For most modern-day businesses, social media plays a crucial role in how owners develop, expand and improve their online presence. In fact, many small businesses that do not have the resources to invest in a website use only social media accounts to get started. Social media websites also form part of your company’s search engine optimization opportunities. If you can use the same company that provides your SEO services to handle your social media, you have struck gold.

The Impact of Social Media on Your Brand

Companies have a love-hate relationship with social media. Build the right social brand and you could see website traffic soar through the roof for all the right reasons. Suddenly, your brand scores lots of free publicity through reviews on YouTube and photos on Instagram. However, in the wrong hands or after one mistake, social media followers can turn against the very brands they support.

So, what can companies do to ensure they experience more positive outcomes than negative ones? Here are a few tips:

Hire a diverse team to ensure people from various backgrounds vet messages that go out online.
Rely on experienced professionals to handle social media management accounts, so there are fewer mishaps.
Have a crisis management plan at the ready, just in case something does go amiss online or off.
Avoid sensitive topics that may lead to negative blowback you feel your company is unable to weather, whenever possible.
Focus on not just publishing posts but building a community and learning more about your current and potential customers.
Incorporate solid SEO strategies into your social media campaign.

How Social Media Affects Your Search Engine Optimization

Did you know that social media posts now rank in Google search results? From Quora answers to Facebook business listings and Twitter posts, your social media content can attract good SEO for your brand. What does this mean for your company?

1. Social Media Platforms Act as Search Engines

Not only do social media posts rank in other search engines, but they provide search engines of their own. YouTube is an excellent example of this. Google’s champion social media platform is second only to itself as a search engine and completes more user searches than Ask.com, AOL and Yahoo combined. Hashtags form part of the internal search engine and make for great branding tools as well.

2. Social Media Backlinks May or May Not Count

There is an ongoing debate among social media gurus about whether social media backlinks count as credible backlinks that Google actually pays attention to. Many say no, they do not. However, if you have ever had a post go viral, you may also notice your SEO performance surging. At the very least, being super shareable online can’t hurt.

3. Social Media Accounts Can Refer Website Traffic

Even if your company’s social media backlinks do not provide direct SEO juice, they do help refer traffic to your website. This is likely one of the reasons that having a linked web page go viral can boost your business. Even if you do not have a link to your website in the post, links on your social media profile make it possible for interested parties to dig further.

How To Move Forward

If you have not created social media accounts or neglected the ones you do have, you may miss out on big opportunities in marketing. After all, roughly 40% of consumers online use social media as part of their product research process. To add to this, when people complain about a brand on Twitter, 78% expect the company to respond in an hour or less. Is your social media strategy up to the task?

Unwired Web Solutions can help you create an effective social media strategy. Reach out to us to find out what hiring a local SEO company can do for your business’s online presence.

Even when websites are mobile-friendly, it is generally much easier to purchase items online using apps. Consider, for instance, the difference in using the Amazon shopping app over its website on your phone. Because of this, web development teams are now pushing to create more apps for e-commerce websites. Should your company invest in this?

What the Data Says About Smartphone Use

The data on smartphone ownership and usage differs across national and cultural lines. However, most indicators point to smart devices taking over the market in the near future:

Pew Research estimates that 84% of men and 79% of women own a smartphone.
The higher a person’s disposable income, the more likely someone is to own a smartphone.
Statista reports that in the third quarter of 2019, 52% of the world’s population had recently bought something online using a mobile device.
In Canada, a third of the population had bought something online; meanwhile, in Indonesia, 80% have done so.
CNBC estimates that by 2025, almost three-quarters of the world will use only their smartphones to get online.

What the Most Common Challenges for App Development Are

Building an app for your business requires high levels of skill and creativity. You need professionals who know the ins and outs of not only your business but also your industry. Otherwise, the team may create an app that does not solve the pain points your products or services address for your customers.

To hire the necessary level of experience and skill, cost becomes an obstacle many small businesses struggle with. However, if you believe an app can take your business to the next level, a business loan can help make it happen. You may even have the opportunity for creative payment options, such as a commission basis.

Finally, apps require ongoing maintenance to function properly. As customers provide feedback on how well they operate across multiple platforms, making changes is important. This adds to the cost of the investment in both time and money.

Why You Should Get Your Own App

Many business owners feel intimidated by the success of Amazon and other large e-commerce platforms. After all, if these companies already sell everything imaginable, why should customers use small business apps that only provide a limited supply of items?

1. Brand Loyalty

Even if the checkout process simply takes the buyer to Amazon or eBay, your app makes it easier for buyers to pinpoint all the products and services you provide. They may discover new ones along the way and begin to choose your products over available options. This works especially well when companies offer lower shipping rates for bigger orders or subscriptions.

2. Personalization Opportunities

How well do you know your customers? Can you tie specific orders to names and addresses? When companies can do this easily, it becomes much easier to personalize communications, offers and other key aspects of your marketing campaign. Encouraging people to make accounts when using your app makes this possible.

3. Potential for Ad Revenue

Businesses that diversify their incomes stand a much better chance of weathering economic storms. One way to do so is to pitch partnerships with other companies. An excellent example of this is when apps that allow you to find vehicles for sale also incorporate offers for financing. Lenders may offer commissions or pay to run ads on the platform.

How To Create an App for Your Business

The first step is hiring qualified professionals for the design, creation and ongoing support work necessary to create a successful app. You should also write down your goals for the app and how it will integrate with other aspects of your marketing plan, such as SEO.

Unwired Web Solutions has a team of qualified professionals eager to assist with web development and the SEO process. Contact us for more information on how we can assist with your app development.

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