The first aim of any business is to be known amongst their target audience. This is no different for online businesses that strive to shine out amidst billions of sites. Online businesses aim to market their site in several different manners to gain them more customers and business. One such marketing technique is social media marketing.

Social media marketing is a term that defines marketing that is done via social networks, such as online communities, networks, blogs and many other marketing tools to raise awareness amongst their potential clients. These sites are used to publicize, make sales, create connections between the business and target market, and to handle customer service. Some common tools used to perform social media marketing are Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Orkut and YouTube.

The three main aspects of social media marketing are firstly, it creates a buzz and attracts readers with catchy and impressive messages. This buzz spreads through the Internet through contact between users who in turn pass it on to their own contacts. Within moments, these messages spread like wild fire.

Another aspect is that it gathers all fans of a brand or company together and allows them to interact with one another, create an identity and communicate their interest for this brand or set of products. It is also based on online conversations that cater around the business, and brings together current and potential customers. Their loyalty would also in turn promote one’s brand and raise awareness amongst other possible clients.

Through either simple networking, or marketing, these social media outlets help websites gain an online presence rapidly. They allow one to reach their target audience regardless of which part of the world they reside in. Another great advantage of social media marketing is, when done well, it could help enhance the search engine friendliness of one’s website.

Effective social media marketing would help generate a good number of quality backlinks to one’s site. These tools help the members of social networks to resend links to one’s websites to other interested viewers, hence adding more backlinks and increasing the popularity of one’s website. This way, their social media marketing campaign achieves two purposes-increasing search engine ranking and online visibility.

In conclusion, social media marketing is effective and natural. It is a great source of web traffic, and achieves great results at a low cost. This form of marketing would work well with any other advertising campaign.

Social Media Optimization (SMO) is the brother of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)- they are both attracting customers to their website content, except SMO is attracting visitors to a company’s web site by using its social media pages or profiles on sites like Twitter and Facebook. In addition, creating a SMO-friendly website means making social media a core component of how users interact with content.

There are several different things companies can add to their site to make it SMO, thus increasing traffic and building links. Some of these include:

1. Adding RSS feeds and making subscribing to RSS feeds by email easy (like the Feedburner Subscription box on the sidebar of The Social Robot.)
2. Adding social media share buttons (like those found on addany.com or sharethis.com)
3. Plugins and components that allow users to rate and comment on posts and content
4. Widgets that pull in company tweets or facebook updates
5. Easy customer engagement, like the ability to upload videos with their company feedback and thoughts.

In addition, there are also some social media optimization tactics that work as a ‘pull’ method to get users to come to the site.

1. Guest blogging on other’s blogs with a link back to company website
2. Commenting on relevant blog articles and including website address in the URL or comment itself (but only if it is topically relevant- otherwise would be spamming)
3. Answering questions related to company’s industry on LinkedIn Answers or Yahoo! Answers, in addition to forums and message boards. Include link to company website in signature, if applicable and allowed.

Here’s some great posts on social media optimization from around the internet:

13 rules of SMO
social-media-optimization.com
16 rules for SMO revisited
The beginners guide to SMO

In 8^th grade I was in a mediocre band, and I ran an equally mediocre website to promote that band. The one thing we had going for us was used cjb.net to shorten the convoluted URL Angelfire.com has given us. Maybe our abysmal Green Day covers weren’t turning heads, but at least we had a pithy URL. But that was 10 years ago, when URL shortening was all about style. Now it’s mostly about fitting those long URLs into the character constraints of tweets and text messages. But should link shortening be just about brevity? Some organizations are taking URL shortening to the next level by using their own, branded URL shorteners.

A lot of websites use link shorteners like Tiny URL or bit.ly to facilitate the tweeting or texting of links. Those services are easy to use. Enter a URL, and they’ll generate a shorter URL that points to the original. Sure, they’re brief but they aren’t exactly stylish. Depending on what service you use, the shortened URL will start with http://tiny.cc/, http://bit.ly/, and so on. You might argue that this doesn’t matter, because readers don’t care about what a URL looks like, as long as it’s short enough to fit into a tweet. You might be right, but I’m seeing branded URL shorteners popping up more and more.

Marketers love talking about brand equity, that intangible value your brand name provides its products. A branded URL takes advantage of brand equity,  evoking the reputation of the website it’s connected to. If somebody tweets a news story, you’re decision to click on it will be informed not only by the headline, but also by where the link will take you. The New York Times branded shortened URL is http://nyti.ms. If the URL begins with http://nyti.ms you might more likely to check out the link because of the positive association you have with The New York Times.

If you want your own branded URL shortner, there’s YOURLS. Check it out. It’s great tool that lets you customize your shortened links, with a URL that corresponds with your own brand. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Get a catchy URL and a place to host it. Learn from the nyti.ms example and try a domain that’s an abbreviation of your current one.
2. Download YOURLS and follow the setup instructions.
3. Since this is your branded link shortening device, make sure “private” and “custom” are both set to true. Otherwise, other people would be able to create links from your branded URL.
4. Show off your tech savvy by creating branded, shortened links.
5. Take advantage of all the extra goodies YOURLS provides, like historical click reports, referrers tracking, and geo-location stats.

After reading the news headlines last week about the acquisition of Aardvark by Google, I went straight to Vark.com to find out exactly what Aardvark is and why Google would want to purchase it for millions of dollars.

Turns out, Aardvark is a pretty cool way to find answers to almost any question that needs a better answer than what Google or Yahoo can give. Think of it as a “real-person search engine” where your questions are answered by another Aardvark user instead of a search engine result based on algorithms and keywords. When you set up a profile to ask a question, you also put in your interests and areas of expertise so you can answer questions from other users. Whenever someone asks a question about books, marketing, or social media, Aardvark IMs me via AIM and checks to see if I am busy and can answer a question. Most of the time I say yes, and most of the time, I can answer the question without having to do any research. However, if you can’t, no pressure. Simply say ‘pass’ and Aardvark will ask someone else. You can also answer questions on the website instead of instant messenger; but being on my computer all day I find it a fun distraction to be asked questions (I usually get 2-3 questions a day).

Besides a fun, unique way to ask questions, Aardvark has seems to have a tight-knit community of users and has a fun ‘About Us’ page that includes photos of happy hours and comfy couches, definitely making me want to work there. And I’m sure with their new parent company paying their bills, many more people will be looking for a job at Aardvark.

If you want to try it, visit Vark.com

EZineArticles.com, as well as other article marketing websites, can be a great resource for anyone that is wanting to grab some content or great story ideas. You can re-post the content on your page if it includes the user’s bio at the bottom (however, this isn’t recommended, as it counts as duplicate content). Article marketing sites consist of free articles that people use for linkbuilding purposes. By including their own website link in the bio portion of the article, they get exposure while reinforcing their expertise in a certain area or industry.

Not surprisingly, a lot of articles on EZineArticles and other article marketing sites are simply keyword-riddled drivel that barely makes sense. However, if you take a closer look, a lot of the content is actually well-written, useful, and informative. To find these quality articles, do a search or look in the applicable section. You’ll find that the most useful articles have a longer word count (300-500 words), don’t include links or free offers in the article, and have unique and catchy titles (like the first example article below).

I’ve included a few quick links to a small sample of articles I feel can really contribute to the discussion on social media, the internet, and search engine marketing (SEM).
Is It Anti-Social Media for the New York Times to Charge Online Subscribers?
How to Use Social Media to Improve Your Rankings
AdWords Mistakes You Should Avoid at All Costs
Why You Should Care When Someone Tweets About His Lunch

If you are facing writer’s block when trying to write entries for your own blog or website, these articles can certainly get the juices flowing.

Wall Street Journal: Services combine social media, marketing

Impact Media: Google’s MySpace acquisition poses challenges for SEO

Clickthrough Marketing: AdWords Certification can boost SEM

CNN Money: Social Media use increases 82%

ClickZ: 9 insights to help guide your SMM program

Search Engine Land: The 5 rings of conversion optimization

BONUS:

How to use LinkedIn for Business, a (very helpful) free PDF e-book by HubSpot

Here are some great articles on social media and search marketing to start your week off right. These lists are usually pretty popular here at the Social Robot, so we may try to do them more regularly.

Social Media: The People’s Media

Social Media Predictions for 2010

Friendster to Sell for $100 Million

What is a Social Media Expert Anyway?

SEO is Not a Religion

Time to Stop Blaming Google

Chicago-area startups piggybacking on social media for new product concepts

Under the Hood: Google News and Ranking Stories

7 Incredibly Valuable but Underused Free Tools for PPC Marketers

On a final note, The Social Robot is looking for guest bloggers, both paid and unpaid. Please use the contact tab on the left to get email Kelsey if you are interested.

By Caitlin Burns

Geek Culture has become increasingly powerful in Hollywood and Fan Communities on social networks are as sought after by consumer product companies as they are by TV shows and feature films. What draws fans to a property, product or community? What is the magic alchemy that gives some properties armies of loyal torchbearers?

Social communities have always been built around shared interest, and some of the most powerful examples of pre-internet social communities are fan clubs and communities, like those that sprang up following Star Trek, Howdy Doody, Soap Operas and countless others. In the absence of the Internet as a means of organizing, fan magazines, comic book conventions sprang up that over decades have become institutions where studios and other companies spend millions to present their new properties to new fans.

A strong fan base provides word of mouth advertising and a staging point where viral marketing campaigns can quickly launch. These fans can also sustain a property long term, like fans of Star Wars, who remained zealously loyal to the brand for decades between films.

What draws fans strongly to properties are aspirational drivers, themes and messages within a franchise, or associated with a product, that resonate on a very human level. Transmedia Storytelling is a method of providing content to highlight those themes and messages, by consistently integrating them into stories everywhere fans can think of looking for them.

From the driving platform, where the largest range of audience members have access to the property, those who are engaged will immediately, often before the property is released, start looking for additional content on different platforms, online, on cell phones, in magazines, etc… This system has been more or less the same, with ever-advancing technology, for 15 years. From promotional websites, to trailer releases to fan networks operated by studios. Fan sites such as www.aintitcoolnews.com and www.rottentomatoes.com are examples of sites that dictate as much consumer-action as profoundly as newspaper reviews once did.

People not only rely on these communities and sources as reference but expect a certain amount of interactivity as a normal part of a film’s release. The material as a whole follows a traditional magazine format, showing snippets of the film and reviews by critics but is the primarily the same format that one saw reviews and trailers presented in since the 1930s. What then, distinguishes a property? How can social media be used as a tool to expand on these antiquated formats?

Audience members and consumers on the whole, are savvy and proficient in following content across the platforms available to them. As the viral marketing revolution shows, word of mouth is a powerful tool that can catapult a story or ad from one niche to mass-market exposure. Why do they do this? They want more.

Each week thousands log onto websites to see extended previews of the next episodes of their favorite shows, once they’re logged in, additional narrative content keeps viewers tuning in again and again, in between airings of episodes, and in the time between seasons. These narrative strings create added value for a property that can be sponsored, or packaged later to provide new revenue streams around a property. There are many ways to provide additional narrative content to the fan communities that spring up around new releases (and older releases): alternate reality games, casual games or interviews with cast members, and centrally, official property hubs that help direct fans to new threads in a Transmedia Storytelling tapestry are fantastic tools to validate fans, and create long-term fan loyalty. The more often fans are validated by the properties they adore, the more loyal they become.

Providing opportunities to explore fictional worlds, based around stories or products, is an excellent way to create and maintain fan interest, especially if the additional effort can be later celebrated by the property by including elements from the extended narrative in the driving platform’s storyline. A single line of dialogue in a film that is related to something in a related video game, online story, or other fan endeavor, can send fans into rapturous cheers and really cements the dedication of torchbearer fans, those who are evangelizing the property to others and makes them feel included in the world in a very solid way that is easy to execute and creates incredible loyalty.

Social Media is all about interactivity, and modern audiences crave a sense of connection to characters and stories they love. Expanding the universe of a narrative into and around social networks, providing additional content and creating inroads for fans to feel ownership in a property’s fictional world is a sure way to extend the life of a property into a world-class, franchise that stands the test of time.

Caitlin Burns is a Transmedia Producer and Editorial Lead at Starlight Runner Entertainment. To hear more of her thoughts on media, follow her and catch up on her other blogs through Twitter: Caitlin_Burns

By Aaron Couch

With some blogs and videos getting hits in the hundreds of thousands, you’re probably wondering, “how can I get in on the action?” To get your content to go viral, all you have to do is create something so unique and earth-shatteringly interesting, that others will be compelled to share it with their friends. Sounds easy, right?

Okay, maybe it’s not that easy. But, there are ways to improve the likelihood your content will get the adoring attention you’d like it to receive.

Viral content tends to be:

Unique. Content you just can’t get anywhere else.

Easy to understand. Contains writing that connects with people by using a conversational tone and real world stories.

Informative. Full of helpful information or breaking news (especially a good scoop).

Below are more specific ways to increase your content’s viral potential.

The forwarding factor

Create content that will make people want to share it with their friends. Word of mouth is incalculably valuable, and can attract thousands of visitors to your blog or article.

Studies have shown asking your readers to pass your page along greatly increases the chances they will. Encourage your readers to forward your link in an e-mail, and give them the option to add it their facebook or twitter accounts.

And don’t forget to tell your friends about your latest work. “Stuff White People Like” creator Christian Lander insists he never did anything to publicize his funny blog, save for sharing the link with 20 friends when he first launched it. In turn, those friends forwarded the link their friends, and so on. The blog blew up from there, and millions of views and a publishing deal later, the rest is history (watch Landers talk about his blog’s success).

Write for your audience

While it might seem like making the most general, wide-appealing blog or article is the best way to attract visitors, it’s actually better to tailor your content to a specific audience. Make your reader feel like an “insider,” and they’ll be more likely to return and pass on your link.

Are you a parent and a musician giving people a look at what it’s like to raise your children in a tour bus? Do you have a blog chronicling the mishaps and mischief of your overweight cat? Whatever your content is about, find your niche, and run with it!

Just look at the popular series of youtube videos, “Hi I Am Marvel…and I’m a DC.” Using action figures and funny voices, its creator parodies the bickering that goes on behind the scenes of superhero films. While perhaps only funny to those who follow the comic book world, these videos have received over 5 million views, real proof that having a niche is a great way to success.

Link to great websites

It might seem counterproductive to send your readers away, but linking to high quality sites will establish you as someone who can point readers to interesting places. Your article or blog could even be just a list of links. For example, how many aspiring writers do you think have consulted lists of places to be published online?

So maybe there’s no guarantee your blog or article will go viral, but don’t lose heart. With a little work and planning, you just might have the next big thing on your hands—or at least something someone will like enough to share with their friends.

References From CopyBlogger:

5 Steps to Going Viral on Twitter

Viral Marketing With Blogs

5 Social Media Lessons I Learned from Working with a Hollywood Actress

Guest Blogger Aaron Couch is a freelance writer and musician from Kansas City.  He has experience writing and designing press releases, as well as planning publicity campaigns. Check out his band at www.myspace.com/anotherholiday

By Michael Bennett Cohn

In online publishing, one of the most commonly discussed metrics is “engagement,” which usually means “quantity and quality of user comments.” So, if you write a blog post, nobody comments on it, then that’s low engagement. If a hundred people comment on it, then that’s high engagement (assuming they are substantive comments).

Engagement is not necessarily the most important metric in determining the success of a piece of content; just the most obvious one. A brilliant essay may be read by a thousand people, only five of whom leave a comment. Those five people might just happen to have the right combination of characteristics: Interest in the subject, desire to have a personal connection to the author, agitation that their own point of view wasn’t considered, or a sense of responsibility to give public praise, or criticism.

And yet, engagement is the metric most likely to have a real effect on the author. Its presence demonstrates beyond all doubt that another human being, and not just a browser, has processed what was written. Putting something you’ve written online, and then watching the pageview count increase while nobody leaves comments is frustrating and daunting. Sure, people are loading the page, but are they even bothering to read the whole thing? Did they love it so much that they didn’t want to sully the conversation with their banal praise? Did they not understand it? Did they get bored after the first few words, or did they read the entire thing? Did they catch the references? Was the piece even read by the type of people for whom it was written?

There is a time-tested and true way of getting quality comments on one’s own posts:

• Write comments on other people’s posts on the same site. Your fellow writers will appreciate the attention, and repay it by paying more attention to your own stuff. This also creates a snowball effect, wherein the engagement rate on the site as a whole goes up. This is a good thing, even if the majority of the comments on the site were written by other contributors to the same site. That’s because, when a new user, who has no personal ties to the site, sees it for the first time, they are much more likely to get involved and start commenting if they perceive that a lot of other people are already doing so.
• Write comments on other people’s posts on other sites. More and more, comment systems allow the commenter to attach a URL of their choice to their comment. Usually, this URL is where a user will go if they read your comment, want to know more about you, and click on your name. Nobody is more likely to do this than the person who wrote the post on which you’ve just commented. The identities of the people who leave comments may seem random and diverse, but the truth is that many of them are returning the favor I did to them by commenting on their own blog. It happens quite frequently… I leave a comment on a new blog that interests me, and then, less than 24 hours later, ping! There’s a comment on miconian, by that same blogger, thoughtful and respectful, even though the two posts in question are usually on completely different subjects. It’s as if they’re saying: Thank you for validating my existence. I will now repay the favor by validating yours.
• When you do get comments, respond to them, giving the readers the sense that what they have to say matters and is being taken seriously.
• When you comment on others’ posts, say something of substance. This can be difficult. Your time is valuable, and as you struggle to formulate your thoughts, you are simultaneously doing a cost/benefit analysis. Is there really a point to leaving this comment? Will anyone actually read it? Won’t someone else come along and say the same thing that you were planning to say, but better, if you just leave well enough alone? An hour from now, will you even remember this website? And yet, the truth is that, when you bother to go through the trouble of demonstrating that you take another person’s work seriously, you quite often create a fan of your own work. Suddenly, to the person on whose work you have commented, you are no longer just one of a million authors in the abstract. You are an author with a personal connection to the reader. When that person reads your comment, they’re going to wonder who you are, what your story is, how you find your way to their work, and what else you like. They’ll click on your name, go to your blog, and check out your own stuff. Maybe they’ll subscribe to your RSS feed, or start following you on Twitter. And so, when you write something else, and you promote it, they’ll be back to read it again.
• Actively seek out sites that are already popular with your intended audience, and leave comments there. Not only may the popular author bless you with a return comment, but their readership may be intrigued by what you have to say, and follow you back to your own blog.
• Add to the conversation in a genuine way. Saying “I agree with this” or “This really resonated with me” is actually the weakest, least helpful kind of comment, if that’s as far as you get. (Similarly, saying “This sucks” is a waste of everybody’s time, including yours.) Some of the best comment threads I’ve ever seen grew and grew because a few commenters used the original post as a jumping-off point for telling related stories of their own, linking to other work that they’ve been reminded of, etc. And then, best case scenario, commenters start responding to each other. When this happens on a regular basis, the site comes alive in a whole new way. Users start leaving comments on new posts, and those comments are directed at other readers as much as, or more than, they’re directed at the author. A great example of this can be found on every single post on Making Light, where commenters are so eager to engage in a positive and intelligent way with each other that they will do so, by the hundreds, in response to absolutely anything that’s posted.

Engagement has a bit of the prisoner’s dilemma to it: Most relationships start out with both parties feeling cynical, and one person has to actually rise above immediate self-interest. But the biggest fans you get will be the ones who feel like you’re paying attention to them too.

Guest Blogger Michael Bennett Cohn is the Publisher of Revolving Floor, a interactive online literary magazine.