In this day and age, if your business doesn’t have at least one social media account, you’re already a step behind most of your competitors. Engaging with customers via social channels such as TikTok, Instagram and Twitter — and having an experienced social media marketing expert on your team — can boost brand exposure, increase engagement, and direct more traffic to your website — as long as you use the right social media tricks!
Looking for ways to enhance your brand’s reputation and increase your reach? Here are 4 effective ways of generating more website traffic from your social media platforms.
What type of social media content drives website traffic?
The type of content you post depends on the platform and the type of pages you’re trying to drive traffic to. If you’re posting video content on TikTok or creating an Instagram reel to promote a product, for example, how-to videos or demos can encourage viewers to head over to your website and purchase the item or learn more.
On the other hand, if LinkedIn is your main platform, then create an engaging post around an interesting topic and make sure your call to action includes a link to your website. You may want to experiment a little to see which types of content get the most comments, likes, or clicks, but any type of high-quality content will help you drive traffic.
How do you add links to your social posts?
One of the most important parts of creating social media content that drives traffic to your website is including a call to action. Whether you redirect people to the link in your bio, urge them to get in touch via your website, or simply encourage them to check out your full product range, an effective call to action prompts an immediate response.
Each platform works slightly differently, but there’s always an option to add links to your content. Here’s how it works:
- Instagram: Use the clickable link sticker in your Instagram stories and include a CTA in your posts that redirects your followers to the link in your bio.
- TikTok: Clickable links aren’t available on TikTok posts — although they are in TikTok ads — but you can add a link in your TikTok bio. Discover the latest trends in TikTok Courses & Classes on our platform.
- YouTube: You can add links in your video captions, through pop-ups during the video, and on video end screens.
- Twitter: Links can be added to your tweets and Twitter carousels and cards that include one or multiple images which, when clicked, redirect the user to an external webpage.
- LinkedIn: You can add a link in your company profile and in the captions of your LinkedIn posts.
- Facebook: Links can be included in your captions, Facebook business page bio, and on Facebook Stories.
How often should you post?
Say you come across an interesting post from a brand on social media, but upon looking at the rest of their profile you realize their content is sporadic or rarely updated. Social media is an excellent tool for driving traffic to your website, so you’ll want to make it a regular part of your content strategy — and this means posting regularly.
However, do remember that it’s quality over quantity. It’s best to post creative and engaging posts 3 times a week that will actually drive traffic to your site rather than posting low-quality content every day just for the sake of it. Using a scheduling tool like Planoly can help you plan your posts ahead of time, too.
Social media posts are important for a number of reasons, including building relationships with your audience and providing valuable content that’s relevant to your industry. So, for some, even one high-quality, relevant post a week can be enough to drive significant engagement and, ultimately, traffic.
How to drive traffic from your social media
Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, you name it: all social media platforms can help your business grow by encouraging more visitors to your website. Just remember, if you’re going to put your efforts into these tactics, firstly your website needs to meet visitors’ expectations by being easy to navigate and well-designed. If you’re using a platform like WordPress, you also need to invest in a reliable (and secure) WordPress hosting platform to ensure your website loads quickly and your users are encouraged to stick around.
1. Optimize your bio and profile
Think of each social media platform as its own mini search engine. Users make specific searches to find the content they’re looking for, and if your page is well-optimized this will increase the number of visitors to your profile.
There are several ways to optimize your profile. For starters, write a clear and concise bio that includes keywords or relevant hashtags. Next, use a high-quality profile picture that makes it easy for new visitors to identify your business and lastly, always include a link to your website in your bio — as this is the call to action that leads them straight to your site!
2. Promote your content on social media
Having a blog page on your website is a great way of generating traffic organically and through social media. Promote new blog posts on your Instagram stories with a link so viewers can go directly to the page and from there, they’re more likely to browse other pages on your website.
The same can be said for sharing new products or services on social media. Whatever it is that you want to advertise on your site, make sure you’re adding a link to the post or in your bio so it’s as easy as possible for users to get to it.
3. Utilize multiple social platforms
Identifying where your target audience is will instantly improve your marketing efforts. But, don’t dismiss other platforms completely. Pinterest, for example, has over 400 million users looking for hacks, aesthetic images, and general inspiration, which lends itself nicely to many ecommerce sites. Simply create a pin, optimize it, and add a link to your site!
While you should put more focus on the social media platforms where your target audience is, having an online presence across multiple platforms will only increase your brand exposure. Again, ensure that your bios always include a link to your website to maximize your traffic potential.
4. Analyze your data
Did you know that you can use a tool such as Google Analytics to analyze where your traffic is coming from? By looking at your analytics, you’ll be able to track the performance of your content, measure the effectiveness of your social media strategy, and find out what’s driving traffic to your site.
You should also take notice of your social media analytics. Here, you can see which types of content people engage with and use this to further drive traffic to your website. These dashboards will also show helpful information, such as when your followers are most active, so you can post at the right time to drive the most amount of traffic.
Social media is all about getting people to see your content and clicking on your website, so you’ll want to try multiple strategies to determine the one that works best for you. With the right approach, you can use social media to target the right people, increase your overall reach and get more eyes on your website.
