We often talk about keywords in this industry.

“Social Media Optimisation” is one of the big keywords for progressive SEO companies in 2008.

It is still something of a tricky concept for people to get their heads around. While the benefits of SEO are measurable and highly visible, SMO is often viewed as more like traditional marketing; ie harder to measure. Actually, this is something of a sweeping statement, as certain aspects of SMO can be easily measured, while others, admittedly, cannot. If you are looking increasing traffic to your website, for example, or linkbaiting, this is all just as easy to measure as traditional linkbuilding work. Of course, you are putting yourself on the line a little more by releasing material into the public sphere, but a well planned and controlled project can be very rewarding.

Blogs, file sharing, social bookmarking, forums. The internet facilitates the transfer of information. Interacting with Social Media allows a brand to influence at least some of the information that is being passed around. Many people are afraid of potential negative comments harming their brand, as opposed to building it, but a well managed complaint can be a real positive.

Think about it. If you have had a complaint about a product or service in the past, what do you remember about it now? The fault itself or the way your complaint was dealt with? It’s probably a mix of the two. If you had a complaint that was badly dealt with, it is unlikely that you stayed loyal to that brand. If the complaint was handled with thought and care, it is likely that you remember that good service.

Don’t be afraid of Social Media!