People on smartphones typically use social media through apps instead of their mobile browser– they may not even be logged into their social profiles in the browser itself. If a link to your social media opens within a browser, the disruption to their normal experience might make people back off. Deep links give users the option to open your social media page (or even a specific post) within the relevant app– this level of convenience can work wonders for your social media strategy.

What If the User Doesn't Have the Right Social Media App for Deep Linking?

If the user is on a computer, or simply doesn’t have the relevant social media app, your deep link will open within the browser as normal. Even if someone does have the required app, they’ll still have the option to continue within their browser. No matter what, deep linking creates a more seamless user experience that will help increase your social media engagement and keep people moving down the marketing funnel.

How Does Deep Linking to Social Media Increase Engagement?

Some people don’t like to use social media through a browser, especially when they’re on a mobile device. The experience isn’t what they’re used to, and they could be turned off by that. If they’re not logged into their social media accounts through the browser, they may even have to log in before they can see what’s at the other end of your link. That’s not the end of the world, but even a minor inconvenience can be enough to dissuade people in the digital world where instant gratification is the norm.

Make things as easy as possible for your audience, and you’ll get more followers on social media. There won’t be an interruption on the path to your social media page, so there’s less chance of them giving up or getting distracted. The smooth user experience will keep people in the normal flow of things, which is how you get more likes and comments on social media.

How Do I Set Up Deep Linking for Social Media?

The easiest way to set up deep linking is through a service like URLgenius. Simply copy your social media URL into their composer, and it will return another URL. Then copy the deep link URL anywhere that you want to link to your social media, like on your website or across other social media platforms. One of the best things about URLgenius is that it’s completely free for the first 5,000 clicks. After that, it’s only one penny per click.

You can create deep links either to your social media profile, or to a specific post. Use deep links every time you link to social media, and watch them drive traffic over time. URLgenius even offers a dashboard where you can see how many times people have followed each deep link you’ve created.

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