As Facebook’s Influence Grows, So Should Your Interest in Social Media

If you ever really needed another excuse to create a company Facebook page, this could be it. A recent study has shown that Facebook is responsible for a huge upswing in referral visits to the websites of high-profile news organizations. It is second only to Google News as the most influential driver. 

What this means is that an increasing amount of traffic that’s coming to news websites is coming directly from users who clicked on a link on Facebook. Driven to various external news sites by links that have been “shared” by our Facebook friends, a growing percentage of us are apparently getting our daily world briefings via everyone’s social media platform of choice.

Everyone’s second favorite social media platform of choice, Twitter, is apparently not doing as well as Facebook in that regard, which is really kind of confusing when you consider how Twitter’s headline-bulletin method seems to make it more conducive to the click-to-read-more mentality. But, the fact remains that, despite what you may have heard to the contrary, Twitter’s audience is far smaller than Facebook’s.

So, what does this latest news tell us about the future of social media marketing? Well for one, it lets us know that social media users like to read – and that keeping up with old friends, playing Farmville, and “poking” everyone they know ad-nauseum isn’t the only activity that Facebook users are engaging in. It also tells us that Facebook is a vital tool to driving users to other sites -- sites such as your own.

Driving social media traffic to your commercial website in the hopes of attracting new business is what it’s all about. But, up until recently, there have been so many detractors, spinning tales of wasted efforts. They seem to be trying to force the “reality” that Facebook is just another flash in the pan pursuit akin to Angry Birds. These opinions may have been reticent to take your first step. However, as this latest study shows us, social media referrals do work.

So, what’s the trick to driving traffic to your company website? In a word: headlines. Think about all those news sites and all the visitors that clicked off of Facebook to take a closer look. The one unifying factor is that each uses the practice of creating short, compelling headlines to attract attention.

If you can do the same by publishing a regularly updated blog that offers a topic that will capture people’s attention, you could be well on your way. Just make sure your headlines are pertinent and non-deceptive. The truth is it’s hard to win back trust online. And, you don’t want to find out the impact that a bona fide social media backlash can have on your business. Keep it honest, and you’ll do great.

For more ideas on how you can use social media to benefit your business, contact Flyline Search Marketing at 1-866-258-5511.