Whether you’re a freelance writer or a blogger, part of getting an audience is through the process of marketing. And aside from a Google search, you should consider the impact of marketing on social media sites.
Although your site will get more traffic from Google, it only goes so far as to build an engaged audience. That’s if anyone bothers to bookmark your site or subscribe to push notifications.
Social media can help you create a brand of yourself in profound ways. It can help with everything from getting direct clients to sponsorships and endorsements.
Today, I’ll go over why marketing on social media is advantageous.
What Kind of an Impact Does Marketing on Social Media Have?
While it’s true that I haven’t really dumped a lot of time into my own accounts for social media marketing, I’ve done quite a bit for my clients. And I’ve seen firsthand how much of an impact it can make.
In fact, in the short time I’ve been actually putting effort into my own marketing on social media, I’ve seen a big difference overall.
Reaching an Engaged Audience Who May Not Read Blogs
A large portion of those who follow my social accounts don’t read the blog. However, they will engage with the content I put out on those platforms.
For example, my YouTube channel gets far more comments than the blog. And I am far more likely to interact with conversations on Twitter, Facebook, and now Instagram.
In a way, most of these platforms can be considered standalone elements for your brand as a writer. But sometimes you can get people to visit the site if you push out what followers may find interesting.
Expanding Connections in Real-Time
A lot of the conversations I have on social media happen in real-time. This is just not something that is viable on a blog unless you install chat plugins.
In one case, it lead me to an incredible client thanks to chatting on LinkedIn.
This is the reason why I have social accounts open on the second monitor while I work throughout the day. I never know who might need help with what. In fact, I’ve helped quite a few people learn how to write better through Facebook and Twitter.
Followers Who Re-share Your Work
Let’s say you write a blog post and shared it on Twitter with the right hashtags. Someone who has a much larger audience than yourself sees your post and retweets it.
Your post now reached two separate audiences almost instantly.
People who interact and re-share your posts are showing it off to their audience, which is going to be much different than your own. It increases the chances of getting noticed and followed by more people.
However, you’ll need to create a strong, influential campaign to get retweets and such. For instance, including hashtags in your post can increase the likelihood of getting retweeted by 33%.
Building a Network of Other Professionals
Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of marketing on social media is building a network. This is perhaps one of the best reasons to get onto LinkedIn, really.
At any rate, a network of other professionals can open all kinds of doors to incredible opportunities. Especially if you interact with them on a regular basis.
It’s like any other relationship. You need to cultivate it before the network can bloom.
Getting Your Name More Visible in Google
I recently did a Google search on my name as a writer for a screenshot I am using in a future video. Nearly all of my active social media profiles appear in the search on the first page.
This goes to show that it’s not just websites that are crawled and indexed by Google. So if a potential client searches your name, he or she can see activity on sites like Twitter and Instagram.
This also means you probably want to be on your best, professional behavior.
Getting More Collaborations and Endorsements
Since being more active on social media, I’ve been approached far more often for collaborations. And some of them are referring to the blog!
In fact, I’ve made more money last year in sponsored posts than AdSense thanks to what people find in social media. If you post stuff people like, some of them will throw money at you.
Now, if I can only get endorsements that are relevant to what I do on a professional level. Seriously, when’s the last time anyone saw a picture of me with shoes?
I suppose that’s one of the downsides, though. When you start marketing on social media, a lot of scams and questionable “brands” will come your way.
Meeting Some Amazing People
It’s true that social media has a lot of trolling going on. But, I’ve met some of the most amazing writers thanks to Twitter. And I’ve had some in-depth conversations with many of them.
That’s not including the awesome people I’ve helped over the years learn everything from Textbroker to YouTube video content.
Thanks to the current state of the world, social media is probably the safest bet for interacting with others. But at any rate, I’ve met people spanning the entire planet.
Getting Freebies Galore!
One thing that upsets me about entitled influencers is how they try to get free stuff from brands in exchange for social clout. Personally, I don’t even bring this up to brands.
I simply write a review about a product or service I use and share it on social media. I won’t even mention the brand or company by name…it’s just my review.
In many cases, the brands enjoyed the content so much they gave me free access to paid services. I didn’t “at” anybody, contact the brand for an endorsement deal, ask for collaborations, or beg for freebies in exchange for a shout-out.
All I did was write an honest blog post about a service or product that I use and share it on social media.
Doesn’t Cost a Lot to Start
The Internet is full of free tools to start marketing on social media right now. Whether it’s scheduling posts to keep your accounts active or finding the best hashtag generator, there are a lot to choose from.
However, far more can be done once you invest a bit of money into your marketing campaign.
But from the perspective of free, you can get started right away and start building your following. The hardest part is understanding your target audience enough to create posts with which they’ll interact.
For example, I use Buffer to schedule posts ahead of time for free. With a single post, I can share it with those who follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn at the same time.
Sometimes, I’ll use Hashtagify to try to get posts in front of the most receptive audience regarding a blog post’s content.
Today, You Need to Get Your Name Out There!
I’m not talking about being a social media influencer. That’s a whole different ball game. But, marketing on social media can have a profoundly positive impact on your career.
All it takes is a bit of effort to engage, not just promote. The key to social media is being social. Why do you think Wendy’s has such a popular Twitter account?
Get your name out there and share more than just prices and services. The end result is a far more engaged audience who will be more likely to click on those services at a later date.
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