Marketers talk a lot about the marriage of content marketing and SEO practices, saying one cannot exist without the other, but social media marketing should also be included in the conversation. According to Econsultancy contributor Jennifer Dunphy, social media content and SEO content have converged to create a union of technology and methodology.
At one point in time, SEO existed in a different realm than social media or content marketing. In fact, of brands that engaged in all three, separate strategies were developed for each, and budgets were also divided up accordingly. However, this has all changed as businesses realize that SEO and social media go hand-in-hand to create online marketing success.
According to the Econsultancy, 97 percent of marketers say they believe social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest provide benefits to their businesses. From a lead generation and nurturing prospective, marketers continue to miss the link between the two practices – professionals don’t utilize the powers of each.
Dunphy goes on to say that marketers who recognize that the future of search – which includes SEO and social media content – has already arrived, and early adopters can gain significant competitive advantages if they realize this before other brands.
Since SEO and social remain two avenues for discover that drive leads, encourage word-of-mouth marketing and highlight valuable custom content, marketers must treat the two practices as one methodology. Marketers must build strong social platforms and distribute quality branded content through these networks. This affects PageRank, traffic and the overall virility of online media.
All signs point toward major search engines like Google and Bing putting greater emphasis on considering social signals in how they organize and present content in SERPs.
In fact, all signs point toward major search engines like Google and Bing putting greater emphasis on considering social signals in how they organize and present content in SERPs. Brands that understand the value of social media marketing, which includes publishing unique content regularly, may find their social followers are not only growing, but they’re more active participants in social chatter.
According to Webmarketing 123’s “State of Digital Marketing 2012” report, 52 percent of U.S. B2C brands and 41 percent of U.S. B2B companies plan to increase their social media marketing budgets in 2013. As for those who also plan to allocate more resources toward social marketing next year, a comparable percentage should go to SEO initiatives, as well.
