Arik Hanson December 16, 2021 For as far back as I can remember (12 years now), there has been one consistent strategy when it comes to social media marketing: To drive traffic from social to our corporate blogs.
And, over the years we’ve seen many companies jump on board. In fact, according to UMass Dartmouth’s Center for Marketing Research, 54% of Fortune 500 companies have blogs–and many of those companies are most likely using social to drive people to them.
However, as we head into 2022, it’s time to change that thinking. Because it hasn’t really been working that well for years.
Why? 3 big reasons.
1: Most people want to stay on the social network they’re surfing on
It’s been well-documented by now–most folks want to stay on Twitter, Facebook, Insta, etc. vs. clicking over to a corporate web site for more information.
2: Platforms are now either prohibiting links or discouraging them
As you probably know, TikTok does the former. And platforms like Insta do the latter. So, if they’re ACTIVELY discouraging or prohibiting links in posts, why should we expect them to perform well?
3: We’ve become lazy with our teasers
“Check this out” or “Click here to learn more” are not good enough in 2021. We’ve become borderline horrible social media copywriters. We’re lazy, relying on these kinds of simple phrases that don’t convince anyone to click through. Why should we expect them to?
So, driving traffic to corporate blogs from social media channels really should no longer be a thing. It’s done. Kaput. Finito.
However, that’s not to say your corporate blog doesn’t have immense value–because it does! We just have to reframe how we think about that value.
Here’s my recommendation in terms of reframing this conversation about corporate blogs:
1: Corporate blogs should be (and really, always have been) primarily about SEO value
This really should have been true from the beginning. It’s all about organic search. In fact, the #1 traffic driver to your corporate blog should definitely be organic search–and that should be the goal from the get-go. So, that means making sure you take careful effort to do your keyword research and planning, for example.
2: Use content from corporate blogs right in social posts
Instead of trying to drive traffic from social to your blog, use the content from your blog right in the social post. Give the audience the information from your posts right in the social posts. In a way, this is a far more effective and efficient way to use a corporate blog. You could get 3-5 social posts out of every blog post!
3: Use blog posts as media relations fodder
I’ve been doing this for years–and I know I’m not alone in this approach. Blog posts are often perfect material for media pitches.
4: Social may not drive traffic, but e-newsletters certainly will
I know brands have been doing this for years, but again, if we’re reframing the conversation, e-newsletters are at the top of the list in terms of tools that CAN drive traffic to your blog. One of my clients sees this on a monthly basis–e-newsletters trump social in terms of traffic, and it’s not even close.
5: Think about paid search campaigns, too
And often-overlooked tactic, paid search ads can be a great way to drive traffic to your corporate blog. Especially if you’re producing content on that blog that fits in the “useful” bucket. That’s the exact kind of content that works well for paid search ads.
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