Social Media Optimization – Why should you participate?

As time goes on, more and more people are using the web to engage themselves with the world around them. Social media websites and tools allow us to share information and commentary with anyone, anywhere, all over the world. Taking apart of this online world is essential for any business that wants to grow their brand name and their community of consumers.

Here are the top 5 reasons why Social Media Optimization is important to participate in:

No 5. You are creating an online community for users of your company or brand. You are establishing a place where your offline community can come together online and you all can have a voice.

No. 4. There is wisdom in crowds. Just like in the pre-internet days, having a friend recommend a product or service (i.e. “word of mouth”) is much more effective than any advertisement.

No 3. You can custom your message to the users in your community – you know how they speak, what they like, and what you can sell to them.

No 2. It’s reported by Google that roughly 77% of searches are “branded” keyword phrases – meaning, the majority of your online referrals come from users actually looking for you…by name. Your social media sites and profile pages will appear high in SERPs (search engine results pages), which means you will gain more of the search traffic. Try searching “Barack Obama” and see the results on the 1st page. You can see how he is taking advantage of the Social Media sites out there.

No 1. And the #1 reason is….it is FREE and TARGETED online marketing. Speak directly to the people that want to be in your community…at no direct cost. Awesome.

In conclusion, take action now and start to think seriously about your presence in Social Media websites. The social media sites are ranked high by search engines, and they dominate the “Golden Triangle” on results pages. All in all, Social Media Optimization is a great way to have multiple placements in this Golden Triangle, increase your online reputation, and ultimately – your conversion rates and online revenue.

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Contributed by: Natalie Evans, Milestone Inc.