Definition:
Social Media Optimization (SMO) is the process of increasing awareness of a product, brand or event by using a number of social media and communities to generate viral advertising.
Social media optimization includes the use of RSS feeds, news and social sites, as well as social networking sites, video and blogs. SMO is similar to SEO (search engine optimization), in that the goal is to drive traffic to a website.
Differences between SEO and SMO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the positioning in search engines in a natural way. The goal is to improve the visibility on the Internet of a content or website to appear in the first search results within search engines such as Google. With this, users are able to visit that website and generate conversions or visits, to finally try to stay in the same positions over time.
Why integrate SMO into a Digital Marketing strategy
One of the main reasons why to integrate SMO into a digital marketing strategy is because of the importance for SEO. It is proven that companies that combine both techniques achieve better results. Both the message and the visual identity of a brand are fundamental to branding and both parties must be kept connected in all channels.
Having optimized social networks and a social media plan will make everything work much better. To do this, you must focus on the publications of a website to be able to share them on social networks and take it to different channels. In this way we will be attracting traffic between both sites, so conversions will be increased.
Keys to improving Social Media Optimization
Social networks provide a large amount of data that can be analyzed to check the success of this optimization and if it is being done correctly. They will provide us with data about users and their behavior patterns that can then be used to continue focusing this optimization.
The goal is not to increase the number of followers within social networks, since without interaction nothing is achieved. Therefore, you must get feedback with the users of each network.
The purpose is to get them to be the ones who generate and share the content. In this way, the search engines or algorithms of each channel consider that this content is relevant and will give it greater weight and importance.
The main keys to designing an SMO strategy are online reputation, engagement or interaction and the platforms in which you decide to have a presence.
On the one hand, reputation must have value. This value will be given by users once the content is positioned. The more authority the search engine provides, the better positioned that content or profile will be on social networks. To achieve this, they must generate their own and original content that create conversation with users.
Engagement is the interaction with users. To do this, a strategy must be proposed that allows followers to participate in the content and conversation. Making calls to action so that they are encouraged to participate commenting on the contents is one of the best actions. The simpler users have it, the more likely they are to participate.
Finally, it is important to determine the platforms on which you will have visibility. The key is to study which social networks you should be in, since not all projects will be able to be in the same channels. It will depend on the service offered or the content generated. When they decide, a content strategy should be focused for each social network.