Today’s affiliates understand the importance of online visibility and the place social media has in their marketing efforts—they’re blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, YouTubing and LinkingIn. Despite the boom in online marketing, however, there are affiliates who still choose to fly under the radar and keep a low-profile. This was fine a couple of years ago, but in today’s business world, this can be a fatal mistake.
Here is why you can no longer be anonymous as an affiliate online.
Hiding Online Can Hurt You
If you choose to keep your social media profile settings set to private or do not actively engage with your users online, you run the risk of:
- Losing clients due to a lack of interest and trust in your brand
- Losing traffic that could be filtered to your website through social media links on your home page
- Losing traffic that could be filtered to your social media accounts from email campaigns
- Inability to include your Twitter handle and Facebook URL on your business card and other promotional materials
- Inability to cross-promote your accounts whenever possible
Ever hear of Meetup? Check out why this offline marketing tactic could boost your business.
Your Anonymity is Not a Shield
There’s a big difference between blogging and telling people you’re blogging. If you’re unsure of the quality of content you are providing, inviting others to see your work can create pressure to make it great—and this is a good thing. Give your users a chance to get to know you better and see your contributions—even if they’re not perfect. This will push you to become better at what you do.
Users Want the Control
Users want to engage with you how they want to do it. Not everyone may want to visit your website every day, but would rather look you up through other sources. Make sure to give your users different options to find you online. Let them know they can get your blog posts via RSS, Twitter, Facebook, etc. By providing access to your social media accounts, you give users the tools they need to interact with you on their terms.
Exposing Yourself Builds Trust
When your site includes links to connect with you on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog—you instantly build trust. You’re showing your users that you are not an illusive, faceless business that is unreachable and uninterested in connecting with your clients. It also allows your users to become more familiar with your brand and you as a real person—and that you’re confident in what you do and are willing to expose.
Your Online Visibility Helps SEO
Increasing your online exposure through social media accounts can help you rank better on search engines. By linking your accounts from your website (and vice versa), you make them all stronger. And since Google is now indexing Facebook comments, this is even more reason to incorporate these links.
As an affiliate, do you choose to fly under the radar online, or are you trying to be found as much as possible? Is there one specific outlet that you think is helping your business the most? Tell us in the comments below.