I argue that SEO is becoming social media optimization (SMO). We devote a lot of attention to details to gain high rankings in search engines. Of course, this process is known as organic search engine optimization. But, when people search on a keyword in a search engine are all the search results limited to web pages? No!

A new organic SMO strategy is all about being found on the web by people who want your products or services. It’s great to be found by people doing a Google search. But, I don’t want to limit relevant traffic to my website only to those doing a Google search. I also want people to visit my website who are engaged in online conversations on the social web and visit it simply because of a referral by someone or a link from interesting content on the social web.

When I study my website analytics over the past 30 days I see the top referral source is Google organic, followed by a recent link building blog post on Hubspot and referrals from Twitter and Facebook.

How do I work at organic SEO? I still focus on relevant content and all the SEO basics pertaining to search engine friendly website architecture and organic link building strategies. These SEO fundamentals help get Google rankings which are still very important and very desirable.

But, as evidenced above Google is not the only valid referral source of traffic to my website.

When I find good content on the web I share it with others. On average for every 10 links to good content that I share, 9 of them are links to interesting articles from social media industry experts such as Hubspot, Lee Odden, Andy Beal, Paul Dunay and Chris Brogan among others. About 1 out of 10 links that I share are to my own blog posts because I sincerely believe that I provide interesting content too. I can say this with humility based on comments received from people on the social web.

The point I’m making is that organic optimization on the web is not limited to being found in search engines. Marketers who focus all their attention to being found in Google are potentially limiting their traffic.

This is more true in some industries than others. But, in most industries you’ll find people having online conversations, sharing links to content and generally engaged in communities on the social web. If your organic web strategy includes being engaged and found by these communities then it qualifies as a social media optimization (SMO) strategy.

So what’s your organic web strategy?

Tags: Andy Beal, Chris Brogan, Hubspot, Lee Odden, Paul Dunay, SEO, SMO, social media strategy, social web

This blog post is an excerpt from my forthcoming book on social media marketing…This chapter discusses the risk factors in social media marketing.  The book’s version is considerably more detailed.

No Strategy
Perhaps the biggest risk in social media marketing is diving in without a strategy.  Too often, companies jump on the bandwagon without first developing a plan.  The second worse risk is having the wrong strategy.  A social media marketing strategy requires research, observing and planning in order to develop a plan which can succeed and can be measured. 

Another risk marketers run is to ignore social media.  I often hear from marketers “we plan to get into social media somewhere down the road.”  That’s not a bad strategy if they are listeners in social media.  But, if they are totally ignoring the existing communities and conversations already taking place, they are potentially ignoring threats and opportunities TODAY. 

Lack of Understanding
I believe the biggest risk any organization faces when considering using social media is a lack of understanding its potential and the (mostly) unwritten rules of social media marketing.  The interesting thing about this comment is that social media is an evolving platform, yet there are fundamental components and characteristics in place which are very black and white (with a few shades of gray).  Organizations who come to understand the social, viral and technological characteristics of social media have the greatest potential to achieve positive experiences. 

Lack of Top Down Support
Understanding social media starts at the top of any organization.  Isn’t that usually true of most new business ventures?  For a large corporation with thousands of employees, it’s not totally necessary for the CEO to understand social media for successful experiences.  Staffers can experiment with social media, but they risk getting embarrassed if something goes awry and the CEO learns of it.  In fact, the possibility of the CEO learning about a negative experience from social media is extremely high due to its pervasive nature.  So, while I believe the CEO doesn’t necessarily need to be on board with a social media experiment in large corporations, I strongly advise it. 

Abandonment
Throughout the course of history, there are countless failed marketing experiments.  As consumers we have been witness to some failed marketing experiments – remember the DeLorean car? How many Super Bowl commercials can you remember from companies still in business (other than Budweiser)?  And, of course, there are gazillions of failed marketing experiments we’ve never heard of in market niches with no consumer exposure.  So, it behooves most organizations to venture into social media conservatively.  I’m talking about the proverbial dipping your toe in the social media waters.

Poor Allocation of Time and Resources
Another risk is not spending enough time at it.  Organizations that choose to embark in a social media strategy must allocate time to it.  When it is considered additive, the risk of abandonment is high. 

Poor Definition of Roles
A related risk is not redefining job roles to reflect a commitment to using social media.  If you consider social media marketing additive, then who do you add it to?  Once a social media plan has been developed, or a successful trial has been completed and you’re ready to commit more to a social media plan, I recommend a formal review of people’s job description and in most cases revising job descriptions. 

Not Having the Right People on the Bus
Once the roles have been defined, documented, discussed and everyone is on board, the heavy lifting begins.  In most cases, some heavy lifting has been in place for some time, but now you are in a better position to turn it up a notch. But, what if you realize you don’t have the right staff for social media marketing?  The fact is some people just don’t understand social media.  Sometimes the barrier is demographic, but most often it’s just a “don’t get it” mentality.  Or, worse yet, some may just resist it for any number of reasons.  There are still many people who are stuck in a paradigm, and they are not ready to shift to the social media paradigm. 

It’s your job to recognize who may embrace using social media and who may shun it.  If you are not the manager and you want to convince management to begin using social media, you may have a tall task ahead of you.  But, you should look for the same openings I’m describing here.

Measuring Results Poorly
As your social media strategy progresses, you want to measure progress or results.  A big risk is measuring the wrong metrics or not measuring at all.  The key is to develop a strategy that allows you to measure something that is meaningful.  Measuring the wrong metrics that don’t correlate to your strategy is potentially dangerous.  Likewise, attempting to measure prematurely is potentially dangerous.  Depending on your social media strategy, results can take months to develop and to blossom.   Measuring results over a sustained period of time is the key to measurement that matters. 

There are risks in using social media, but the potential benefits are outstanding.  The risks outlined here should not dissuade any marketer from harnessing the collective power of social media. 

Tags: risk factors social media marketing, social media, social media marketing, social media strategy

 

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This podcast elaborates on a blog post about blogging strategies. 

We start with a plug for the annual Tech Jam party hosted by TBTF - a party with a purpose to support the TBTF Foundation!

At Find and Convert, we frequently get asked by our clients about business blogging strategies.  “Should we have a blog?  How would a blog benefit our business and our SEO strategy?”

Sidenote: Podcasting has its roots in blogs.  The first podcasts were posted (and many still are) on blogs.

The real question is what is your social media strategy?  A blog is a component of a social media strategy.  Social media is not rocket science.  It is any web platform where communities of like minded people go, they subscribe, they contribute thoughts and user generated content.  They “socialize” online! The collective influence of communities in social media is very powerful.

When considering a blog within a social media strategy, a business should first consider what they want to accomplish.  Do they have subject matter experts, thought leaders AND the available resources who can be committed to a blog? 

Many companies start and stop a blog because they don’t get instant results.  One reason is they don’t commit the resources to the blog.  I sometimes visit a blog and see the last post was three months ago.  That blog instantly has NO credibility!

Where do you start?  Start by being a “listener” first.  Before a business starts a blog, they should visit other blogs where their community hangs out.  Read about what they’re talking about.  Get involved in those conversations with any frequency that suits your comfort.  You can gain really valuable insights from other blogs.  People can be talking about your company, your products, your competitors and even your employees.  They may be talking about issues your company addresses well but they don’t know that you do.  That’s an opportunity!

What should businesses blog about?  Most companies should blog about what they are capable of blogging about!  Begin by finding the person who has the interest in writing and the knowledge (authority) to write.  If a business has more than one person who likes to write, divide up the roles on the blog.  It’s ok to have more than one person “hosting” a blog.  They should be able to write in a blogging style.  Write conversational, not as corporate speak.  Always write relevant content!

Mistakes to avoid? One big mistake is not being transparent.  Don’t be someone you are not.  Be honest with your community.  If you use a screen name, be real behind the screen name.  No smoke and mirrors.  Your community will eventually find out and trash you.  Don’t underestimate the power of the online community.

How often should we blog?  No one answer.  Just be consistent.  Not too infrequent.  I blog about once per week.  Each business blog is unique.  As long as the content is relevant and of interest to your audience.

What’s the benefit to my SEO strategy? Blog content is an effective way to add content to your website if your blog is connected to your website.  If your blog is standalone you can link back to your website with relevant anchored keywords.  Blog content is an effective way to add content because many businesses struggle with adding fresh content on their website.  The link value of your content is what counts the most in your SEO strategy in the long run.

What’s your blog strategy?  Is it in the context of a social media strategy? 

Tags: blog strategy, Blogging, link back, SEO, SEO strategy, social media strategy, Tampa Bay Tech Jam, TBTF

One of the most common questions we get from B2B clients is “how can a blog help my SEO strategy?”  Follow up discussions include questions like, “What would we blog about?”  “How often do we need to blog?” 

This usually leads to a discussion around blogging strategy and social media strategy.  I point out that a blog may or may not be the right social media strategy for a B2B marketer.  I try to get the point across that a blog really should be part of a bigger strategy.  Some are reporting that B2B blogging is on the decline.

A big mistake to avoid is to start a blog just because it seems like a good idea.  A social media strategy should focus on the most effective ways to foster multi-levels of communication among the communities of people in your market place. 

There are many social media strategy avenues available and blogging is just one of them.

If a blog is a desired part of your social media strategy it’s important to have a well defined goal for the blog, along with a commitment of resources to the blog. 

Let’s look at each of these questions:
How can a blog help my SEO strategy?
Depending on your objective(s) it may provide several benefits.  One of them is if you don’t have a good blog and most of your competitors do, then you are possibly disadvantaged.  But, if you don’t have the resources to start a blog, even this reason isn’t a good one.  Find other ways to compete.  A good blog most often benefits a business by providing a friendly platform for your communities to gain insights into your company or industry that are not otherwise available.  A good blog will also provide link value for your SEO strategy.

What would we blog about?
You can blog about a lot of things.  What are the issues facing your industry?  What are the issues facing your customers?  What are some ideas you have (that aren’t confidential) that you want to express? Think in terms of product, environment and customer.  Write about things your community will have interest in and invite them into the conversation.

How often do we need to blog?
Often enough to show consistency. We blog about once per week. The frequency should be determined partly by your blogging resources and by the activity that takes place on your blog. But, if you start a blog with frequent posts, then it tails off to very infrequent blogging, you are likely to lose your audience.  Show consistency and listen to your audience.  You may need to blog more often if that’s the feedback you get from your blogging audience.

Don’t be surprised if your audience doesn’t join the conversation.  Depending on the size of your company and the size of your community, your blog may not generate a lot of conversation.  But, if it is well read, it can create another face to your business that can give you an edge, not easily duplicated eleswhere.

What are your thoughts on blogging?
Bernie

Tags: Blogging, SEO strategy, social media strategy