Understanding Social Traffic and How to Boost Your Social Media Traffic

5.17 billion social media users globally in July 2024 were reported in a study. This means 63.7% of the total world population; more than half of the world is online and that’s exactly what you need.

Social traffic is a goldmine for attracting target audiences and converting them into paying audiences. In case you don’t know what it is or if you’re wondering how to increase your traffic, then you’ve surfed to the right spot.

In this blog post you’ll learn:

• Social traffic meaning
• Why is social media traffic important?
• How to increase social traffic to a website?
• Tool to track social media traffic
• Lots more

So, be ready to jump right in the middle of traffic.

What is Social Traffic?

Social traffic is the measurement of traffic coming to your mobile site, website, or mobile app from social media platforms and social networking sites. This means any visitors who click on links shared via social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc, which direct users to a brand’s website.

Above is an example of social traffic allowing users to visit KingsResearch site by clicking on their LinkedIn post.

This measure is essential for determining how well social media advertising strategies work to drive traffic to websites and lead to conversions.

The three different types of social traffic include:

Organic Traffic

Organic traffic refers to all visits a user makes to a website or mobile application through unpaid search results.

This includes visitors who find your site via search engines like Google, without the influence of paid advertisements.

Referral Traffic

Referral traffic encompasses visits to your site from links on other websites. This type of traffic is crucial as it can drive a significant number of visitors and should be carefully monitored and measured.

Direct Traffic

Direct traffic consists of visitors who directly enter your website URL into their browser’s search bar.

This indicates that users are aware of your site and are visiting it without the need for intermediary search engines or referral links.

Also Read: The Rise of B2B Influencer Marketing on Social Media: 2024 and Beyond

Why is social traffic important?

• Increased visibility and brand awareness: With billions of active users, social media platforms offer a large audience. By directing traffic from different channels, companies can significantly improve their brand awareness and visibility. This allows more potential customers to find and interact with the brand.
• Building relationships and engagement: Social media allows brands to communicate directly with their audience, driving engagement. As well as increasing traffic, user-generated content creates a community around the brand, leading to repeat business and customer loyalty.
• Measurable ROI: Businesses can monitor the success of their social media initiatives using Google Analytics.
• Sales and lead generation: Social media traffic has a direct impact on each of these metrics. By optimizing content for engagement and sharing, businesses can convert social media interactions into sales opportunities.
• Benefits for SEO: Even though social signals do not directly impact search engine rankings, greater activity on social media can lead to backlinks and mentions, both of which are good for search engine optimization.

How to increase social traffic to your website?

Follow the below steps to understand how to increase website traffic through social media.

Choose the Right Platforms

Not every social media platform will suit your business. Understanding where your target audience spends their time is crucial.

Example: If you run a B2B company, platforms like LinkedIn may be more effective than Instagram. You can create a LinkedIn page, share industry insights, and engage with professionals to drive traffic to your website.

Use analytics tools to identify where your audience is most active. Focus your content efforts on those platforms to maximize engagement and traffic.

Create Engaging Content

Content that resonates with your audience is more likely to be shared, increasing your reach. 55% of consumers follow businesses on social media due to their interesting and amusing content.

Example: A travel blog could post stunning photos and videos of destinations, along with engaging stories. For instance, a post titled “Top 10 Hidden Gems in Europe” with beautiful visuals can attract shares and clicks.

Use tools like Canva for graphics or video editing software to create visually appealing content. Incorporate storytelling to make your posts relatable and shareable.

Include user-generated content (UGC) in your marketing strategy and send it out via email marketing, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Some of the effective forms of UGC include:

• Videos
• Blogs
• Photos
• Reviews
• Graphics
• Testimonials

Crowdo does an excellent job at improving social media traffic by creating targeted messaging and encouraging users to take action.

Another way is to use low-budget, behind-the-scenes footage. Customers look for genuine content from companies.

The above TikTok reel by Semrush got a whopping 3.9 million likes on it. This shows the immense potential behind creating authentic and genuine content.

As per The 2023 Sprout Social Index, consumers find that genuine, non-commercial content is the most lacking aspect of brands on social media.

Post regularly and at optimal times

Consistency keeps your audience engaged while posting at the right times ensures maximum visibility.

You can also schedule posts using tools like Buffer or Hootsuite.

Analyze your social media insights to determine when your audience is most active. Create a content calendar to maintain a consistent posting schedule.

Utilize hashtags and keywords

Hashtags and keywords help categorize your content, making it easier for users to discover your posts.

Remember that not every hashtag is appropriate for every social media network. For instance, hashtags on Facebook and Instagram Reel are not the same as hashtags on TikTok. Make sure you conduct audience research on the particular platform you have in mind.

Use tools like Hashtagify or RiteTag and incorporate a mix of popular and niche-specific hashtags in your posts.

Engage with Your Audience

Building relationships with your followers fosters loyalty and encourages them to share your content.

A food blog could ask followers to share their favorite recipes in the comments. Responding to comments and sharing user-generated content can enhance community engagement.

Dedicate time each day to interact with your audience. Use polls, questions, and live sessions to encourage participation and feedback.

Leverage Paid Advertising

Paid ads can significantly increase your reach and target specific demographics effectively.

According to 75% of respondents, it’s simpler to find what you need when you see paid advertisements. Moreover, the average return on investment (ROI) for pay-per-click (PPC) is 200%.

Set a budget for social media ads and use targeting options to reach your ideal audience. Monitor ad performance and adjust your strategy based on results.

How to Track Social Media Traffic Using Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) provides robust tools for tracking social media traffic, allowing businesses to analyze how social platforms contribute to website engagement and conversions.

To effectively monitor GA4 social media traffic, start by optimizing your tracking setup with UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) codes.

By appending UTM parameters to your URLs, you can categorize traffic accurately, distinguishing between different social media campaigns and understanding where your visitors are coming from.

For instance, if you share a link to a blog post on Facebook with UTM tags, GA4 will attribute the traffic from that post to the specific campaign, making it easier to analyze performance in the Traffic Acquisition report.

In GA4, you can view social media traffic by navigating to the “Acquisition” tab and selecting “Social” from the Traffic Sources menu.

This will provide insights into metrics such as engaged sessions, pages visited, and conversion rates for visitors coming from social media.

It’s important to note that social media visitors often have lower intent compared to those arriving via search engines, so analyzing their behavior can help refine your marketing strategies.

Double down on your social traffic

Boosting your social traffic is not a difficult task but it does take time. Combine effective strategies with consistent effort and you’ll be able to increase traffic and drive more traffic to your website. Utilizing tools like GA4 for social media traffic tracking will provide valuable insights, helping you optimize your campaigns and enhance overall engagement and conversions.