Many people confuse Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) with Social Media Optimisation (SMO). While connected, the two terms denote two distinct things. SEO refers to a set of strategies aimed at bringing more people to your website by improving your search engine rankings. SMO refers to strategies aimed at using social networks for increasing the traffic to your website. This will invariably improve your chances of closing out sales.

SMO strategies typically enable you to enhance the online presence of your company and its reputation via interactive networks such as Twitter and Facebook. But, it also involves using blogs, forums and other websites where your business finds a mention and permits people to connect to your business socially. However, this doesn’t mean that you can create accounts on every social network on the internet. This could be counterproductive. Indiscriminate link-spreading without engaging your customers can act as a turn-off to many people. Thus, by adopting this approach, you could well find yourself losing followers very quickly.

• A sound Social Media Optimisation (SMO) strategy will typically involve:Creating shareable content, which your audience can share (repeatedly) over various social media platformsFacilitating the ease with which your audience can share, recommend or bookmark content by incorporating buttons and widgets on your website
  Sharing content proactively by syndicating content to other partners and platforms e.g. Scribd, Slideshare etc. and,
• Engaging more effectively with your audience by rewarding retweets and ‘likes’ with promotional offers