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Social Media Optimization - Another reason to use social media marketing

Guest post by: Tammy Finch

Article Overview: By now, we all know that social media is a cost-effective way of marketing your company and educating clients. In addition, you get to know your clients better by following their companies. Most people will agree that social media is easy to use and actually increases website traffic if used properly.

Social Media Optimization - Another reason to use social media marketing

I'm proud of you! You've finally buckled down and set up a few social media accounts for your company. You are even using it on a regular basis. I like your posts and how you are incorporating keywords pertaining to your company into your messages. By now, we all know that social media is a cost-effective way of marketing your company and educating clients. In addition, you get to know your clients better by following their companies. Most people will agree that social media is easy to use and actually increases website traffic if used properly.

Social media should be used as an internet marketing tool in addition to your company website, not as a replacement. So let's discuss the second step of using social media for website marketing: Social Media Optimization (SMO). SMO is much like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) but differs in that its primary function is to drive traffic to your website from sites other than search engines.

Wikipedia describes SMO: "Social Media Optimization is the methodization of social media activity with the intent of attracting unique visitors to website content. SMO is one of two online methods of website optimization; the other method is search engine optimization, or SEO."

This is a spot-on description of SMO! Basically, SMO consists of backlinks, or hyperlinks back to your website. Backlinks are important parts of the way search engines rank your website. A search engine will consider your website more valuable if your backlinks are established. Of course, this also gives your website more internet publicity.

If you have ever gotten a quote for Search Engine Optimization, you may know that it can be a huge expense. Because the task is time-consuming, many SEO companies are forced to price their services accordingly. There are many rules and regulations for using SEO properly and companies need to be aware of these conventions to do a proper job. At least once a week, I hear someone wishing to be on the first page of Google without using expensive Google AdWords or paying for SEO from a reputable company. SMO may be the answer!

People seem to think that because they do not have many fans or connections in their social media accounts, people will not see their company posts and information. SMO is a great technique for internet marketing, driving more traffic to your website for no cost. Since Google and Facebook are neck and neck in client usage in the U.S., looking to social media sites for website traffic is a great idea. Just because someone isn't your "connection" on your social media accounts doesn't mean they won't see your company posting. A simple Google search for your name will probably show your social networking accounts along with your website. So, the number of connections you have on your accounts is irrelevant. Although it is nice to market to those existing potential clients, you can open your social media marketing to search engines as well.

Unlike some SEO techniques, SMO is not about making changes to your website. When your website has content that can be shared easily (such as PDFs, video and blog posts), submitting them to social media sites will help your content go further, and eventually drive links, then hopefully direct visitors back to your website, which means more clients or sales.

The best part is that SMO is something anyone can do! You do not have to hire an SEO company or invest in Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising like Google Adwords. Set up your Facebook page, create a Twitter account and start thinking about keywords you can use to target promising customers.

One of the techniques to SMO is to use attention-getting, keyword-rich posts. Next time you are on Twitter, pay attention to which posts get noticed and entice you to click. Power words like "free," "success," "breakthrough," "latest," "proven," "money," "low-cost" or "guarantee" garner attention and tempt users to click the accompanied link. This link should be to a page or post on your website or social media.

Let's not forget video. Have someone set up a regular digital camera and record a conversation with you and another business owner discussing problems or sharing information. Or interview someone about a new product or service. Post this video on YouTube and your website. Let your friend share it also. People are looking for content for their social media accounts and websites. Each link brings you website traffic. Investing a little time and fun in creating simple videos can really help your search engine rankings.

Of course, there is still a great need for SEO companies who know the rules and strategies for getting you on that first page, but if you are looking for a cost-effective way of promoting your website, your social media accounts can help if used properly.

All businesses are looking for a way to promote their companies. In my opinion, SMO is another stop in helping with your marketing campaign. The price is right, so give it a try and see your results.

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Article Tags: internet marketing, social media maintenance, social media marketing



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Re: Social Media Marketing - Corporate Vs. Small Business - There are various marketing techniques which are very closely related to social media marketing, such as Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, and Social Media Optimization. Social media sites provide a huge variety of subjects, topics, and discussions to choose from. A social media web site can be defined as a common ground, where individuals gather together to share their views and opinions. Social media has also adapted various mediums such as audio, video, and textual mediums. There are few guidelines in order to successfully implement social media marketing. Improve the ability of your website, so that it can be linked to other sites easily. All the incoming links are unique, so treat them properly by providing dedicated space for them. In order to be successful at social media, the following steps can also be very useful. First, create forums on your own web site. Provide interesting topics so that people would like to participate and interact with each other through your site. Keep updating information and news to attract your visitors. Compose podcasts and use the clips to promote your products.
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - [quote="WebBizIdeas.com":gvtxsu7g]Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff[/quote:gvtxsu7g] Hi Jeff, Thanks for the suggestion. Why don't you start a new post (with a poll) to see if there's enough interest in your idea for a social media section?
Re: Marketing 2.0 - What Are Your Thoughts - [quote="TannyL":qu03cck6]Hi Shri, Thanks for posting this. I also read it and I believe Social Media is here to stay, until the next best thing comes up. Social media proved to be useful for me many times and I think everyone should use it for their business.[/quote:qu03cck6] Hi Tanny, Could you give us a couple of examples of how you leverage the benefits of social media?
Should Evan add a "Social Media Marketing" category to the f - Hi, Kevin Lee, the site's Admin, has asked me to create a poll to determine if users would like to see a new section/category called "Social Media Marketing." With the rise of social networking websites marketing a business using social media can produce amazing results; very high ROI since the market is young.


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