I’ve been thinking a lot about how to use Twitter, not as an engagement tool, but as an SEO tool for some of our clients. And then, one of my favorite Canadians, Danny Brown, blogged about using social media in a way that’s right for you. And, just like he always does, he pulled the rug right out from under me! Okay, not really, but it is true that I think through something only in my head and he writes it before I have the chance to say it out loud. Now if I could just figure out how to switch that around!
Not the point. The point is this…Google now considers Twitter when it crawls websites and, if a website doesn’t have a Twitter account associated with it, it “downgrades” the site.
We work, almost exclusively, in the B2B market. And, most of our clients not only don’t have Twitter accounts, but NO ONE is talking about their industries, them, or their competitors online.
I think it was Seth Godin that said something to the effect that if you wait for a case study in your industry before you get started, you’ll be too late. For our clients, we live that mantra.
So we look at things, such as Twitter, to give them a leg up on their competition and within their industries. But sometimes we go out there with really great content and no one is listening.
So, what if instead, we used Twitter not as an engagement tool (yet – just because no one is using it in these industries), but as as SEO tool? Not only does that help their Google juice, but it keeps them one step ahead so they are the case studies and their competitors are too late. They’re already there when their customers and prospects inevitably begin using the tool.
Look, I’m a high user of Twitter (I know, big surprise) and I believe strongly in its ability to help you network and engage. So it makes me crazy when I see a tweet stream full of just company tweets. But, if their audiences aren’t there yet, what does it hurt if it’s helping them to own the first page of Google?
Am I off my rocker or can you see this tact working for some of your clients or the companies for which you work? Those companies who don’t want to use the tool because they don’t care what someone had for lunch or that their customer isn’t there? I think it can work. What say you?