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SMO - Social Media Optimization - is a phrase first coined by Rohit Bhargava: The concept behind SMO is simple: implement changes to optimize a site so that it is more easily linked to, more highly visible in social media searches on custom search engines (such as Technorati), and more frequently included in relevant posts on blogs, podcasts and vlogs.
Social media networks which can be used for Search Engine Marketing purposes include MySpace, Digg, Deli.cio.us, HubPages, Squidoo, Friendster, BlueDot and many other emerging projects.
No Really, What is SMO?
Still don't get it? Let's try again.
Social Media is hitting the online marketing space faster than a speeding RSS feed. The concept continues to evolve, and more and more internet marketers are looking for the next major way to fully leverage Social Media strategies for clients, products and services.SMO has the ability to attract and engage customers and web traffic in a way that organic search results and 'Sponsored Listings' on a search engine never will. The emerging field will grow with the same speed that social media itself has grown, as new tools and practices are shaped into coherent SMO tactics. If you use social media tools like a blog, Squidoo or HubPages for marketing purposes, then your focus should be on attracting potential customers or clients to visit your site in order to participate in relevant conversations about your products or services. SMO is about increasing the volume and richness of those interactions.
Social Media Power Players
These sites can help you 'SMO' your web presence.
- Squidoo
- An online platform and community that makes it easy for anyone to build a single page on a topic, idea, product or cause they are passionate about. These lenses in turn help finders get unique, human perspectives instead of computer-selected and often irrelevant search results.
- Digg
- Digg is all about user powered content. Every article on digg is submitted and voted on by the digg community. Share, discover, bookmark, and promote the news that's important to you!
- Del.icio.us
- Keep links to your favorite articles, blogs, music, restaurant reviews, and more on del.icio.us and access them from any computer on the web. Share favorites with friends, family, and colleagues. Discover new things. Everything on del.icio.us is someone's favorite - they've already done the work of finding it. Explore and enjoy.
- YouTube
- On YouTube.com, people can see first-hand accounts of current events, find videos about their hobbies and interests, and discover the quirky and unusual. As more people capture special moments on video, YouTube is empowering them to become the broadcasters of tomorrow.
- HubPages
- We've built a set of tools so easy to use that within minutes you'll be publishing your own articles and web pages, or as we call them, Hubs. And because one of our main goals is to share profits with our publishers, you'll be able to start making money almost immediately.
- BlueDot
- Blue Dot, Inc., is a Seattle-based company whose mission is to help people stay connected with their friends, wherever they are, whenever they want. Through a new type of communication described as Social Discovery®, Blue Dot's free Web site allows users to find, save and share interesting Web content with friends and family.
- Friendster
- With more than 30 million members, Friendster is the best way to stay in touch with your friends and it's the fastest way to discover the people and things that matter to you most. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Friendster aims to make the world a smaller place by bringing the power of social networking to every aspect of life, one friend at a time.
Social Media Articles
- Social Media Moguls
- Social Media outlets are catapulting unknowns into positions of enormous influence.
- What is Web 2.0?
- The concept of "Web 2.0" began with a conference brainstorming session where it was noted that far from having "crashed", the web was more important than ever, with exciting new applications and sites popping up with surprising regularity.
- Ultimate Web 2.0 List
- Over 300 Web 2.0 sites in 38 categories - rated, ranked and awarded.
13 Golden Rules of SMO
A collection from around the blogosphere.
1. Increase your linkability: Think blogs, content, aggregation & linkbait.2. Make tagging and bookmarking easy: Include calls to action for users to tag, bookmark and Digg your stuff. I'd suggest the Sociable Plugin if you have a Wordpress powered blog.
3. Reward inbound links: List blogs which link back to you via permalinks, trackbacks or recently linking blogs (like the Yahoo & Google blogs do).
4. Help your content travel: Content diversification can lead to mobility of your content beyond the browser.
5. Encourage the mashup: Let others use your content or tools to produce something a bit different or outside of the box with your stuff, even RSS.
6. Be a User Resource, even if it doesn't help you: Add value and outbound links, even if it doesn't help in the short term, it will in the long.
7. Reward helpful and valuable users: Give your contributors and readers the recognition they deserve.
8. Participate: Get in there and get involved in the discussions going on among the blogs and sites of others, and do it organically. Earn your rep on Digg.com, don't try and force it.
9. Know how to target your audience: Understand your appeal and those people you wish to attract.
10. Create content: A little bit of rules 1 & 4 here, but the underlying message is know the form of content working for you.
11. Be real: Transparency pays off and no one likes a fake.
12. Don't forget your roots, be humble: Sometimes it can be easy to get carried away being a BlogStar or industry talking head. Remember those who helped you along the way, and that respect will help all involved.
13. Don't be afraid to try new things, stay fresh: Social Media is changing and morphing by the minute, keep up on new tools, products and challenges in your social sphere.
Social Media Optimization News
The latest feed from Yahoo! News.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand bySMO on Del.icio.us!
- Influential Marketing Blog: 5 Rules of Social Media Optimization (SMO)
- 16 Rules For Social Media Optimization Revisited
- http://searchengineland.com/10-seo-tips-for-maximizing-facebook-visibility-24477
- Social media optimization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- SEOmoz | Social Media Marketing Tactics
- Le SMO n'est pas qu'un jouet pour Web marketers
- The Top Six Reasons Companies are Still Scared of Social Media
- Search Engine Watch: Social Media Optimization: It's Like SEO, For Social Sites
- Social technology growth marches on in 2009, led by social network sites
- Generate Scripts for database objects with SMO for SQL Server
- Social Media Optimization — Merging of Traditional Media, SEM and Social Marketing
SMO Poll Question of the Month
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Social Media Optimization Articles
From Topix.net
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Did you find our lens helpful? We'd love to hear your feedback!
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- azapata azapata Dec 20, 2007 @ 4:42 pm
- The key to working and interacting in the social media arena is honesty. It's a simple and seemingly obvious tactic that many have avoided to their peril. People don't like it when companies hide, lie, or pretend to be something they are not. In order to "engage the consumer" as they say these days, it is important that you also not "enrage the consumer." It's a tricky balance, but it is achievable.
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- smointeractive smointeractive Dec 17, 2007 @ 5:58 am
- Nice overview. Our Company SMOInteractive (www.SMOInteractive.com) develops Facebook Applications according to the guidelines you've set out here.
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- ChickMagnet101 ChickMagnet101 Aug 6, 2007 @ 10:26 am
- Hey man, interesting lens! (I've rated it 5 stars!) I enjoyed the information that you have about SMO. It seems like this is THE way the internet is going for getting out your marketing message. Keep up the great work!
~Scott
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- sacredmpp sacredmpp Jul 3, 2007 @ 4:01 pm
- Hey, I am looking for some tips fo help improve some SMO for my two sites, could offer me some help. This site was great for information, but I am looking for more!
Thanks!
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- digitalnomad digitalnomad Apr 18, 2007 @ 4:09 pm
- Good lens. I personally am still trying to figure out how to use Squidoo as a marketing tool. SMO seems to be the next step.
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