Driving traffic to your website is one of the core strategies to boost online sales and improve your brand reputation. Websites act as your digital storefront, where audiences and customers get direct access to your products and services.
There are plenty of marketing techniques to improve website traffic, including search engine optimization (SEO) and advertising. Using social media has become a core technique too. These days social media drives 16% of all website traffic – and that’s only set to increase over time as social media platforms become ever more popular.
In this guide, we’ll explain the value of social media traffic and how to track it using industry‐leading analytics tools. We’ll also look at social media engagement techniques to boost your traffic over time.
In this guide:
- How to measure and track social media traffic
- Factoring traffic into your social media strategy
- Strategies to increase social media traffic
- The last word on social traffic
Social media traffic is highly valuable because users have already shown an interest in your brand by engaging with your social media content – they are part of your social media audience. One click might be enough to convert a fan or audience member to a customer.
Brands use social media to sell products and services, raise awareness, and exert their influence. Keeping an eye on traffic data is essential if you’re going to achieve your goals.
How to measure and track social media traffic
Social media traffic refers to the number of people that visit your website via social media.
Measuring and tracking social media traffic is essential for understanding whether your marketing efforts on platforms like LinkedIn, X, TikTok, and Instagram are working. You might generate a lot of brand awareness from a great Facebook marketing campaign but, if your goal was to generate website traffic and boost sales, then that’s the marker you need to focus on.
We’ll look more closely at social media strategy tips later in this guide. For now, let’s focus on setting up your social media tracking software in two simple steps.
Set up analytics software and monitor the results
Google Analytics is the best platform to get started when tracking website analytics. You can see which traffic sources come from search engines, ads, organic sources, and social media. If you want to focus solely on social media traffic then Brandwatch is one of the top social media analytics tools for brands looking for deeper insights.
You’ll need to integrate your website with your chosen software first. Then you can set up UTMs and start tracking your key metrics.
Implement UTM parameters
UTM, or “urchin tracking module” parameters are pieces of code that join onto a website link so the traffic to that link can be tracked. A web analytics provider such as Google Analytics can do this easily. You can create social media links that distinguish between traffic from different social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn). This helps to accurately track social media traffic by using UTM parameters when sharing links on social platforms, allowing Google Analytics to identify various traffic sources.
Monitor key metrics
There are various metrics available when you’re assessing social media traffic. The core ones are:
- Unique visitors: This is the total number of individual users who have come to your site via social media channels. It’s a good base rate for understanding how effective your social media content is.
- Engagement metrics: This looks at what happens when people get to your website via social media. Metrics here include bounce rate, session duration, and key events that signal the desired action.
- Conversion rates: This focuses on how effectively your social media traffic turns into conversions. Are people doing what you want them to, whether it be buying your products, contacting you for more information, or simply learning more about your brand?
Generate traffic acquisition reports
Once you have your data you can begin to generate reports that detail how well your social media strategy has performed.
A traffic acquisition report shows data by session source/medium, allowing you to see which social media channels are delivering the most social traffic.
This is important for understanding your return on investment (ROI) and whether you’ve hit your goals.
>> Want to know more? Learn more about how to optimize your tracking with our in-depth guide to social media analytics.
Factoring traffic into your social media strategy
Now you know how to measure social media traffic effectively, it’s time to look at how you use this data in your overall social strategy. Brands create social media strategies that focus on varying things – from generating leads and sales to increasing brand awareness, leading conversations, and engaging with audiences.
A successful social media strategy ties together content creation, audience engagement, and performance tracking. It’s imperative you have a means to analyze and gauge traffic from social media, so you know whether your efforts are working.
Here are some tips for factoring traffic into your strategy, in order to create a holistic approach.
Set clear social media goals
Start by setting out your goals for social media and how they relate to your overall business goals. Do you intend to use social media as a revenue-generating medium by attracting users to your website? If so, you need specific goals before working out how to execute and track your strategy. Our article on social media goals offers excellent tips on setting achievable targets.
Align your content strategy
Once you have your goals in place, you can begin to align your content strategy with the endpoint in mind. You’ll need to do some research here to determine what type of content is best for your brand. A tool like Brandwatch enables you to research successful social media content types before you get started.
Use cross-platform promotion
Your marketing strategy also needs to consider which platforms you’ll use for generating social media traffic. You might choose to focus on one site, such as X. Or you could combine your approach and publish on multiple social media platforms at once to widen your audience. Doing the latter takes a little more time to execute but a tool like Publish from Brandwatch is ideal for cross-platform publishing at scale.
Strategies to increase social media traffic
Now let’s look specifically at the big goal that many brands focus on when creating a social media strategy: increasing website traffic. There are some simple ways to boost traffic to your site that don’t require much time or effort to get right. Here are seven to consider:
1. Optimize your social media profiles
This should be an obvious one for any brand, regardless of whether you’re prioritizing social media traffic or not. Ensure that each social media account features your website URL and uses relevant keywords. Make it as easy as possible for people to find your social media profiles and click through to your website. Be consistent with your branding across different social media platforms to help strengthen your social media presence.
2. Create high-quality, shareable content
The main way you’re going to attract people to your website via social media is to create engaging content that captures the attention of your audience. Users need an incentive to find out more, so make sure your posts provide value. You might need to tweak your content so there is a distinctive call to action. You could include UTM website links in your captions or encourage users to visit your social media profile first before they click through to your site.
>> For ideas on engaging content, check out our guide to social media post ideas
3. Try user-generated content and increase engagement
User-generated content (UGC) can be really effective in driving audiences to your social media profile and, in turn, to your website. Encourage your followers to share their experiences and feedback. This not only increases engagement but also fosters authenticity, which can help increase traffic. If you do decide to use UGC then consider creating a series of posts, as a one-off post might look strange on your grid or feed.
4. Post consistently across multiple social media platforms
We mentioned the idea of cross-platform promotion earlier in this guide – and there’s a good reason for this. Consistent posting across multiple channels means your brand speaks with the same voice and is more relatable to your target audience. It’s also much easier to manage your social media strategy when you have consistent habits built into your processes.
5. Run targeted social media campaigns
You can maximize your chances of generating social media traffic by targeting your content to specific audiences. A tool like Brandwatch can help identify specific audiences across social media and advise on how to reach them. You could choose an organic strategy that relies on optimal targeting and high-quality content, or try running paid social ads to promote your content. The best option is usually a mix of the two.
>> Learn more about paid ads and targeted campaigns in our social media marketing guide.
6. Use analytics tools for continuous improvement
Data is your best friend when it comes to understanding social media traffic. An analytics tool like Google Analytics allows you to monitor your traffic acquisition. Additionally, a social media analytics tool like Brandwatch helps you understand your audience in minute detail. Analyze which campaigns drive the most social media traffic and generate a social media report to help your team assess user engagement and refine your strategy.
7. Optimize your profiles and website for mobile devices
Our last tip loops back in many ways to our first and is all about optimization. In this instance, we’re talking specifically about mobile optimization. Two-thirds of all website traffic comes from mobile devices. It’s imperative your social media posts and profiles are optimized for mobile screens. Your website also needs to be mobile-friendly to prevent people from bouncing away as soon as they click on your links.
>> Adapt your strategy to mobile by reading our social media marketing platforms guide.
The last word on social traffic
Mastering social media traffic is vital if you’re going to get the most from your social content. By understanding what social media traffic is, how to track social media traffic with Google Analytics, and implementing the strategies outlined above, you can drive more website traffic and ultimately increase engagement and conversions.
There are some simple ways to boost traffic from your social media accounts. From optimizing your profiles to running paid social ads, paying attention to traffic data and continually optimizing your strategy will ensure sustained growth.
Brandwatch offers extensive guidance on delivering effective social media strategies that prioritize web traffic. If you want to know more, feel free to explore these guides or get in touch today!
