Important as it may be, a left wing alone will not complete the elements needed to launch an airplane, just as SEO alone will not be enough to make up an entire online marketing program.  As social media becomes more prevalent, a social media marketing strategy becomes the right wing to help the online marketing program launch and maintain flight.

Below are three ways social media marketing helps support an online marketing program:

1. Builds Website Legitimacy: More and more, search engines are recognizing companies with a social media presence as more legitimate than those without. As such, search rankings, traffic – and of course, corresponding inquiries and sales – all tie into establishing a social media presence.
2. Real-Time Search: Tweets, Facebook comments, blog posts, and more – they can all be found, and found quickly, thanks to real-time search. Social media will do more than just help enhance the online presence of your website – it can become an entirely new online presence all its own.
3. Enhance Trust: Searchers return to websites they know and they trust. Social media channels provide an avenue to build this trust by connecting with users on a personal and interactive level.  This can help reinforce returning traffic while also pulling new visitors.

Stay up-to-date with the latest SEO and social media development recommendations by subscribing to our newsroom RSS feed, following @TopRank on Twitter or becoming a fan of Online Marketing Blog on Facebook.

Learn more about the social media marketing programs offered by TopRank® Online Marketing by downloading our Social SEO Guides.

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Below, find how two of the five tips offered by Singer have helped boost everything from search engine rankings to social media exposure for TopRank Clients.

• Leverage formulas which work for others
  ’16 Must-Read B2B Marketing Strategy Ebooks’ by Marketo

Smashing Magazine has made page one of Digg hundreds of times using the headline formula ‘number + adjective + sticky message.’  Of course, this formula only works if the headline directs to content that is equally compelling to the audience.

With Marketo, a leading marketing automation software provider, TopRank provides consultation and helps create blog content that activates a passionate community of well connected and influential B2B marketers.  Tying the successful formula above to content proven to resonate with this audience helped this post achieve 500+ inbound links, a significant number of Tweets and a #4 Google ranking for  ‘marketing strategy ebooks,’ since its publication in December of 2009.

• Headlines should be outrageous, engaging, emotional, useful, counter-intuitive or remarkable – not to the world, but to your community
  ‘Microsoft Dynamics XRM: The Holiday Gift That Keeps on Giving,’ by InterDyn BMI

Not every product or service is designed to have broad appeal.  In cases where more niche markets are being targeted, the key is to find that fine line between broad appeal and bullseye need.

InterDyn BMI, a leading Microsoft Dynamics solution partner, concepted a post in December of 2009 that would connect two seemingly unrelated entities: Microsoft Dynamics XRM, a business software application, and holiday gift giving.

With a compelling headline tying it all together, this post achieved three times greater traffic than any other individual post in December, accounting for nearly 10% of total blog traffic for the month.  This post was also submitted and published to top online industry publications including CRM Software Blog and Microsoft Dynamics Community.

Stay up to date with success stories like these, and the latest news and announcements from TopRank® Online Marketing, by subscribing to our newsroom RSS feed, following @TopRank on Twitter, or becoming a fan of Online Marketing Blog on Facebook.

For more information on how a social media strategy can help improve your online marketing efforts, download the TopRank Social Media Guide.

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To develop a social media strategy that works for your business, the first step is to outline your goals. What do you want social media to do for you? Drive traffic to your website, engage your target audience in conversation, build relationships with your prospects, or build awareness for your brand online.

The next step in developing your social media strategy is to know your target audience. Who are they, what are they talking about, where are they making connections online. Once you understand who your target audience is, identify how you want to position yourself with your audience.

Finally, after you have outlined your plan, start listening to the conversation via the social media channels your audience is already participating in and gauge the tone of the conversation as well as the rules of the community.

Contact TopRank Marketing to discuss developing a social media marketing strategy, and the online channels to engage your target audience.

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