Part 1 of this two-part article series discussed social search optimization on Facebook and YouTube. On tap this week: Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.

Twitter

Since the beginning of Twitter, users have sent over 163 billion tweets.

This microblogging platform embodies traits of modern society. With a 140-character limit, each "tweet" forces users to quickly get to the point—a preference of many in this digital age of constant communication and instant feedback.

Twitter's real-time feed is available in some 20 languages, and—considering the more than 400 million monthly visits worldwide—that number will soon increase.

The search feature within Twitter provides sectioned results. Viewable results categories include tweets, people, videos, and images. From there, top (most popular) tweets, and network tweets can be viewed. As of last year, Twitter was serving an average of 1.6 billion search queries per day. It also recently introduced the concept of real-time human computation engine, which identifies the context behind search queries as soon as a search term begins trending.

Twitter search has great potential as a marketing tool because it allows users to search any keywords or hashtags mentioning any related product, service, person, event, or trend.

For example, a new Italian restaurant can search the term "pizza" and then tweet at anyone who has mentioned eating or craving pizza. This feature increases visibility and provides ample opportunity to connect with individual consumers and potential influencers.

Who Searches on Twitter?

Over half of Twitter users are women (53%), and the highest number of users reside in the US. In fact, the largest demographic of Twitter users are American women under the age of 25. Consider those stats when developing a Twitter strategy.

When brands target more niche audiences, background research is crucial—especially for identifying top influencers and those with a large following.

Crowdsourcing on Twitter gives brands the opportunity to pose questions to a mass group of users—beneficial in marketing campaigns designed to garner product or service feedback.

All tweets are indexed on Twitter search, providing insight into what people want and care about. To find real-time information and trending topics, users can search with hashtags or keywords.

Optimizing for Twitter Search

  1. Content planning: Twitter has become increasingly popular because of its simple layout and real-time display of information (news, trends, conversations, etc.) It is also used largely on-the-go—roughly half of users are on a mobile device. With live-tweeting of events and TV on the rise, users often use the social network as a resource to read others' opinions and reactions to topics of interest.
  2. Brand search optimization: Verification on Twitter is ideal for protecting a brand, but the general public cannot apply for it. It is reserved for "highly sought users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, advertising, business, and other key interest areas….individuals at high risk of impersonation." Therefore, for most people, external and internal linking is the best way to establish credibility on Twitter. Many companies include social icons that link directly to their social pages. Engaging with other users on Twitter is a social way to improve brand visibility—audiences interact by retweeting and responding, thereby increasing mentions. Using hashtags in tweets and conversations enables brands to share and track content, comments, and opinions.
  3. Content optimization: 34% of marketers have generated leads using Twitter by ensuring every aspect of their profile is optimized for people searching for them. Twitter handles, images, and bios should accurately convey reflect the brand image and message. The bio section should include basic information, links, and hashtags if desired. Although you can create custom hashtags, embedding trending hashtags can drastically improve tweet success. Tweet creativity is key here, because it often determines whether users will engage or follow. Within both brand profile descriptions and individual tweets, targeted and relevant keywords should be used as often as possible.

Twitter continues to improve the site for a more impressive experience:

  • The recent announcement of its micro-video feature—Vine—is an excellent example of the advancing platform.
  • The integration of other sites (Pinterest images took the place of Instagram) further expands its digital presence.
  • The ability to filter search results on the site by location and linking also presents more potential for local businesses.
  • The simplicity of the Twitter search engine—focusing mainly on keywords and hashtags—is ideal for a mobile experience, a trend that continues to pick up speed.

Pinterest

Pinterest is the fastest-growing social network in history: It was the first independent site to hit 10 million monthly unique visits in the US as quickly as it did, surpassing both Facebook and Twitter in their first two years.

A visit to the image-based social media site instantly explains why. From the seamless design (described as digital "window shopping") to the diverse range of photos, Pinterest has something for everyone. The categories range from animals and architecture to fitness and weddings—and everything in between.

According to a recent report from Shareaholic, "Pinterest drives more referral traffic than Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube combined." The basis behind the site is just that—repins (shares) make up over 80% of engagement on Pinterest.

The social network is all about compiling a digital scrapbook of everything users want to remember to make or buy—hence the impressive referrals and brand support.

The search feature on Pinterest is basic but incredibly beneficial. Indexing pin descriptions through keywords, Pinterest allows users to search by pins, boards, or pinners. Users can browse by category, but searches seeking images via the Pinterest search engine drive the majority of pins and repins.

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Social Search Optimization on Five Major Social Networks (Part 2: Twitter, Pinterest, Google+)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Courtney Gibb is a content writer, marketer, and social strategist at ZOG Digital, a search and social media marketing technology company in Scottsdale, Arizona, offering SEO, social media marketing, paid advertising, design and development, and an analytics platform.