Keyword Research Techniques

The keyword research techniques used by successful social media marketers in the industry include myriad actions and approaches. These can range widely and include:

Using tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or BuzzSumo to analyze the trending queries and hashtags used by the target audience.

Investigating competitors to unearth the keywords they prioritize in their posts or campaigns.

Using social listening tools like Brandwatch or Hootsuite Insights to identify in-the-moment conversations, trending topics, and relationship marketing opportunities within the brands’ pro-social or niche communities.

Using social media platform-provided or 3rd party analytics to determine which terms are driving the most engagement and search activity.

Exploring the autocomplete suggestions offered up by the search functions of the various social networks to identify the common questions or phrases being used.

In social media, effective keyword research is about more than just picking words. It's about really understanding what the user means when they use a particular word, what their intent is. It's also about understanding what keywords mean in the context of broader conversations. This is especially important when considering seasonal or cultural trends. And above all, it requires an understanding of how the platform-specific algorithms work to make certain keyword choices and combinations more or less effective depending on the platform.

These techniques can be utilized by social media marketers to guarantee that their posts, captions, hashtags, and overall campaigns are matched to what their audience is actively searching for and engaging with, thereby boosting discoverability, directing relevant traffic, and ultimately achieving better interactions with their brand or content.