Social Media Marketing Paying Off In the Penguin Age
The first half of 2012 was a tumultuous period for SEO and SEM industries.
As Google started rolling algorithm updates at full throttle, many were left hanging and wondering why their rankings on SERPs suddenly took a nosedive. A huge number of small-scale businesses bore the full brunt of the Google Penguin- Google’s last major update that went live in April 2012, but famous websites like eHow.com (a popular online aggregation of how-to guides and other user generated content) were also not spared. Since most businesses and sites are highly dependent on Google for traffic, the downrankings were considered a major and inopportune financial setback that negatively affected a business’ or website’s income generating potential.
People are asking what’s in store for SEO and SEM in the Panda and Penguin age. Skeptics say, their futures will be depressingly dim. Some even predicted that the algorithm changes brought about by Google will spell the death of these internet industries entirely.
But, you know what? They’re completely wrong.
SEO And SEM Are Alive And Kicking!
Let’s look at the other side of the coin. The people who are actually causing all the uproar are the ones that were negatively affected by the Google algorithm updates. And here’s another fact: they only represent a small percentage of the whole Internet population that were hit by the updates. For most, the Panda and Penguin updates have positively boosted their rankings, and these are the ones who are most silent about it.
So, what happened to those who experienced downranks? Well, it’s kind of their fault actually because these were the people who mistakenly hired low-priced optimization services from companies who practised shady black-hat SEO techniques. Others were merely victims of ignorance – those who relied on old SEO methods and outdated content to get them through Google user searches.
Making The Best Use Of Social Media Marketing In The Penguin Age
As such, Google search algorithm updates do not diminish the role that SEO and/or social media marketing plays in the Internet world. It’s just a new and more relevant phase that we’re ushering in, one that should have happened a long time ago. We need to makeover past online marketing approaches and start introducing new concepts which would be more efficient and more beneficial in the Penguin era.
The effects of social media marketing campaigns are quite difficult to measure, which is probably why businesses prefer to use techniques such as paid advertising or PPC where the resulting conversions are clearer and more instantaneous. But in light of the Google Panda and Penguin updates, where the social influence of an author and the social signals that a webpage generates are important ranking components, social media has now become an essential tool in any web marketer’s arsenal.
Social media marketing is now played on a whole different level. Though there are no definite formulas for success (as Google wouldn’t release the exact factors that they use for search engine rankings), online marketers can still benefit from these few helpful pointers.
1. Goal-based ROI for Social Media
The ROI (Return on Investment) gained through social media cannot be computed in a linear manner. A lot of metrics are at work here, since social media involves wide and tight-knit groups of people that behave in a complex manner. It’s difficult to assign a monetary value to anything. Instead, businesses and website owners can use the attainment of social media goals as benchmarks, then analyze these to see if ROI goals have been met. An example of a goal is reaching a set number of likes or followers on Facebook and Twitter. These could then be analyzed if they resulted into conversions or increased sales.
2. Social Media To Build Brand Engagement
Online social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and even media-sharing sites such as Youtube have already proven their prowess when it comes to engaging people. Businesses can harness this power by building a formidable brand presence on these networks, thereby creating an online identity that people can interact with. They can then use this online brand identity to be in constant contact with their customers, to constantly engage them and to listen to what they have to say.
3. Networking Through Social Media
One way to build authority and presence on the Internet is by networking with people that are on the same niche as yours. Think of it as a method of gaining allies that will help a website gain wider exposure. A website that is associated with a pioneering and established entity will surely be more trusted than one that is left alone in the wild. These connections with influential people in a particular niche would surely be of great help to a website that is aiming for success.
4. Quality Content is King
Even if social signals have become major players in online marketing, it’s best not to forget the other components that make up a successful marketing campaign. For one, the importance of quality and original content cannot be stressed enough. Good writing and creativity should never be put aside. These are just some of the things that make people want to stay around on a page for longer periods of time.
Marketing through social media is not an easy task. But with the right techniques, businesses and websites can easily reach success even in the midst of all the algorithm updates that Google is dishing out. With a few tweaks here and there, social media is a very profitable venture for everyone. Businesses are highly encouraged to engage in it for building brand identity and online presence. It can now be considered as the future of online marketing.
About Daniel Tan
