Social Media Optimization

Social media optimization (SMO) refers to the use of a number of social media outlets and communities to generate publicity to increase the awareness of a product, brand or event. Types of social media involved include RSS feeds, social news and bookmarking sites, as well as social networking sites, such as Twitter, and video and blogging sites. SMO is similar to search engine optimization in that the goal is to generate traffic and awareness for a website. In general, social media optimization refers to optimizing a website and its content in terms of sharing across social media and networking sites.

What is the Goal of SMO?

The goal of SMO is to boost traffic and exposure through the use of social media. There are many things people can do to websites and mobile content to make them more likely to be shared through social media, of course, such as adding a Facebook Like button or an "email this" button to a web page. Those actions are example of SMO, as is anything that makes it easier for people to share content. These actions are considered SMO because they optimize content for social sharing.

Today SMO and SEO are highly interrelated because search engines take into account how well any content performs in social media -- or how widely it is being shared -- as one of the many factors in the formulas determining placement in search results.

SMO Key Ingredients

Good Content - As with SEO, high quality, good content is perhaps the most important factor in social media optimization. It's real simple--the better the content, the more likely it is to be shared.

Sharing Buttons - Social sharing buttons are particularly important tools for SMO, too. Placing buttons in spots where people are likely to click and share can sharply boost distribution of that content. And in the long run, the extra sharing can lead to better search engine rankings.

Engagement - Sparking conversation, dialogue, or any kind of engagement with your content is another excellent strategy for SMO. It could be as simple as inviting comment or presenting a poll. Whatever the method, getting people to respond to your comment has a viral effect.

Share Your Stuff - Sharing your own content widely in social media channels also is a key plank in any SMO strategy. The more channels you send your content to, the more likely it will be seen and shared by people who don't visit your website to see it there.

Word of Warning: Excessive Link Dropping Is Not SMO

You might be tempted to think that one way to SMO your content is to join every LinkedIn Group, Google Plus community, etc., and to share links to your content seeking shares or comments. You would be wrong, very wrong.

This behavior is not only frustrating for other users but counter-productive. Firstly real users are likely to un-follow you or hide your posts on Google Plus or even report your content as spam. The situation is even worse with machine learning. If there is no interaction with your posts and links, such as sharing, commenting or liking, then this would indicate to any machine trying to learn from the data that your content is not valuable. Thus the more you post the more your content may be seen as not valued or authoritative. You would be far better focusing in specific communities and really engaging with a relevant audience and authoritative experts.

Joshua Berg is one of the leading advocates of SMO. He has promoted a 7 Step Model REAL SMO, which is:

1.       Reputation - build your reputation as a reliable qualified source

2.       Engagement - encourage more engagement, sharing & reciprocate

3.       Authority - become a notable authority in your field of expertise

4.       Leadership - harness originality & creativity, be a Thought Leader

5.       Social - be social, find and engage sociable experts in your field

6.       Media - know your social media platforms to maximize influence

7.       Optimization - improve technical aspects to increase optimization

These seven steps provide a good benchmark against which you can assess and plan your current SMO activity.

In more detail - http://socialmediatoday.com/steve-rayson/1675046/social-media-optimization-smo-seo-7-key-steps