CCT355+Article+Analysis


 * Ignite Presentation:** [[file:CCT355_Ignite_Presentation.ppt]]


 * 4 Winning Strategies for Social Media Optimization **

Social media optimization (SMO) is the process of utilizing social media entry points to maximize the ability of users to share a business’ content across their own social networks. Businesses want as many people to see their content as possible. The more people that can see a business’ content, the more potential customers that business has. Information on the social web can disseminate incredibly quickly and businesses that practice SMO take advantage of this.

Social networks can generate large volumes of traffic towards a business’ website. If a businesses’ content is interesting and easy to share than it should result in high social referral traffic performance. Furthermore, the audience acquired through social networks are likely well-targeted because they consist groups of friends who likely have similar interests. Effective SMO also leads to better Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which is another valuable process that can contribute greatly to increasing a business’ audience.

The 4 winning strategies for SMO discussed in the article are (1) Widgets and Badges, (2) Content Sharing, (3) Social Sign In and (4) Social Commenting.

(1) Widgets and badges are simple tools that allow users to grab content from websites and share it on their own social networks. Widgets for Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube are among the most popular.

(2) Social sharing plugins like AddThis and Gigya improve content sharing capabilities by making it easier for users to share information across all of their personal social networks. There are tons of networks that users can potentially link to, but widgets that only include the major social networks perform the most effectively.

(3) Social Sign In is a feature that allows users to register for websites via their social network accounts. This makes it significantly easier for users to sign up since they no longer need to go through the traditional registration process. As a result, the number of users who register should increase. Registered users are more valuable than non-registered users because they tend to be more active and engaged.

(4) Comment sharing across social networks is a huge potential traffic driver. By using widgets to allow users to share comments among their own social networks, comments will be able to reach a much larger audience.

SMO is a great way to use technology to help improve business performances. It is becoming increasingly important for businesses to create strategies for socializing their websites and increasing their influence on the social web. It is very effective in strengthening customer relationships as well as gathering customer information.


 * Discussion **

• Do you agree? Is social media optimization a worthwhile strategy? • Facebook is by far the number one website involved in content sharing through widgets. Is it always a good idea for businesses to have a social network presence on Facebook? When wouldn’t it be a good idea? • With so many widgets available for content sharing, commenting, social sign-ins and more, do you feel it’s too much? Or should businesses continue to make use of even more social networking features?


 * Works Cited **

Tobin, Jim. "4 Winning Strategies for Social Media Optimization." Social Media News and Web Tips – Mashable – The Social Media Guide. 23 Oct. 2010. Web. .