Social media is a first impression of your brand….
For many brands, the main focus for their online presence is their website. We agree that having a website in place to display products or service offerings, the messaging behind the brand, and any information about the brand is imperative for anyone who wants to be found online. Websites are the bread and butter for brands, and it’s ultimately where you want your customers to end up on the web, but the real question is how do you get them there?
If one places a Google search for a brand, chances are their website will be on the first page of those results. For some customers who may be interested in learning more from a brand’s perspective, this would be enough. However, in today’s social world, people are looking for reviews and want to feel connected to a brand, and this is where social media comes in. Remember that Google search? Well, on that same first page of Google results, you will more than likely see one or more social media pages showing up along with the website.
Example: Google search for “Macy’s” displays their Twitter and Facebook pages on the first page of their google search results:
This is an important factor, because those searching for more information or more photos than your website can provide will head straight to your social pages. They may skip your website altogether, and their very first impression of your brand is actually one of your social media pages. You wouldn’t want to send someone to an empty website that contains no information, nor would you have a customer walk into a brick and mortar store with no products. So your social media pages should be optimized and updated to fit the views and personality of your brand.
People turn to social media pages to check the legitimacy of the brand. Does this brand care enough to post to their social pages relevant updates on their products or articles pertaining to their brand image? Do they care enough to respond to customer complaints, and how did they handle those complaints? This is a critical part of earning a new customer’s trust in the brand. If they feel they will be taken care of as a customer, they will then visit the website for more information.
When social media pages are optimized, this includes adding in the brand’s website URL, so that it’s easily accessible to customers, and makes the online experience for your customers as seamless as possible. It’s important to remember that your website and your social pages should be in sync with your brand voice, and images should be updated to best represent the brand. It should be clear that a social page does in fact belong to your business. If a customer has to guess if a Facebook or Twitter page belongs to your business, you may have lost them.
If you’re having a hard time keeping your social media pages up to date, or need help optimizing them to best represent your brand, we’re here to help! You can contact us by filling out our free online consultation form or by calling us direct at 1-800-759-7996.
