It wasn't but a few years ago that a business with a web site was an anomaly, even though the experts were predicting a meteoric rise in web-usage and e-commerce. Early adopters of web technology have made a fortune, but now, if you are trying to get your web site to show up on the search engines, either organically (through content) or by pay-per-click or other kinds of paid-for-links, you're finding it harder and harder to stand out from the crowd.
The days of gathering new clients from simple Search Engine Optimization are over. So, what is the next wave of business generating technology?
Social Media Optimization.
"Huh?" you say.
SMO is a series of strategies using social networking sites like LinkedIn, MySpace, FaceBook and even YouTube to promote your business.
It's easy, but not exactly simple. The basic strategy is this: give, ask and receive. In order to take advantage of the millions and millions of consumers that are visiting social networking sites, you have to provide something first - content rich uploads are the most common gift to the social sites. The more you give, the more you receive.
For example, a young lady created a site that provides interesting backgrounds for MySpace users. She gave the templates away, getting millions of hits on her site. So, how did she make a million dollars? Advertisers paid her to place tiny ads on her page. Why? Because the people that accessed her free content were purchasers.
You can use this same strategy to attract new customers to your web site, your store or your business. SMO works for real estate agents, consultants, coaches, authors, accountants, attorneys and everyone else who has a service or product to sell, whether the market is local or global.
Go to
StomperBlog.com to view a fascinating video on SMO (aka “Social Marketing”) by marketing expert Don Crowther.
Joe Cooke is the Director of Sales and Marketing for
incredibleoffice.com
Posted on January 09, 2008 05:01 |
Business
