Social media marketing is now not just confined to a mere Facebook Page or a Twitter Account; it is now infiltrating our search engine results.
The two biggest search engines Google and Bing have begun to personalise and make search engine results more real time relevant for users, in essence taking into account how well a web page is received by the public or the "public" meaning those with Google and Facebook accounts as will be discussed here.
Bing has teamed up with Facebook and is now taking into account, as a search engine ranking factor on the site, the number of times a web page has been shared on Facebook. This was initially a means of viral marketing i.e. spreading the message amongst friends in the hope of passing it on, but now Bing have added it to as an element to their algorithm (search engine ranking factors) in ranking sites on Bing. For instance if Mary Facebook "likes" or "recommends" (these two words are used interchangeably in Facebook) a web page on the topic "fishing in Ireland" meaning posting it to her Facebook wall; it is now counted as an endorsement of the content on that website and weight will be given accordingly to this endorsement in the Bing search engine results.
The personalisation of this sharing occurs after Mary's Facebook "like". Example if John - Mary's Facebook friend - comes along with the search query "fishing in Ireland" in Bing whilst being signed into his Facebook account, it will rank the site Mary "likes" higher in the search engine results in Bing and show that Mary has 'liked' it adjacent to the search engine results thus personalising the search engine experience for John and giving credibility to that web result.
Google +1 is Google's answer to the Bing Facebook alliance and works on the same principle. Anyone that has a Google Account can "+1" a web page. The number of +1s a web page receives will be displayed in the web results when signed in and will display anyone within your network of contacts who have previously +1d a site that is coming up will actively show that you endorsed it to your contacts. Find out more here >>. Here is an example of how +1s will integrate with Google's new Google+ social network
So having a Google Recommend or Like Button and a Google +1 can have both a viral and a social media benefit but how do we encourage visitors and people to actively endorse the site. The primary way is to have a Google +1 button and a Facebook Like prominently displayed on all web pages on your website. Examples of sites which have social media linking buttons on their sites include: The Twelve Hotel where the social media icons are positioned horizontally or Patrick Punchs Hotel Limerick where they are positioned vertically.
For more information on how to leverage social media sharing for a more cohesive online marketing strategy please discuss with your Marketing Manager at Aró