Facebook Finding You

SEARCH VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

Last time I wrote about a 'tipping point' on the web. I said that the focus of search optimisation had shifted from the desktop to mobile devices. And I tried to get you to think about what that means for your web site. Well, the other big shift in search I wanted to get across, which always seems 'next year' is also here. Right. Now. Social Media.

Everybody Talks Social

Everyone talks about social media, but frankly most small organisations do a very poor job of making it work for them. I think what has hindered adoption of decent social media strategies is that, if you're of a certain age, you don't think it applies to you. Well, it applies to everyone now for the simple reason that almost as many people are searching for content through a portal, than through Google or Bing.

More and more, people are not bothering to 'Google' something. They are simply typing in whatever they are searching for directly into their Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or even their Amazon page.

Many web users see no valuable distinction between searching for information on Facebook versus Google! Or put another way: they expect to get the same valuable results regardless. And so, to an increasing degree, users are simply leaving their phone or browser stuck on Facebook or Twitter and just using that home page as their primary interface to the Internet. Such users only go outside of their social media world for a special occasion. For them, a particular site is their 'portal' to the web.

Think about that: Until just a few years ago, it never would have occurred to me to even try to use Twitter as a one-stop-shop for information. I used Facebook to visit with family, but I used Google to search. I went to Twitter to see various real-time news. I went to Amazon to shop or to research product reviews. I went to Youtube to learn how to fix my sink. Now? I can realistically (and many people live this way) decide to keep my device open to any of these sites and get all the information I need. The hope of these companies (which has now become reality) is that each of their sites is so compelling that I choose to simply 'live' in that one 'interface', stepping outside only for special trips.

How is this happening? Well, let's consider Facebook, with its over one billion served (the reference to McDonald's is intentional). They have quietly set up their Feed and Search to incorporate not just your friends, but a constant stream of 'suggestions': advertising, news, sites that are of interest to your friends or which seem to comport with what they believe they have learned about you by scanning not only the interactions you've made on Facebook, but also on any site that is connected with Facebook. I don't even have to be logged into Facebook for Facebook to be gathering intelligence about 'me'. All I have to do is go to Amazon, look for a dress for my wife and the next time I'm on Facebook? I'm getting adverts for all sorts of tasteful women's clothing. And after a while? I don't even have to go to Amazon. II can search directly in Facebook and get a galaxy of vendors with Facebook pages who would love to sell me women's clothing which fits my previous searches.

OK, I'm not really that crazy about women's clothing. No, really. I'm not. But my point is that Facebook knows a lot about me. And so it is reasonable now to use it as my primary search. Even if I'm searching for just plain 'knowledge' (The history of Russia for example), which you may think is the province of Wikipedia? Naaah. There are plenty of pages on Facebook where enthusiasts will happily show you all you'd ever want to know about Alexander Nevsky or Tolstoy or Stalingrad. (Whether it's as reliable as Wikipedia? Well, that's another story.)

So, why should you care? Because visitors are now trying to find you via social media. Even if you don't feel a need to deeply 'interact' with people by Tweeting or Messaging or Posting, you need to be on these platforms in order to be found! Let me say that again: you cannot expect that visitors will find you via Google or Bing. You must expect that prospects will search for you via their fave social media portal. And. AND? If they don't find you there? They'll simply pass you by in favour of someone who does have a presence.

In one sentence: Social Media is becoming your Search Presence.

Now, one reason I think most small organisations are not addressing this is exhaustion. It's really hard to keep up a decent presence on all these platforms. For years I've counseled you to not bother with a social media platform unless you are willing to do it right--and by 'right' I meant, providing constant fresh content. Well, I need to modify that statement based on the new realities of Search.

You need to have a basic, decent looking presence on all social media platforms that you can reasonably expect people to search for you. This means a brand-consistent page that gives people all the key words you want to target and also gives them a strong incentive to check out your main web site. It does not need to have a constant stream of posts and updates (although that's great!) but it does need to give anyone on Facebook or Instagram the information they need to find you and for their 'friends' to provide testimonials or references if they so desire.

What about letting Google do the work for you? Well, I dunno if you've noticed recently, but a lot of social media content is not captured by Google or Bing. This was originally meant to protect the privacy of individuals, but note that this also works very nicely for Facebook (and other social media platforms) who want to keep visitors on their sites. See you have to be on Facebook to see Facebook content! What that means for you, is that you cannot count on your web site content to be visible in Facebook or for your site's Facebook content to be visible to Google! In one sentence: You have to make your presence known on social media in order to be searchable on social media. And of course, that means you need to consider the Analytics of each social media platform as separate 'worlds'. There is no longer a single 'analytics'. There are analytics for each planet (social media platform) you live on.

My job is to set you up with that decent page on all the relevant social media platforms and to give you a simple regimen you can live with for keeping those pages 'fresh' without taxing your limited amounts of time and money. That's where I come in. My job is to show you how to do this without going nuts or spending a fortune.

So for 2017, our shared task is first to recognise that many people are now searching within social media and won't see your site otherwise. And then, we create a strategy that lets those people find you as easily as they do via Google or Bing. The landscape has truly changed. It's an adventure, for sure, but it's also a chance for opportunities you may not have even imagined. How's that for a New Year's Resolution?

——————————

Like I always say,, I know you're busy. Hopefully my occasional nags help you think about ways to improve your marketing. But even if you don't have a thing for me to work on at present (shocking but possible) drop me a line anyway and let me know how things are going; market-wise or otherwise. It's always good to hear from you!

Best,

JC'S KEY IDEAS FOR JANUARY 2017

• Facebook Is Becoming It's Own World
  Many users now use a social media platform like Facebook or Twitter as their primary portal to the web.
• Be Social-Media-Searchable
  You need to make sure that your site is search-friendly through all these portals. This is accomplished by establishing a presence on every platform that is relevant to your organisation.
• Management Is Key
  Maintaining a viable presence on a number of platforms can be overwhelming, Plus, it makes your organisation look terrible if they are not consistent. You need a strategy for keeping all your social media presences updated without driving yourself nuts!

mail@jchwebdev.com

(206) 949-0892

© 2017