“The best way to connect with an audience online is to be proactive,” The Simba Group’s Jeff Appelbaum says. “Since it’s important to stay relevant on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and everything else, many marketers are learning how to build a website with social media in mind.”

Internet marketing is supposed to take a more personal touch these days. So marketers who work on websites should adopt a low-touch approach. Still, it’s probably still best to incorporate some social media elements into your website. Here are a few strategies from this year’s Simba Global Inbound Marketing Summit that go beyond simply auto-posting updates on your social feeds.

1. Get creative

There’s no point posting a product photo or a brand-name quote on your website if your audience isn’t aware of it. So the use of tools like social tracking website Webtrends is a good idea. And do your homework about competitors before launching a community, says app designer and blogger Katie Andersen. She suggests using a community directory or using BuzzSumo to find visitors through Google searches.

2. Network using search terms

Be sure to know your audience. You can find them, say, by following Google search terms like “real estate agent.” (Or by going to certain sites and using search terms from there.) To help maintain users’ attention, your site might implement predictive analytics, Appelbaum says. The idea is to use data to not only understand who will look at your site but what they’ll look at. Imagine your site tries to predict what users might want to post, and tweak your content accordingly.

3. Ask your audience to share what they know

Be a little silly. And create an online culture in which peers are encouraged to take ownership of things. You could ask visitors to share information about their own experiences (such as: “What’s the hardest thing you had to learn in real estate?”) Andersen says. Or you could create a community based on industry conferences or events.

4. Avoid social media clichés

Don’t pack your website with standard “Which MLS?” or “Which building company?” questions, and don’t just ask visitors to follow you on social media. Searchers also want to discover content that interests them or sends them somewhere new. Just as importantly, just as you might be reluctant to make subtle, rather than overt, social media overtures, your website might prove an obstacle to your social media reach.

5. Tie in to big-time networking events

What once might have been referred to as the “back room” is now the “upstairs room.” When meeting with clients, Andersen suggests, you should give them the option to attend trade shows instead of taking them to the company Web site. Plus, you could publicize the date of these events and possibly get some buzz going, too.