastructure, travel industry, etc., will be the most benefited by an Instagram account that allows its users and consumers to view their products interactively.

As a creativity-inspired platform, users of Pinterest go on this social network to be innovative and generate ideas on which products to buy and how to use them. This is an excellent platform for small businesses that, like Instagram, are visually appealing. The Pinterest demographic leans strongly towards females and is an effective tool for companies that can incorporate their product or service with “DIY” projects, images, “how-to” tutorials, and visual arts and design, among other interests. Pinterest is useful for brands that conduct a majority of their business through online sales, as a “Pin” will often lead to the actual website where the product can be purchased.

Your social media needs will differ depending on the product, service, and audience your business caters to. The consensus is that Facebook is the primary social media platform needed by all companies; it allows brands to generate awareness and a voice. Other venues can be explored and tested accordingly. The most crucial factor to remember is that social media is not about being on every platform but instead being successful and efficient in those that benefit your business.

How to maximise your online brand presence

November 20, 2014

Nowadays, it is no secret that having a prominent online presence for your business, no matter the industry you are in, is a win-win situation. Digital marketing has completely transformed the way businesses get their names out there. It has also changed how customers interact with companies and choose who they want to do business with. In order to build a successful online brand presence for your business, there are many different tools and tricks which you should utilize. Below we have outlined a few of the things you must do!

Be consistent

Every online platform you use – website, blog, Facebook page, Twitter profile, etc. – should display consistent visual branding. You should use the same version of your logo for every platform to create brand recognition and help reinforce the brand. The same goes for using the same kinds of fonts, graphics, and other images. Creating a consistent visual appeal will make your brand unique and trustworthy.

Optimize your website

Optimizing your website will make it easier for people to find it. This one is a no-brainer; there isn’t much point in having a website if no one can find it! Search engine optimization is vital if you want your website to succeed, so you should find room in your marketing budget for it! More now than ever, people are first turning to the Internet when searching for products and services. If you don’t show up, your competitor will – I imagine that’s not the ideal outcome.

Utilise social media

Social media marketing is one of the easiest, cheapest, effective ways to market your brand. It allows businesses to reach worldwide audiences whilst attracting customer loyalty, allowing for feedback, and creating a community that will promote your brand for you – what’s not to love!? Social media marketing shouldn’t be something you are simply considering; you should be using it and making the most of it! The only thing to consider is which platforms your target audience is most likely to be on. Select a few of those and go from there.

Be active in your niche through blogging.

Blogging is one of the most effective ways to promote a brand or business online. Not only will blogging improve your SEO, but it will also attract people interested in your industry, which should lead to sales. By providing your customers or potential customers with interesting and informative industry-related content, it will build their trust and they will likely want to utilize your products or services in the future.

Encourage customer recommendations and testimonials.

If anything will sway a potential customer, it’s reading reviews from other customers. Encourage everyone who has utilized your services to write a review about their experience with you on your website, your social media channels, and anywhere and everywhere you can think of! If the internet is filled with positive, honest reviews about your service, people are going to want to do business with you! When creating and building an online brand presence, ensure you stay true to the values of your business. Do not copy others, be authentic, honest, and tap into your target market; you can’t go wrong!

Recent Posts

SEARCH MARKETING GROUP CLINCHES FIRST-EVER APAC SEARCH AWARD, PROPELLING SUCCESS TO NEW HEIGHTS

The Beginner’s Guide To Ecommerce SEO

The Beginner’s Guide to (Good) Keyword Research

What Is SEO And How Much Does It Cost In Australia?

What is Programmatic Advertising? The Easy Beginner’s Guide

SEO Blog Writing: How to write blogs that actually rank

What makes a great Facebook ad?

Why email marketing is still the key to your business success in 2022

Why aren’t my website pages being indexed?

Responsive Search Ads: Everything you need to know

Why your website should be mobile-friendly?

6 SEO trends you need to know in 2022

What is black hat SEO?

USEFUL LINKS

CERTIFICATIONS

CONNECT WITH US

Call Us

Leave a Message

1800 SEARCH

Our Blogs