How Does Social Media Optimization Work – Welcome to Social Media Marketing 101
Just as everyones figured out SEO, in comes another buzz word: SMO, a.k.a.
social media optimization. While the discipline of social media optimization is
not nearly as advanced as search engine optimization, it still holds a wealth of
potential for a business. How can a website begin to optimize their site for
social media? Below are some ideas.
What in the World are Social Media Sites?
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.
How Can I Exploit Social Media Sites?
You can’t! So how can a business use social media for their advantage? Banner
ads? Text ads? Absolutely not. The very reason social networking sites exist
is because their users trust each other rather than marketers. 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 a little, Get a lot!
In order to spread the word 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.
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.
One Final Thought
Dont 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 its absolutely essential and is the only way to succeed with social
media marketing.
Author: Justin Palmer
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera News
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