| When you own your own business, you naturally | | | | "infected"; as they become infected with interest, |
| want to gain customers just as fast as you possibly | | | | they pass that "infection, (that interest), onto others, |
| can. You probably already have your own website, | | | | just like the spread of a virus. Viral advertising is also |
| but how many people pay you an online visit? Since | | | | specifically related to social media activity. |
| you've invested so much energy into getting the site | | | | You can also help to spread your viral message by |
| up and going, the next step is to take advantage of | | | | making it easier for others to share your site with |
| social media optimization. When you tap into the | | | | their friends. The addition of buttons or widgets such |
| power of the internet, you do not have to spend a | | | | as "Digg this" can help. This enables people who "digg" |
| lot of money to attract customers to your site. | | | | your article or your website to click the "digg this" |
| The first rule of social media optimization is to | | | | button which then registers your article/site on the |
| increase the chances that other people will create | | | | Digg website. The more votes you get, the better |
| links to your website. To do that, you need to | | | | the chance you have of appearing on Digg's page |
| become a subject matter expert in a field and write | | | | one, which would boost interest in your content |
| content that other people will be interested in reading. | | | | exponentially. |
| Use popular websites such as Digg, Facebook, Furl, | | | | Everyone appreciates help with raising their profile, |
| and Reddit and create links to your material. If you | | | | and creating a list of websites that have linked to |
| can get yourself on the front page of Digg for | | | | your website, that everyone can see, will enthuse |
| example, you can create a viral marketing campaign | | | | people and will persuade them also to link to your |
| where other people enthusiastically tell their friends | | | | site. It works on the "one good turn deserves |
| about your content. | | | | another" principle. |
| What you are trying to achieve through Social Media | | | | Don't hesitate to let others use your content as long |
| Optimization (SMO) is two things; to attract more | | | | as you have rules in place to prevent abuse. For |
| visitors to your website, and to get more people to | | | | example, YouTube has incorporated that idea by |
| create their own links on their own websites, blogs | | | | allowing people to embed videos onto their own |
| and articles, back to your own website; this will | | | | page. You can also take advantage of RSS feeds to |
| potentially create infinitely more visitors for you as | | | | make it easier for other people to drive content to |
| word spreads. In order to gain initial interest, you | | | | your site. |
| must generate articles and content that are of great | | | | Although at first social media optimization can seem |
| interest and appeal that will attract lots of interest. | | | | like a lot of work, it can actually be fun as well. |
| Viral marketing, is marketing that spreads just like a | | | | Especially when you start seeing new customers as a |
| virus, with more and more people becoming | | | | result. |