Test Video
TheNetShop Test Video from Web Man on Vimeo.
What is Social Media Optimization?
Social Media Optimization
is the latest addition to marketing your website. So far we have used Search Engine Optimization to propel our websites up the search engine results of search engines like Google.
There are two methods of exercising Social Media Optimization:
1. Adding Social Media buttons on your website like RSS Feeds, Sharing Buttons, User Ratings and Polling tools allowing visitors to engage in your content.
2. Engaging in Social Media sites including Blogging, Commenting on other blogs, participating in discussion groups, and posting status updates on Social Networking profiles.
The term Social Media Optimization was first used in an article by Rohit Bhargava on the 10th August 2008 titled “5 Rules of Social Media Optimization (SMO)”. These rules consisted of:
1. Increase your linkability
2. Make tagging and bookmarking easy
3. Reward inbound links
4. Help your content travel
5. Encourage the mashup
Social Media Optimization vs Search Engine Optimization
The traditional way to drive traffic to your website is to use Search Engine Optimization to ensure you develop your website to match particular keywords used by users in Google or other serach engnes. This means that you have to skillfully incorporate those keywords in your content of your website. This means that you are not writing exactly what you want in the hope that the search engines will find your content. Additionally the likes of Google will change their algorithms without notice and you suddenly find your website has dissapeared off page one and you have to start again.
Social Media Optimization comes at it at from the opposite end starting with your website and engaging in converstaion with other blogs, discussion groups and getting them to visit by ‘word of mouth’. In this way you are achieving qualified visitors because they are already reading a topic they are interested in and will easily follow you to your website if they are interested in the topic.
So yes SEO is important but SMO is equally important.
Here at The Net Shop we concentrate on producing Social Media Powred websites that have the facilities mentioned in 1. above and help businesses to engage their business in other blogs and discussion groups.
Q&A’s From The Net Shop
We have provided a number of sections for answering your questions. You may also ask your own questions and they will be answered.
Social Media Business Guide
Here we provide a guide to SME’s find their way through the Social Media For Business maze. It is checklist based so all you need to do is complete each step.
Step 1 – Building Blocks
Step 1- Building Blocks
1.1 – Website
Firstly you will need a website. Most businesses have websites if you havnt then what have you been doing! Get one, there are thousands of website designers (including us with our Social Media Powered Websites sorry about that plug!), you definately need one. The type of website is important to ensure you get noticed. We always use blogs as the core of our websites because of the speed the serach engines pick up on the posts we make. These websites do not have to look like the traditional blog that you see they can be fully customised like Vivid International Property. What these websites do is give you the functionality to engage in Social Media. OK lets assume you now have your website!
1.2 -Establishing your name
All the social media websites you will be joining will require a username, it goes without saying that using the same username throughout your social media strategy not only makes it easier for you but also for your potential customers. So firstly decide on a username and then check the availability of that name using this tool. www.namechk.com
1.3 – Social Media Connections
OK so you need people to find your website, of course there are paid avenues you may take like GoogleAds and the like, but they do not allow your visitors to engage in your business. The first thing to do is to So lets get connected to a few of them to get started and give you a robust start to your Social Media campaign.
1.3.1 – Coconex.com
Coconex is the latest Social Media website to enter the scene. Why have we put this one first? Well just about every Social Media website bases its user profile on individuals, Coconex is the first to base the whole of its networking on a business or website. so instead of engaging with others personally you are engaging your business with consumers and other businesses. It is FREE of course so this is your first port of call.
Action Items:
1. Sign Up Now for Free
1.3.2 – Twitter.com
Well if you havn’t heard of Twitter then you must be new to the Internet or have been on another planet for the last few years. Twitter allows businesses and individuals to operate using Tweets. To attract followers to your tweets you must not promote but engage your followers into things they are interested in. Whilst many will find it difficult not to promote their products this blatent push is not welcomed by followers. Here at TheNetShop we tweet about Social Media and link other sites that we know about to enable our followers to read about Social Networking therefore adding value.
Action Items:
1. Sign Up Now for FREE.
2. Setting Up Twitter
1.3.2 – Facebook.com
So why is Facebook last? Well actually its not, in the next part we will be introducing you to other Social Media Websites but it is last in the introduction for a reason. Facebook started for individuals to engage with their friends. Therefore you have to sign up as yourself and not a business. You can then create a page or group representing your business but the core still remains you as the member. Having said that Facebook is incredibly popular (understatement). So you cannot afford not to be on it. Dont try and disguise yourself as a business because if facebook finds out you will be deleted and loose all your ‘friends’ that you have painstakingly built up. So creat your Business Page first.
Action Items:
1. Sign Up Now for FREE
2. Setting Up Facebook
If you have any questions we will answer them straight away. Please leave you questions and comments below, and of course remember to ‘Retweet’ this page.
