You’ve probably heard Social Media Optimization, or SMO, is the online marketing wave of the future, but how do you go about it, and how can it benefit your store? Learn how to effectively wield the tools of SMO to craft a brand for your ecommerce site.
Popular social media sites include:
Digg.com
Reddit.com
Del.icio.us
Squidoo.com
Yahoo! Answers
And many more!
On most social media sites, users create profiles and add content they find across the web to their profiles. They’re able to share this content with other users, who have the opportunity to vote on whether they found the content useful or not. But how do you go from submitting content to increasing your site’s brand awareness. Here are the secrets to unravel all that SMO mystery:
1. Press Releases – Press releases are one of the most effective SMO tactics. Syndicate a press release dealing with an aspect of your store that will attract users to read the release. For example, if you’re a wedding site, write a release on popular wedding themes. Include the name of your site in the title of the release, as the title of your release will be shown on literally thousands of sites. How’s that for getting your name out there?
2. Get A Blog – Think a blog isn’t good for your business’s reputation? It’s actually one of the best tactics out there to promote your brand. Write blog posts that will provide readers with useful information, and be sure to include social media buttons at the end of each post so users can easily submit your posts to SMO sites. Enable (and actively moderate!) comments so your blog isn’t just a pile of words, but a conversation.
3. Answer Their Questions – Curiosity keeps the social media cat alive and kicking. Internet users are asking questions and seeking advice everywhere online. Sites like Yahoo! Answers give you the opportunity to answer questions related to your industry. Be sure to only answer questions you are knowledgeable on, and include a link to a site at the end of the answer. Just be sure you’re providing real knowledge – not spam! Do the same thing at blogs and forums related to your site.
4. Target the right SMO sites – So you want to take the plunge into SMO? Before you submit your content to all the social media sites out there, do some research and choose about ten social media sites that really meet your site’s demographics. There’s no use in taking the time to submit your site to tons of social media sites that won’t result in traffic for you.
5. Patience –The “Digg Effect”, where your site receives a great deal of traffic almost instantaneously, may not happen for your site, but that doesn’t mean your SMO efforts won’t pay off for your site. Patience is a must for a successful SMO strategy, and it can take several press releases and many forum and blog comments before you start seeing an increase in traffic to your site.
Don’t get left in the dust with traditional marketing strategies. Embark on a Social Media Optimization campaign now to take advantage of all the wealth of traffic at your fingertips. Digg?
Before you kickoff your SMO efforts, make sure your site is up to par. WebStore by Amazon has an easy to use Online Store platform.
My name is Mark Raleigh, and I consider myself a free-spirited entrepreneur. I'm the guy in the sandals sitting near the lake honing his marketing plan, the guy reading about zen alongside the latest e-commerce trends. I've always loved business, majored in it in college, worked at a fast-paced marketing agency in NYC for years, and finally decided an online business was for me. I love to share my e-commerce knowledge, insights, and business advice with all. 
