Social Media Marketing – Improve SEO

Would you believe much of what happens off your shop page is really what determines how many users end up looking at your handmade items?  Links from other sites are vital to the growth of your handmade shop, and this often times thought of as the hardest part of SEO.

The emergence of social media marketing has helped those who sell handmade online attract links and, in turn, boost sales.  Gone are the days where shop owners relied on placing the best keywords in the optimal densities for improved natural search results.

To produce excellent search results, website owners have turned to people-powered social media as a platform to market their site.  There is a noticeable connection between social media and an increase in rank in search engines.

Although keywords still matter (as outlined in the HandmadeMarketing.org top handmade keywords article), selling handmade online allows more options for social media SEO work than other industries.  Many social networking sites fit naturally with online handmade shops.

Blogs are one way handmade sellers can integrate social media into their online marketing plan.  Tara Gentile, from HandmadeInPa, shared her thoughts about using social media to market online.  “Blogs were a great foundation in the move towards web 2.0. I can remember my mom talking about her blog friends who she met through trading comments and badges. But those friends she only talked to once a day or less. Now, I really feel like I know my readers because I connect with so many people on each and every platform. I learn what projects they are starting and what their families are up to. Being able to relate to them in that fashion makes my product better. I know what their needs are and I strive to meet them.”

Top SEO experts will tell you to focus your site on the needs and desires of your site’s target audience.  User-valued content will naturally bring traffic to your handmade shop.  If done correctly, handmade sellers can target potential buyers on social media platforms by pairing your site’s user-valued content with high amounts of social media users.

A shop owner’s challenge?  Find out what you can offer to users and use social media to target those users.  Selling handmade jewelry online?  Consider creating a “how to” section on your blog to show readers your craft process.  Then, find a jewelry forum and add an idea or two about the how you make your pieces.  Trying to push the sale of handmade crochet item?  Do a Twitter search for “crochet” and see what comes up.  Follow those Twitter users and keep tabs on that community within Twitter.  You never know, maybe you’ll stumble upon someone looking for something you can offer.

Although these two examples may not work well with your particular handmade item marketing strategy, the point is simple: the content on your web page is far less important than what other people are saying about your page and how often you are the topic of conversation on the Internet.

Twitter and Facebook are two of Tara’s favorites for connecting with others.  “The sites allow me to put my name, image, and brand in front of Etsy admin, crafting superstars, social media professionals, and potential advertisers every single day,” Tara told us.  “I also love the “six degrees of separation” factor. My followers have followers and those people have followers, etc.  If I have a great post or an interesting message – and the quality is very important – the number of people it can reach is virtually endless.”

Take advantage of the marketing power you can have on social media sites.  Staying active in these websites can help you reach your SEO goals, while connecting with those in the handmade community.  “The communities that we are forming through social media are very real and they create very real action, whether that is support or sales or reciprocal marketing,” Tara adds.

How do you use social media websites to connect with potential buyers?  Which sites have produced the most traffic with the least amount of work on your part?  Have you joined any social media sites that you think are ineffective for increasing traffic?

Tell HandmadeMarketing.org your ideas and gain a link in the process.  Tell us your ideas for optimal social media marketing.  If our editors include your information in an article, we’ll link back to your handmade shop!