What is SMO and how can you benefit from it?
What is SMO?
The phrase “social media optimization” originally coined by Rohit Bhargava is the based around the premises of developing and optimising websites and blogs in social media searches. Subsequently this allows a site to be linked more to other sites and more frequently discussed in blogs, posts and other forms of social sites.
Social media employs a range of online marketing techniques and utilising (Web 2.0) to enhance the content and readability of a blog or site to get your message across to more people.
In the past most people have primarily employed SEO techniques in order to optimise their site and generate interest via search engines. In today's online community more and more people are utilising the internet in a greater interactive perspective. The internet has developed from originally being a point and click user interface towards a more of a social exchange process of human connection enabling convergence between users
Overall SMO is about creating a cross platform experience between users to create social networks and online communities. (To get communities together)
The Five Principles of Social Media Optimization
Increase your linkability – this premise is based around the idea that the strength of a website is based around the number of links that it has going to and from a website
Make tagging and bookmarking easy – Allows users to bookmark articles / videos / pictures more efficiently and able to manage more content
Reward inbound links – Provide users that come to a website that post information and links on the social site greater online presence and recognition
Help your content travel – able to allow information to cut across different sites to generate greater interest and build online social communities
Encourage the mashup – This premise is based around laying social sites with affiliate programs to make social sites more interactive and dynamic for the user. Syndicating your content
The 7 C's of Social Media
This is a template / check-list to help structure social sites and social media in order to maximise the optimization that can be acquired from a blog, forum to allow greater online promotion and presence.
Context – Define the purpose of a website or blog and what is the field that would like to be discussed and who are the main target audiences
Communication – define the language that is to be used whether formal or informal and the style of wording, presentation.
Conversation – Establish and create a dialogue in the social site
Content – Is the site, blog SEO user friendly, readable and does it employ a range of applications.
Create – Innovation in layout design etc. For any site to be memorable and stand out from the rest their needs to be a unique element to the site. Something that attracts users and more importantly something that keeps users coming back time and time again
Collaborate – Build up links with other sites (principle of social media) If a social site can link to other affiliate social sites this will enhance the ability to allow content to travel and therefore develop more online networks
Contact – Have a means for users to contact site. Provides a human connection to social sites.
How Can you Benefit from Social Media Optimization?
New means of innovative advertisements and promotion
Can employ a range of viral marketing techniques
Able to directly or indirectly make money through social sites
Create a share meaning and valued social experience
By working closer with web 2.0 applications and by creating dynamic sites content from social media can reach a greater audience
Connect to more people from around the world
Able to organise social media (old and new)
Create social networks and information