Social Media Optimization -- The Next Step for Affiliate Marketing
Friday, Jan 25, 2008
The Internet is fast becoming the leading global source for entertainment, information and commerce. It's also the world's largest meeting place. Over the past few years, websites like MySpace, FaceBook and LinkedIn have become huge social networks.
“The days of using search engine optimization and pay-per-click as sole traffic generators are over. The next phase of Internet development involves visitors to a website promoting that site through word of mouth.”
These websites allow people with similar interests and concerns to form cohesive groups and partnerships. With websites like YouTube.com bringing video directly into homes and podcasts gathering new listeners daily, it's hard to dismiss the power of the virtual marketplace. All of this innovation brings us to social media optimization.
What Is Social Media Optimization?
Social media optimization is the new age "word of mouth." By incorporating plenty of quality content, websites are able to reach a much larger audience than ever before. The days of using search engine optimization and pay-per-click as sole traffic generators are over. The next phase of Internet development involves visitors to a website promoting that site through word of mouth.
This is where social media optimization comes into play. When a visitor to a website thoroughly enjoys the experience, he or she will share with others, thus increasing traffic to the website. This happens on a global scale through the online networks created by sites like MySpace and FaceBook. Successful websites seamlessly integrate well-written copy, audio and video to help generate and increase traffic.
How Effective Is Social Media Optimization?
In a test devised by MarketingExperiments.com, social media optimization far surpassed the effectiveness of pay-per-click marketing. In fact, social media optimization generated a whopping 1,427 percent increase over traditional pay-per-click advertising.
Details of the study indicated that while pay-per-click resulted in quicker initial responses, social media optimization far surpassed expectations in the long run (12 months).
How Social Media Optimization Can Boost Your Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing works most effectively when traffic to the website constantly increases. More visitors to the site results in more people who see the advertisement. The law of averages shows that this will result in increased sales.
Six Steps to Planning a Social Media Optimization Campaign
There are six steps to creating a social media optimization campaign. You can choose to pay someone to create it for you, or handle it yourself if you prefer the hands-on approach. Either way, here's how it's done:
Relevant content
If you have a blog or website pertaining to a certain topic, make sure that the content is relevant and timely. Avoid issues that are old or stale-dated. If something happens within your industry or topic, post a comment and try to get a dialogue running with your visitors.
Join a discussion
Visit other sites dedicated to a similar topic and join a discussion. Eventually, you can lead readers to visit your site. Be outspoken and don't be afraid to stir the pot occasionally.
Specific material
Fill your website with material specific to the demographic you are aiming to reach. If you are selling a vitamin supplement specifically for men over 50, place appropriate videos and articles on your site. You can even hire a 50-something writer to share stories and help build relevant content.
Friendly platforms
Build your campaign in friendly platforms like Blogger or Word Press. These platforms are great for social media optimization and make it easy to create and edit your content.
Fresh content
Instead of using your ad dollars for pay-per-click advertising, use them to pay professional bloggers and add fresh content to your sites on a daily basis. Using keyword-rich copy, your site will flow to the top of the Google searches, which will further increase traffic to the site.
Get involved
Get involved in your community. Whether through MySpace, FaceBook or any other online network, don't be invisible. Let people know you are there. Post comments and include links to your site!
