Social Marketing Strategies: How Much of Your Public Profile Is Social and How Much Is Marketing?

All social networking sites have one thing in common: they all have a public profile for users to complete and share with other users. As a search engine marketing strategy, the more public profiles you complete the greater your chances of appearing in search engine results. As a social marketing strategy, what seems like simple social networking can be a serious social marketing plan.

Who, What, Where? Depending upon the social networking site, there are various amounts of information requested for a public profile. Those with a business twist, such as LinkedIn, focus on your professional side while those that are less formal approach, such as Facebook, prefer to include personal items like favorite quotes. Expect to find these common fields in your public profiles:

• Name. As an online marketer, it is recommended that you use your full name as part of both your social marketing strategy and your search engine marketing strategy. Here are 2 reasons why:

  • Hide and seek. Your followers and friends can more easily find you in a search. If your name is simply “John S.” you will be virtually impossible to find.

  • For real. Your credibility is improved if you do not appear to be concealing your identity. Hiding behind a screen name or a first name only does not always look to be on the up and up.

• Geographic region. Part of your social marketing strategy should reveal your whereabouts. Customers are often more comfortable networking with those of similar geographic and demographic backgrounds.

• Employer/field. Including your employer or professional field can provide a boost to your search engine optimization strategy. For every public profile that asks for your professional information, the search engines return your profile results.

• Web site. Having a web site is a must as part of your search engine marketing strategy. Including your web address in your public profiles gives you that many more opportunities to employ your social marketing strategy as you increase your audience reach.

• Education. For those potential customers who are not yet familiar with your expertise, your education history is a vital statistic that enhances your social marketing strategy. By promoting your connection with your alma mater, your search engine search results have a greater likelihood of improving and increasing.

The information you provide in each of your social networking profiles becomes a possible result for search engines. By following common search engine optimization tips with your social networking profiles, you can maximize your personal search engine results.

As you join the multitude of social networking sites and fill out your public profiles, take into account your search engine marketing strategy and possible results returned. In addition, the fields you complete have a direct impact on your social marketing strategy by meeting the various criteria for memberships in relative social networking groups.

image credits to luc legay