As a social networking advocate, I have come to appreciate a select few open source CMS suites that can be manipulated for easy integration into a strategic vision that transcends the traditional “Web site build.” When we advise clients as to how best to distribute that content in a reasonable way, we are addressing Social Media Optimization (SMO).
Social Media Optimization, among other things, speaks to increasing Web site or other content hub traffic using social media tools and “viral” initiatives. Like SEO, SMO represents the structured effort behind social networking interaction, that ultimately help optimize lead capture and drive traffic through increasingly personalized channels.
So what methods actually go into this process? Despite ongoing debate on specifics, there is at the very least a ground-up consensus that two categories exist:
Promoting social media features within existing Web content
- This includes tried and tested technologies such as RSS feeds, but also can be expanded to encompass news in social format, share and friend features, polls and user ratings. Rich media and the traditional community forum approach can also be dropped in this bucket. So, for example, anyone with a LinkedIn account is a social media user.
Promoting existing Web content within the social media environment
- The reverse of the above, this boils down to taking your existing content and going on an epic (or not so epic) adventure to turn your product or service into a viral initiative. This second bucket includes blogging, micro blogs (such as twitter), participating in affinity groups within social networks and taking actions within those networks that are shared among your friends.
Again like SEO, SMO provides increased traffic and organic growth if successful. However, the viral (re)transmission of said content can, as many marketers have learned, take on a life of its own. Thus, it is critical to consider how and what to broadcast to ensure your ORM (Online Reputation Management) is where it needs to be.
Whenever you want to consider the social media components that are right for your business, please let me know.