Social media platforms can rank in organic search alongside your website allowing you to dominate the first page of search engine results. This will mean that those looking for your product or service will be more likely to be drawn to your website, either directly, or via one of your social media profiles.

By making it easy for people to share your content with like, tweet or +1 buttons, you will boost your chances of getting onto the coveted first page of search results. Again, this will increase the likelihood of those looking for your products or services coming to your website.

If you run paid search ads then take advantage of social ad extensions, these allow your Google+ page to feature prominently at the top of the search results along with your ad. This will encourage people both to; +1 (share) the link to your website, which will boost your organic rankings, as well encourage them to follow your Google+ page, which means they are more likely to see content from you again.

Facebook is the second most popular website in the UK, with users spending more time on it than anywhere else. By having a presence on Facebook, you can create engaging content to drive them from Facebook to your website.

Active engagement on social media platforms will also increase your visibility to potential customers and position your brand as a thought leader within your sector. Twitter offers the perfect platform to allow you to search for people talking about your brand, your competitors or your industry.

Join in the conversation by offering value or insight. If someone is tweeting about a problem with a competitor, offer to rectify it. Search for industry terms and see who needs advice in your area of expertise and engage with them.

Social Media should reflect your business’s personality

Social media is the buzz word of any marketing campaign but it also runs the risk of being the most boring part of any promotion. As with any activity, if it is devoid of personality, it will simply fail.

All businesses need a personality, from small start-ups to large corporations. However, it is especially important for those fast growth companies looking to make a name for themselves – or for one that believes its products might be classed as dull. A simple way to give your company personality is to provide the outside world with access to your employees.

People shape the personality of their business, from top level management to junior members of staff. By making all employees the face of the business you can help promote the personality of the company and the brand, which is always far more interesting than any product. Organisations need to harness the enthusiasm of employees so that their passion for the brand can help reinforce the messages about its personality.

Before this happens though, businesses need to ensure that they have a social media policy in place providing staff with guidelines as to what can be said on the company social networking channels. It is also important to explain to staff the aims of using these social networking tools, and how they can help the business.

While this may seem like additional work, it is important to remember that if a business has character it is easier for its customers to relate to it. This in turn makes it much easier for your potential customers to remember who your company is, what it does and what makes it worth considering. People buy from other people, not faceless companies, and a business that has a real personality will have a better chance of attracting customers.

Brand advocacy

Social media tools, like blogs, Twitter and Facebook are a great way to give staff the freedom to become brand advocates. The more you can show what your staff are like and the culture of your business, the easier it is to display your brand’s personality to your potential customers. Every business has a personality, but often this doesn’t come across on boring inward-looking announcements. If a business takes the time to think about its personality, and ensure that this is reflected in everything it does, it will stand a much better chance of differentiating itself from its competitors and attracting new customers.