Social media is a conversational and a communication platform and everyone wants to know how it should be managed or how it should be used effectively as a communication tool so that the conversations generate a favourable link graph.
Since the search engines have announced the importance and influence of social media and the social link graph on SERPs everyone wants to work out a social media presence and strategy and blend the social media presence to positively enhance their SEO efforts and their search engine presence.
Firstly, since it is a communication platform all the rules of effective communication apply to social media conversations also. Since I am more of a Twitter person rather than a Facebook person, I would like to share with you about social media focusing on Twitter. According to me Twitter is one of the best and widely used microblogging platforms.
The points to keep in mind while using Twitter in order to improve your social link graph :
- Follow authority people and peers of your industry.
- No. of followers are important but what is more important is their interaction and their being interested in what you tweet.
- Twitter is a conversational platform at a very wide scale. One tweet tweeted has the maximum possibility of getting Retweeted by each of your followers and then by each of their followers – A chain reaction so to say.
- So, Twitter has a possibility of a very wide reach making your message reach to people in exponential numbers.
- Participate in Twitter chats on topics related to your industry. This helps you to establish your identity and put your point forward gaining you important followers in return.
- Use #Tags while chatting and posting topic related tweets to be in that timeline and be found in the Twitter search for that term.
- the no. of retweets are increasing that means the people want to share what you are writing and your reach is widening.
- The no. of mentions also means people are conversing with you and replying to you – That again is a positive influence.
- On Twitter many start as an explorer trying to explore the Twitter social media potential , then they start sharing what they read by posting the related links i.e they tend to become curators . Both the stages have their own benefits.
- If you balance on both that is share content from other sites and tweet links from your blogs and sites and post valuable info. based tweets then you make your social link graph more favourable.
- Only blowing your own bugle amounts to being egoistic, if you retweet, share and post links of other quality content your followers shall always have that curiosity element and would surely want to read the tweets in your timeline and add you in their Twitter lists or subscribe to your tweets.
- Getting listed in more and more no. of lists related to your industry and along with authority Twitter accounts adds the necessary goodwill to your twitter account.
- If you observe the Twitter page all these parameters are available in your account and you can keep a daily track of all these parameters yourself easily.
- Use Twitter influence measuring tool like www.klout.com to know where you are heading to.
- Last but not the least be a natural when it comes to conversations as twitter interactions are like any other normal business conversations you might have over the phone, email or via any other communication tool to discuss something. The only difference is that you are reaching to a wider audience and everyone will have their opinion which maybe positive or negative.
- Be prepared for the bouquets along with the brick bats. As people may praise you or they may even criticize and out rightly reject what you say, And, its cool as you cannot please all the people all the time and you should not even try. But, try to put you point forward if criticized.
- Humble explanations are necessary but getting into dirty fights online give a very negative impression and may cost you some followers and more criticizm.
- Please do not automate your tweets as that amounts to the height of insensitivity and it is better to have few focused and valuable conversations rather than just posting automated tweets indiscriminately . The human element is very much required in the interactions.
