We’ve all heard of SEO or Search Engine Optimization, but these days SMO or Social Media Optimization is just as important˳ Social media plays an important role in marketing a business online˳ The best part is that it’s free!
You’ll want to start with joining a social media site˳ LinkedIn, Facebook and groups on Ning˳com are where you will find your target audience˳ Look for a group that has a lot of members and open forums or groups to join˳
Once you have joined a group, take the time to set up your profile with any pertinent information about your business˳ This should include your website address or business location, contact info and a description of your services or products˳ Some groups allow you to write your own blog˳ Ning˳com groups usually have a blog that goes along with your profile˳ On LinkedIn you can add a widget that links to your blog˳ This will automatically update your profile page with your most recent blog entries˳
The second step of joining a social site is to get involved˳ You cannot just build a profile and expect to connect with people˳ You need to start conversations and ask questions˳
Starting a conversation is easy˳ Many times there will already be a discussion going on that you can join˳ You can also start a discussion about current business news, ask for advice, events, webinars or share free information that helped your business˳ Approach people you admire and either leave a comment or ask to connect˳ Not everyone will connect with you, but most are more than willing˳ A great way to let someone know you are genuine is to tell them why you want to connect when you send a request˳
Be careful of spamming a forum or discussion area with posts that are only ads about your business˳ There are certain times when you can write about your business˳ Look for an “Introduce Your Business” discussion where you can write about your business˳ Another time to post about your business is when someone is looking for a service/product that you offer˳ You can always advertise your business by adding a signature with your name and website link at the end of any discussion you post˳
Continue to make connections, build your network and find ways to work with other business owners˳ After you have mastered one group, join another˳ Join as many groups as you can without becoming overwhelmed about adding content and making new connections˳
Blogs are still a viable way to spread word of mouth and build your brand˳ I recommend using a free blog host through WordPress or Blogger˳ Your first blog post should introduce your business˳ Your blog will have a sidebar area that you can add links to your site, product photos, your logo and reciprocal links˳ Reciprocal links with other blogs is a great way to reach a new audience˳ You can go a step further and post reciprocal entries on each others blog about the others business˳
Post entries to your blog on a regular basis, either daily or weekly˳ This way people can see that you are reliable and it will fill your blog up with great content˳ You can post about your services and products˳ Each entry can showcase a different product or service you offer˳ Adding commentary on relevant news about your industry makes for great content˳ You can subscribe to a free service, Google Alerts on specific subjects that are sent your email address˳ Use this service to learn about news around the world˳
Writing articles about subjects within your industry is a way to show off your expertise and advertise your business˳ You can submit articles to article banks such as Ezine or Hub pages˳
Once you have published an article, you still need to market it˳ Add a link to your article on your site and blog˳ There are several free services that will allow you to share articles with the public˳ Popular sites include Twitter, Digg and LinkedIn˳ On LinkedIn groups you can submit articles to the news section of any group you have joined˳ You can also start a discussion about your article by asking what others think about that subject and referencing your article via a link to where it is located˳
These are the basics of social media optimization or SMO˳ The longer you’re online the more you will learn˳ You can use the internet to build lasting relationships with customers and other entrepreneurs˳
Source by https://ezinearticles˳com/?How-to-Use-SMO-For-Your-Business&id=3395062
