Tips for Social Media Optimization (SMO): Connecting with Customers on Social Networks

 

Tips for Social Media Optimization (SMO): Connecting with Customers on Social Networks

About half of the money spent on online advertising goes to paid search. At SES New York, Amanda Watlington talked about what this means for hands-on executives and business owners who aren't used to online marketing. Contact us for Digital Marketing Course in Gurgaon.

Managing Search Marketing has never been easy, and Amanda spent some time this year teaching people who didn't know much or anything about the process not only what a successful campaign needs but also how to run it right.

One thing she talked about was how to use Social Media as part of the marketing process, and I wanted to talk about that in this post. Unlike Paid Search, SEO is a long-term strategy that takes planning and work. This article should help you understand it a little better.

Even though services like Twitter and Facebook fan pages have become popular in the US, many businesses still don't see the point in them or don't even know they exist. Europe and the rest of the world are further behind and are just starting to use Social Media Optimisation (SMO) as part of their marketing strategy. SMO is a way to connect with customers on their level by joining their community.

If you think of yourself as a product, you do SMO every time you post a message on Facebook, make friends on MySpace, or tweet from your phone. This is something that I think business owners and marketing managers should keep in mind when doing SMO. If you can do it every day without any trouble, there's no reason why your company can't. Contact us for Digital Marketing Course in Gurgaon.

But before you sign up and start posting, you should think about the following:

Does this service get used by the people I want to reach?

Find the people you want to connect with; don't wait for them to find you.

Is it okay for me to talk directly to my customers?

How likely is it that your customers will react when you or your coworkers post thoughts, ideas, or updates for them to see? Most of the time, the answer is yes, but no one knows your business as well as you do, so make sure it works first. Contact us for Digital Marketing Course in Gurgaon.

Would I be interested in this if I got it? Would other people be interested?

If you don't know, try joining some networks on a personal level and seeing what others are doing. Are there any that stand out? Why? Could you use a similar approach to get people to buy from you? Too often, managers go with their "gut feeling," only to find that it doesn't work. They then write off SMO as useless and never think about it again. Remember that you're talking to customers on their level and about their interests, which may not be the same as yours. Before you jump in, find out what their interests are and how to appeal to them.

Is what I give to this network of value to the other people who are part of it?

It doesn't work to just post self-promotional headlines and sales pitches.)

By "of value," I mean that it gives me, as a possible customer, something useful, interesting, or fun. If it does, I'll be 100 times more likely to use it myself and tell other people about it. This is exactly how viral videos work. If you give the user something they like, they'll spread the word for you.

Many businesses have signed up for these services and are now publishing "latest offers" ads or sending marketing mail shots to their friends. There is no faster way to get blocked and no better way to hurt your chances of making sales.

So go check out these services, see how they work, and think about how you could use them to help your business grow. Ask yourself the above questions and be sure you know how and when to get involved, but most importantly, when not to. Contact us for Digital Marketing Course in Gurgaon.