5 Steps to Generate Links Using Social Media

Most businesses use social media to build brand awareness and generate sales. This can be done through organic, sponsored, and paid ad campaigns. But you may not realize that social media can also help you with link-building, which is essential for your SEO. Social media link building involves using social platforms to identify and secure quality backlinks. Read on to find out how social media can help you generate links.

What Is Link Building?

Link building refers to the methods through which brands acquire backlinks to their website from other websites. When other websites or brands link back to your content on their web page, it’s called inbound links or backlinks. Inbound links are vital for SEO as they lend credence to your website. A study conducted by SEMrush discovered that backlinks are among the most prominent SEO ranking factors.

Backlinks give your website credibility. They show search engines that other websites trust your content and are willing to link to it and send their site visitors to your website. As such, the search engines will rank you higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Effective link-building strategies, including hiring specific link building services, can drive more organic traffic to your website. When other brands link to your content on their website, it increases the likelihood that some visitors will follow the backlink and visit your website. And while many link-building strategies exist, social media also offer opportunities to generate backlinks. Let’s discuss how in the next section.

5 Steps to Generate Links Using Social Media

To generate quality backlinks to your content, you need to build real relationships with people who may be interested in your content. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest offer a medium for building relationships. You can use social media for link prospecting, content ideation, and content promotion.

Here are the five steps to social media link building:

Find and Reach out to Bloggers

Guest blogging is one of the most effective ways to build backlinks. In this technique, website owners write guest posts for other bloggers. In exchange, they get to include a backlink within the post pointing back to their website.  Social media can help you with this process. Use social platforms to identify and reach out to bloggers. You can even build long-term relationships with them from these social platforms. The first step is to identify bloggers you want backlinks from. If you already have this list, then go on and search for their brands on social media.

Almost all brands have a social media marketing plan. Therefore, you should be able to find those bloggers easily, especially on top social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok. LinkedIn can come into play if you’re in the B2B industry, like a B2B PR firm.

After finding the bloggers, the next step is to follow their accounts and engage with their content. It’s essential to do this before reaching out to the blogger. It helps you understand the content the blogger produces for their audience. That will help you develop content ideas the blogger will likely accept. After analyzing and interacting with their content, it’s time to pitch your idea. Make your pitch as personalized as possible. It shouldn’t feel like a generic pitch sent to multiple bloggers. Make it specific to the blogger you want to collaborate with. This increases your chances of getting a positive response. You can reach out to the blogger via direct messages. However, it is also worth following it up with a personalized email.

Share Your Content on Social Platforms

Social media is an effective content distribution channel. This is because of its popularity and easy access to a large audience. However, creating social media accounts isn’t enough. You also need to share high-quality content regularly to improve brand exposure. Research the popular keywords in your industry and create thought leadership content around them. For example, “how to” content can present your brand as an authority in your field while helping prospects struggling with specific pain points. After valuable content writing, distribute it on social platforms. This is an excellent way to increase exposure to that particular content. Potential customers will see it, and other brands may also come across it. This increases the likelihood that other bloggers will find it valuable for their audiences and link to it from their websites.

For example, SEMrush runs a powerful SaaS content production strategy, creating SEO studies and insightful guides. They also have an effective content distribution campaign. They share their posts on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

This exposes it to thousands of SEO professionals. Most of them end up referencing those guides and studies in their blogs. That earns SEMrush tons of backlinks. In addition to the above “traditional” sharing method, consider using Twitter threads. With threads, you can educate your audience within Twitter before asking them to visit your site. This is a great way to showcase the value of your piece of content and hook the readers, forcing them to click through.

Simply break the piece of content into several main ideas. Then, discuss the main ideas briefly in a Twitter thread. And in the final tweet, include a link to the webpage where readers can learn more about the topic. This technique is brilliant because it can increase your tweet’s reach. We’ve seen so many brands and personalities go viral with Twitter threads. And as the reach increases, more bloggers will likely see the content and share it with their audiences.

That’s the technique Buffer used with this thread. The last tweet directs users to the full blog post. It’s worth pointing out that Buffer did a study and noticed Twitter threads get more impressions and engagements than a single tweet with a link. Post it across various social media channels to ensure your content gets across to as many people as possible. Social sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram are effective channels for sharing your content.

Build Social Media Relationships

One major benefit social media offers is the opportunity to build valuable relationships. Social sites offer a platform to connect with people from all around the world. And not just with potential customers. You can also build valuable relationships with other brands. Relationships that can result in great collaborations beyond link building. It’s also a great way to get more followers on Instagram, Twitter, and other social platforms, increasing your reach.

To build social media relationships, you’ll need to interact with people on a personal level. Join conversations about your industry and business while interacting with various content types. Here’s an example of an interaction on Facebook by a Social Media Examiner.
Also, building relationships with influencers can be an effective link-building strategy. That’s especially true in the B2B industry, where influencers also have high-ranking blogs. But remember, building a relationship takes time. So, start by helping the bloggers you want links from. Engage with their content and cultivate the relationship before asking for links. This is essential if you want long-lasting relationships.

Use Hashtags on Twitter

Twitter needs no introduction. It’s one of the most popular social media platforms with many active users. It offers a valuable platform for getting backlinks because it’s also one of those platforms where the most influential people, including website owners, are active. Hashtags are commonly used on Twitter to identify trends and popular topics. You can look for popular hashtags in your niche and include them in your tweets. This can increase your tweet impressions. Additionally, look out for relevant keywords and include them in your tweets.

Here’s an example of a brand using popular hashtags to increase the reach of its tweet. You can look at tweets from established brands, competitors, and influencers within your niche to know which hashtags to use. Also, trending topics can serve as a source for hashtags. However, before including them in your tweet, research and know what each trending topic and hashtag is about. Also, you can create a personalized or branded hashtag and encourage your followers to use them.

Add Website Links to Your Social Channels

The last tip on our social media link-building guide is to add your website link to your social channels. All social channels allow brands to add a link in the bio. Use this opportunity to link to your website. Remember that none of the links in the bio directly impact your organic SEO rankings. However, they help other people find your website when checking your profile. Think about it: when someone comes across your content on social media and likes it, they will check out your profile next. It’s vital to ensure your profile is as informative as possible. Including a link to your website is vital in ensuring those users can visit your site and learn more about your brand.

It’s not just potential customers who’ll do this. Other website owners who want to learn more about you will visit your social media profile. Ensure the link to your website is present to help them see more of your quality content and increase your chances of securing backlinks.

Generate Links via Social Media – In Closing

Link building is vital to your SEO efforts, and social media can be valuable. Social media platforms are an avenue to connect with people who can interact and link to your content. There are different ways through which you can generate links via social media. I have discussed five in this article. You can use social media to find and reach out to bloggers, share your content, and build relationships. You can also use hashtags to expand your reach and a link on your social media profiles to your websites.