Businesses today rely a lot on social media platforms for consumer engagement, but that shouldn’t be your only marketing investment. Any alteration to their algorithm may affect organic reach and result in unmet marketing expectations. Regardless, social media marketing is critical to the success of many businesses today. Most digital marketers agree that having the right keyword strategy for social media posts is the bedrock for success in social media marketing.
Incorporating high-quality keywords into social media posts will increase your brand’s exposure and help your posts rank on organic search results. Digital marketing companies like our team at ContentFirst Marketing, have years of experience creating effective social media keyword strategies and managing social media campaigns that can help you jump-start your digital marketing efforts.
Reasons to Optimize Keywords in Social Media Posts
Almost everyone now uses social networks to find products and services they need, so it’s critical to optimize your social media posts for the right keywords to rank high on social media search pages. SEO to gain a top spot on Google search has been happening for years but optimizing social media posts to achieve a top spot on a social network search page is relatively new.
Social media optimization is significantly easier to accomplish since there is less competition, and it provides substantial benefits in terms of reach for brands that utilize targeted keywords on social media. Therefore, optimize your keyword strategy for social media and watch your traffic and followers grow.
How Do Keywords Work on Social Media Posts?
A social media keyword strategy functions similarly to a website keyword strategy. Just as using the right keyword helps Google and other search engines display the content of your website to searchers, incorporating the right keywords into your social media content improves your brand’s visibility and helps you gain organic traffic to your various digital properties.
User behavior varies across social media platforms, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy for keyword usage. The social media keyword strategy you employ will differ based on the platform you use. So, what works on Instagram might not work on Twitter or Facebook.
Social Media Keyword Strategy Tips
Here are some tips for creating an effective keyword strategy on social media posts that apply to the most popular social media platforms.
Identifying the right keywords for your brand
Your choice of keywords will vary based on the social media platform being used. However, here are a few ways to find the keywords that offer the most rewards in terms of traffic.
Use simple and common terms
Choose common words that describe your brand. What words would describe your brand if someone were to run a search on any social media platform? Select uncomplicated keywords that are pertinent to both your brand and intended audience.
Consider terms that reflect your brand
One way to improve your brand’s online presence is by selecting keywords that you wish to be associated with and incorporating them into your keyword strategy. These keywords should be relevant to your brand and align with the interests of your target audience.
Evaluate your strategy against that of your competitors
Testing your selected keywords by typing them into the search bar is valuable for gauging their potential effectiveness. However, if the search results return too many competitors, consider narrowing down your keywords to more specific terms better suited to your brand and target audience.
Use your SEO keyword research
Avoid duplicating effort by using the SEO keyword research you have already conducted. By integrating some of the same keywords into your social media posts, you can maximize your chances of success while minimizing your resources and time investment.
Optimize keywords across social media platforms
Understanding how each social media network distributes information is essential to optimizing your content and improving organic traffic. Additionally, ensuring that your keywords align with the purpose of your content will help increase engagement and visibility among your target audience.
Keywords and hashtags can help users find you quicker
Incorporating the appropriate keywords in your hashtags can help users find and engage with your brand with greater ease. Hashtags are a potent tool in directing users to your content and related posts, enabling them to explore your brand further.
Include keywords in photo captions
Social media platforms heavily rely on visual content to engage with their audience effectively. Therefore, it is crucial to incorporate appropriate keywords into your photo captions to accurately convey your brand’s message. By using creative and descriptive keywords, you can enhance the visual appeal of your content and improve its reach and engagement.
Use relevant keywords in meta tags
Optimizing meta descriptions and tags can significantly improve the ranking of your social media posts. Incorporating relevant keywords in video tags, descriptions, and social media sharing links can effectively drive user engagement and increase content exposure.
Optimize your headings, subheadings, and titles
All major social media platforms allow users to describe the content of posts with a title, heading, or subheading. Therefore, incorporating a relevant keyword in the title of your post can significantly increase your brand’s visibility. Even a brief headline that aligns with your brand identity can help users find you in search.
Add specific keywords in the body of the post
Strategically add 1-5 keywords to your post body, depending on the length of the post. Just be cautious; stuffing more keywords than you need can work against you and result in less engagement. Additionally, 2-5 hashtags at the end of the post are usually sufficient. For some platforms, like Instagram, it’s okay to be hashtag heavy. This is an example of why you must be in tune with the user behavior relative to each social media platform. What works for one network might not work for another.
Enhance your profile descriptions with keywords
Some platforms have a “bio,” “summary,” or an “about” section that allows you to describe your profile and give users a better understanding of your service offering. Filling in this space with your most important keywords is a great idea. By incorporating a few keywords into your profile description, you can rank higher when people search for specific topics. You don’t have to overdo it and risk sounding unnatural, but if you can drop the keyword into this section seamlessly, it will undoubtedly help improve your rank in search.
Build an Effective Keyword Strategy Today
The social media playing field is massive, and creating a keyword strategy for social media posts is the best way to maintain a targeted approach and gain results on your digital marketing investment budget.
At ContentFirst Marketing, we operate a collaborative model, and our digital marketing specialists will work with you to learn about the uniqueness of your brand and then lay out a social media strategy that’s sure to increase traffic, exposure, and user engagement. So put your business on the map today! Contact us at 866-330-8359 for help creating a social media keyword strategy that guarantees results.
