Social Media Marketing 101 - Is SMO the Next SEO? |
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Just when everyone’s figured out SEO, in comes another buzz
word acronym: SMO, aka social media optimization. While the
discipline of social media optimization is not nearly as
advanced as SEO, it still holds a wealth of potential for the
website owner. How can a business begin to optimize their site
for social media?
Below are some tips.
What are Social Media Websites?
First, what is social media? The quintessential social media
site is myspace. Myspace is completely user generated, in other
words, all the content comes not from some mega corporation, but
the users themselves. Other examples of social media sites are
Facebook, Digg, del.icio.us, and Squidoo. Basically, a social
media site creates a community of people with similar interests,
and allows them
to network and communicate on any given topic.
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The very reason
social networking sites exist is because their users trust each
other rather than advertisers. |
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How Can I Advertise With Social Media Sites?
So how can a business use social media for their advantage?
Banner ads? Text ads? – Not a chance. The very reason social
networking sites exist is because their users trust each other
rather than advertisers. They are skeptical of traditional
media, and would rather read a review from a group member than
the hyperbole of a copy-writer. So can you still use social
media to advertise? Absolutely, but you must go about the
process much differently.
Give If You Want to Get
In order to get your name out with social networking, you must
become one of the community rather than an advertiser to the
community. Create a profile on myspace and link up with people
of similar interests. If you have a well branded product or a
faithful customer base, encourage your myspace members to spread
the word. One of my clients posts html banner code on their
myspace and encourages members to copy and paste it into their
own profiles.
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Once you've developed a recognized
profile, people will pay attention to what you post. The more buzz
your posts create, the more traffic and inbound links your site will
receive. |
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Become involved in sites like Digg and StumbleUpon. Once you've
developed a recognized profile, people will pay attention to
what you post. The more buzz your posts create, the more traffic
and inbound links your site will receive.
The Bottom Line
Don’t try to exploit social media by shamelessly promoting your
product. The most effective way to succeed in this area is
become involved in a relevant community and wait for the users
to embrace your product or service. This concept may seem
foreign to most business owners marketing their business,
however it’s absolutely essential and is the only way to succeed
with social media marketing.
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