Social Media Optimization (SMO) is the “kaizen” of the World Wide Web. The term means changing for the better through continuous improvement. The seminal contribution of the kaizen approach is in recognizing that a series of small, incremental improvements can be just as effective as large projects at making a product or process better. Small changes, by nature, are also much easier to implement and, thus, more likely to be done. Applied to social media marketing, this means constantly tweaking your corporate communications to optimize the awareness, visibility and engagement of an event, a product or your brand.
People change, trends evolve, and life goes on; there’s no stopping point to social media engagement. However, keeping up doesn’t need to exhaust you. Indeed, innovation is a way to energize yourself and your organization. In addition, the search for novelty may prove serendipitous, if, like Robert Frost, you take the road less traveled.
You should always be testing the waters around you, researching what your followers are talking about and looking for what interests them. Is there industry news that might affect your followers? Let them know. Is there a challenge to which your brand/product can provide a solution? Fill them in. While your posts should in some way tie-in to your expertise, they don’t always need to be directly about your brand. Solve problems, entertain and provoke thought, interaction and dialogue.
With social media, you are vying for a coveted spot in the personal lives of the chosen recipients. When you campaign for a “like,” “follow,” or other social media action, you are asking for an invitation into their digital community. Although, this is a common request, for many people it requires some degree of emotional commitment. That request may begin a long relationship or may signal the death of one. As a marketer, the choice is in your hands. Be guided by the golden rule: treat others, as you would like to be treated. That is the essence of Social Media Optimization.
QualityStocks has extensive experience using SMO for corporate communication purposes. You may be familiar with social media for personal use, but using social media for business is an entirely different animal. Through a great deal of research, trial and error, and hands-on experience, we have identified the challenges facing social media marketers and have worked out the best solutions for executing SMO.
QualityStocks has built a strong audience of investors, entrepreneurs, analysts and other interested parties, and the list keeps growing. With our evolving list of SMO solutions and rapidly expanding social media following, QualityStocks can get you on track and up to speed on the long and successful road of social media corporate communications.