“Unlocking the Power of New Social Media”
February 23rd, 2009 by Rich Jacobson
In today’s Web 2.0 environment, the skyrocketing growth of New Social Media and it’s ongoing impact/influence on our culture is a force that cannot be ignored. It is a power that can be unlocked and effectively harnessed for expanding our sphere of contact, increasing our Internet presence, and promoting our message.
But first, it’s important for us to define our terms. “Web 2.0” is the term given to describe a second generation of the World Wide Web that is focused on the ability for people to generate, collaborate/share, publish/distribute information online. It basically refers to “the transition from static HTML Web pages to a more dynamic/interactive Web that is more organized and is based on serving web applications to users.” Some examples of the improved functionalities of Web 2.0 includes open communication with an emphasis on Web-based communities of users, and more open sharing of information, such as blogs, wikis, and web services. Simply put, Web 2.0 is a new movement or trend within the World Wide Web that shifts the focus away from static webpages to dynamic and shareable content.
In the past, people would simply access static websites, and be exposed to a ‘read-only’ environment. It was a limited, one-sided conversation. And unless your static content changed regularly, there was very little ’stickiness’ that encouraged visitors to come back.
But in today’s Web 2.0 arena, web/blogsites have become ‘dynamic’ and encourage greater interactivity with their visitors. Conversations have moved to near ‘real-time’ and allow visitors to participate in the process. Content is being syndicated through multiple media streams, including video and podcasts, to provide portability and appeal to user preferences.
Next, let’s consider another popular term, Social Media. Social Media refers primarily to the Internet-based tools and technologies that enable and facilitate the Web 2.0 generational shift – the creation, publishing, and distribution of user content for the purposes of encouraging meaningful interaction, sharing, and conversation among human beings. Hence the term, Social Media.
For most people/organizations who have used the Internet for marketing purposes, their primary focus has historically been on SEO (Search Engine Optimization). These are strategies of site construction and content generation that help to ensure efficient indexing and high page rank by the search engines.
But now, with the growing availability of various social media tools, applications, and networks, additional focus is also being placed on SMO (Social Media Optimization). These are strategies for identifying viable, relevant tools, applications, and networks, and implementing effective methods to consistently promote a businesses/organization’s message/services.
In its most basic essence, unlocking the power of social media is simply going where the conversations are, and utilizing the tools and applications to engage others, and become a meaningful part of those conversations.
Like any meaningful marketing effort, SMO takes time, strategy and commitment. It requires a basic, current understanding of what tools, applications, and networks exist, and how they can best be utilized.
Developing an Effective SMO Strategy
The first step in establishing an effective SMO strategy is to identify those tools, applications, and networks that offer the greatest relevance and highest measure of exposure.
The second step is determining what message/information/content you want to communicate, and developing a consistent strategy for effectively spreading it across multiple venues.
A few key elements to keep in mind:
1. Your branding must be consistent. You must develop a library of logos and images that can be used to convey the essence of your organization’s vision/mission.
2. Your social media efforts need to be consistently maintained. Readers/visitors need to be engaged and responded to quickly. Fresh content is the key.
3. If your business or organization has a website, you need to incorporate a blog into your site as soon as possible. This will allow for greater transparency from your management team, and allow the public to have more meaningful access to your organization.
For addtional reading:
Ten Ways that Non-Profits can start Leveraging Social Media
Tags: SMO, social media
