How do I use shortened URLs and link management in social media?

Unseen benefits of link management

Short links are often hidden when presented on social media. They can get lost behind the ad, how it’s placed, or buried under other content. However, there’s still value in having that short link – even if your audience may not see the link.

Link management is integral to the success of social media campaigns. Let’s take a look at some examples of the added value that short links bring to the table.

With BL.INK, everything is editable. Everything. 

When using BL.INK to create short links, everything can be edited. Users will always be able to make changes or update their links or link details within BL.INK, as long as the link is active.

With branded short links, users can update the link’s destination, description, tags, date actions, and more, with just a few clicks but without having to wait on a third party.

Dynamic links are links that send your audience to a different destination based on specific variables like day, date, time, location, language, device, etc. 

Time-sensitive campaigns are a great use case for our dynamic links. Before the campaign even begins, you can set up the destination for the duration of the campaign and a new destination for your link once the campaign ends. This way, your audience will never run into a dead end.

Case study: Fidelity

Fidelity uses their short links in posts on Facebook. The link redirects to an article that Fidelity hosts.

If this content changes over time, or if Fidelity wanted to update where the link redirects, they can simply log in to BL.INK and update the link’s destination all in one place.

This applies to any of their posted content, and allows for the link to be evergreen – so even if the content on the other side of the link changes, a customer looking at an older Facebook post is still redirected to relevant content and not a 404 page.

Enabling Fidelity to manage and update their links makes link management much more attainable – it eliminates the worry about stale, outdated content or having to manage old Facebook posts, updating webpages with new content, or de-publishing posts on Facebook.

One stop for ALL of the traffic

Many times, users will publish content to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all at the same time, potentially with the same link. In this case, making one change inside of BL.INK can remedy any errors without having to log in to each platform and update separate posts.

This will save you time, and prevent the headache of sifting through old posts and making updates to content. It also ensures that your audience doesn’t get lost and close the window, which maximizes your chances of a conversion.

Another fun tip: BL.INK tracks referral data. If you’re using one link for multiple social media platforms, you’ll easily be able to see which platform a click came from.

Case study: Target

Target is another great example of successful link management.

Here, they’re using their custom branded domain tgt.biz. Then they have a custom keyword, which is sometimes referred to as a hash or a slug. The keyword here is ShopTarget.

Target has this link in their bio on Instagram. They may also choose to reference it in a live chat, in conversation, or share it on other platforms. 

This single link will then take their audience to their personalized page that shows all of their different ads and postings. One link gets reused over and over because it’s customized and it’s memorable, so it can be shared that much easier.

Integration

When creating short links for social media, integration can be a key component. We offer several native integrations in BL.INK which can help to automate your processes without disrupting your workflow.

BL.INK currently offers integrations with Khoros, Sprinklr, Zapier, SocialBee, and more.

Automatic posting with SocialBee

Within BL.INK, you can connect to a multitude of social media management platforms. One example is SocialBee.

SocialBee allows users to automate social media posting with evergreen content categorization, scheduled new content, and custom URLs and tracking.

Every time that we publish content through SocialBee, it automatically shortens any links with our branded short domain. If we need to update an existing link, SocialBee will automatically update the link in already-published posts. Additionally, it creates a different short link for each platform (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.), expanding our reach seamlessly.

Link shortening with Sprinklr

Sprinklr is another integration that is offered through BL.INK and offers similar functionality to SocialBee. Every time content is created in Sprinklr, it automatically shortens any links and is published automatically using your branded domain.

Branding with Khoros

BL.INK allows for seamless branding with our Khoros integration. We’re integrated across all of Khoros’ different footprints: marketing, community, and content customizations. No matter which platform you’re using with Khoros, your short links can be branded with your domain, seamlessly and automatically.

Live chat integration

Even when you’re creating or sharing content in a live chat, you have integration options. Every time your link is being shared, it’s automatically going to be shortened and branded, making sure you have full control and visibility over your brand.

The value of controlling your brand

If you’re not using branded short links in your social media presence, you may want to reconsider. There is so much value in being able to use short links—they’re another way to enhance your brand presence with every interaction. Every impression is another opportunity to increase brand awareness, build trust with your audience, and to convert clicks.

Branded short links also allow for better management in creating content on social media. Content lives everywhere—even if you don’t have control over the content at the destination, you do have control over the links.

Link management allows you to have control over where content ends up in the future, and if you ever need to change that content, you can do so with just a few clicks.

For any social media marketing strategy, make sure you’re using short, branded links.