Google has recently updated their algorithm which determines where YOUR website will rank in the search engines.  The new update is referred to as “Hummingbird” and it’s important to understand because it will reward you for having a brand that creates a community of engaged members. 

Business building has always been dependent on successful relationship building, so it makes sense that Google is evaluating website and brand relevance based on tangible evidence in the form of comments, sharing, and even just visitors who hang around your site and devour your content.

Facebook also passes judgement on your value based on how engaged your fans are on your business page.  If your fans “like”, comment and share on your page, Facebook will reward you as well in the form of more visibility.  If your page is like a ghost town, you can count of getting your posts in front of less than 10% of your audience.

With some strategic marketing techniques, you can encourage any mute lurkers to become more active participants.  An active community is what builds your relationship with your tribe, and this will build not only your visibility, but also your business when your connections eventually become clients.

Here are a few quick and easy ways to get more comments, likes and shares on your website and Facebook page:

1. Visual content:  The content that gets the most response is often visual because it’s attention getting and breaks up text on the page.  Graphics do extremely well on Facebook, and can also be shared on Pinterest.  Create simple graphics and infographics whenever you have the opportunity, and repurpose them on your blog, Facebook and Pinterest. 

My Pinterest page is filled with graphics and infographics that I’ve created over the years, and it’s become something my brand is known for.  Marketing which is creative, fun and valuable is worth creating.

Here’s an example of a graphic that I create for my Facebook birthday friends’.  Every day I post a message and a Zodiac birthday card for my friends.  What is the point of having social media connections if you never interact with them?  My graphics usually get a lot of likes, and are often shared as well. 

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2.  Calls to Action: Include calls to action with your posts.  On your blog, encourage readers to share their opinions, comments and questions.  Ask at the end of your blog articles.  Ask for “likes” and “shares” on Facebook.  And ask thought provoking questions.  You can even combine the tip above with this one by asking fun riddle like questions:
 
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3.  Content Worth Sharing:  Answer questions that your prospective clients are asking.  It goes without saying that it’s necessary to create content that of value and therefore worth sharing.  Calls to action won’t help content that is boring or thrown together.  Take a stand, stake a claim, and travel the road less taken.  Even if your information isn’t the most unique, make it unique by infusing your personality, personal stories, sense of humor or visual aids.
4. Leverage technology:  If you have a WordPress website, it’s simple to install social sharing buttons on your site and incorporate them into your blog posts.  My blog has a large graphic that encourages feedback and it automatically is part of every post I publish.  We also have sharing buttons on the home page and blog, and Pinterest buttons next to any graphics on my site.
Installing these plugins will help you encourage your content to go viral.  My last blog post as of this writing was shared to Facebook 25 times, tweeted 12 times and shared on LinkedIn 72 times!   Plugins pretty much rock and help to automate the marketing process, and they appease the Google gods as well. 
 
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Which of these strategies do you need to implement right away? Do you have any questions or comments? Please leave a comment below, I’d love to hear your ideas or answer any questions, and give you some visibility in return with a live link back to your website. :)