What are Social Signals?
We wrote a long article about Social Signal last month and got tremendous responses. I got emails discussing this with me and appreciating the article. Many shared the article too.
Looks like everyone is agreeing that Social Signal is going to takeover backlinks in the very foreseeable future (or it is already taking place!).
Facebook implemented their “like” button for users to share pages and media they find interesting and worth looking at. It displays as an action on their profile, making their discovery open for their network to explore and take an interest in themselves. Twitter utilizes a retweet option, which takes a twitter post and basically republishes it to another user’s network of followers. Google+ created the +1, by the far the most popular social signal, as a non-intrusive method of popularity for media pages and content. The theory is as follows: the more +1s a page has, the more interesting it is.
All three of these social signals create the same outcome: An Online Personality. Yes, the internet is no longer anonymous. Because of this, it gets easier to track who’s content is better! (that means who should rank higher!)
How effective are you at utilizing social signals to bolster and positively impact your online personality? If you’re unfamiliar with social signals, integrating aspects of these powerful mechanisms can exponentially raise your online influence and amount of interested followers.
Here are The Top Ten reasons Why Your Social Signal Matters:
10. Social Signals Are Trendy in Nature – You Can Create One
Managing your social signals well can easily trend into full-blown viral marketing campaign. The higher your number of +1s, “likes,” and retweets can make or break your impact as a trending topic or media page. The best part about these trends is that your social signals stay lit, even after the viewers leave. Once the button is clicked, it stays there as a marker. New visitors and older visitors will recognize the interest you’re capable of generating. It’s easier to create a trend now than ever, thanks to the social networks.
9. You Can Reach a Wider Audience – Most of The Time, Cheaper than Traditional Medium
We all know it: our audience and potential client reach can be larger and grow wider. If you’ve tried all of the ideas out there and are still struggling to spark the interest of the public, social signals are a subtle yet distinctly recognizable form of social sharing. Networks grow by reaching slightly outside their tight circle of friends, making acquaintances with new contacts. Social signals work in the same way, driving new viewers to your content at a comfortable pace. Many new businesses nowadays rely on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter to generate leads and revenues more than their dot com. There are REAL people in the networks! They aren’t fake.
8. Your Potential Impact on Youth – The Happy Buzz Builders
50% of Facebook users are younger than 24 years old. The youth of today will become tomorrow’s leaders. Imagine how powerful a positive relationship can be with this audience! Social signals are used by almost all internet users, and the younger generations have caught on like a blazing wild fire. Their opinions are loud and clear on the Internet. Once they declare a like for something, their entire network of friends and family will get involved and explore it as well, the result is always amazing. Establish a positive relationship with the youth now, and you will secure consistent recognition among the generation as they enter the working world.
7. Social Signals Work 24/7 for You.
Guess who’s promoting your online presence while you are asleep? Those social signals, acting as “bookmarks” for users and their friends and their friends and all over the world. Once a viewer decides to press that “like” or retweet your media, it carries a second wind of exposure and outlasts the first 24 hours after publishing. The ripples just keep on going. Let the users naturally drive your content to the top. You do know, anyone you want to reach is just 7 persons away.
6. Create Positive First Impressions That Lasts.
In addition to consistently and exponentially growing interest among users, by establishing a collection of positive social signals you are contributing to a new viewer’s first impressions. ”Does someone I know think this is valuable?” If their answer is yes, you are likely to receive additional recognition and appreciation. This is especially true on content that helps. Present yourself as a thought leader, this helps attract people to follow you.
5. Make Sharing a Cinch – Social is Better Than Traditional Email
On the user’s end, coming across an interesting blog, video, or article warrants a desire to be shared. In the past, hyperlinks and URLs were the less aesthetic method of sending pages to friends. Sending a link through e-mail, which was the most common method of delivery, only guarantees exposure to a particular person. Social networks make this process instantaneous– generating a mini vote from the user that says “I approve and find this link very interesting, and I think you will too.” They also solve the problem of limited exposure by being displayed on the user’s profile, so anyone who comes across them can potentially come across you. Traditional emails has become the new snail-mail!
4. Proven to Raise Your Traffic.
Blogger Dr. Pete decided to answer the question “do social signals drive traffic?” His findings were not surprising, given his data as an example. Any post that was available for using social signals, Google’s +1 and Facebook’s like, had about 60% likelihood of correlating with a high number of views. A more recent study that diagnosed correlations between page views and the same social signals have raised to about 75% likelihood– meaning that these convenient methods of sharing media are here to stay!
3. It’s Too Easy To Click On A Button!
Here’s the fact: when buttons are presented to online viewers, they will click them. Even more so, social signals are designed in such a way that they empower the user just by clicking a +1 or “like.” Imagine how great they will feel by knowing that they are sharing your media with their friends– having these options available can generate interest within communities, turning viral within days and (sometimes) hours. I am sure you know some of your friends just like to press buttons, making their facebook wall messy with all kinds of their activities to a stage it actually annoys you. People ARE sharing!
2. It’s a Better Indicator of Quality.
Foodies are known for their scrupulous perspectives on restaurant dishes and desserts all over the world. Surely, a viewer can trust an expert’s opinion on something, and they do. However, when a person is viewing a family member or close friend’s profile, content that their personal contact finds interesting seems more relevant than an expert’s recommendation. Especially when friends have similar tastes, what they like could essentially be what their friend is more willing to try. Having a celebrity endorse beauty products is persuasive, but your best friend’s favorite moisturizer is down right demanding of your attention. Because of this, major search engines are focusing their algorithm on Social Signals rather than backlinks. It’s almost the end of the backlinking day.
1. You Become a Little More Human.
Online media is detached from personable, affable personality. It is simply code and text on a blank screen that conveys interesting and intriguing information to a reader. It surely improves their lives, but it does not make a connection with them. A reader does not feel individualized by reading the traditional website. Social Networks raise awareness by designating how many of what types of viewers appreciate your online presence. They get to know YOU.
A follower on Twitter means that someone is interested in what you have to say. A Facebook friend desires to connect with you and what’s going on in your life. A circle on Google+ links multiple contacts into a huddle for sharing content and ideas in a meaningful way. This is also the reason why you should track your social signals.
Connecting with your viewers and displaying the positive impressions you have made upon them will nurture and blossom into a powerful and influential online presence that people connect with.
Don’t forget to download our Free Guide On Boosting Social Signals.
by Daniel Tan
About Daniel Tan
