Many small business owners are still trying to figure out what search engine optimization (SEO) is and how to use it. There are many rules to follow, and keeping up with it all can be daunting. Now there’s a new thing to learn, social media optimization (SMO). Like SEO, it’s important to learn what it is and how to use it to grow your business, or your competitors will leave you in the dust.
Fast Company had an article sorting it all out…well, sort of:
SMO is the distribution of social objects and their ability to rise to the top of any related search query, where and when it is performed. SEO + SMO = Amplified findability in the traditional and social web.
I don’t feel it’s difficult to make the argument that social is becoming as important as search to your online success. Is it possible that one day we’ll be amazed that people are still using traditional search to find products and services, in the same way we’re amazed–well, some of us–that people still use the phone book?
Right now companies need to have both a search and a social media strategy to increase their online visibility, find new customers, and stay ahead of the competition.
A fascinating fact that the writer Rich Brooks points out is that YouTube is the second most popular search. Twitter is trumping Google in searches conducted as well. What does all of this mean to you as a small business owner?
You have to transfer your SEO skills to SMO strategies. If more people are looking for products and services on Twitter, before going to Google, then you’ve got to diversify your marketing plan. For example, go beyond article marketing for your website, and write tweets using keywords that will gain the attention of the niche you want to reach. You’re likely to see more results in sales and leads than before.
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