What is SMO or SMM with Web 2.0 and SEO together... are you confused?

Let's talk about the world of SMO, [Search Media Optimisation] SMM [Search Media Optimisation] the re-aligned SEO [Search Engine Optimisation] and new marketing efforts by people such as myself.

Although it's not a black and white picture I saw the first development of the Web, or Web 1.0 s it's now known as the following:

• SEO: Remember link farms and Google bombing! This then later went into best practice as people became very aware of the difference between a good looking site and site rankings changed dramatically. This effected the suppliers of SEO at that time, moving towards a better practice. In essence, all SEO agencies are behind what the next strategy or Google 'Algorithms' would be. But that's the nature of the game.
  
• Website structure, then later heat-maps and navigation ease
• CMS: Content Management and later dynamic and user specific content, like Amazon's personalised logged in pages. This for me was crucial for a major player to move into Web 2.0 with personalised CRM as it's leader and starting point.
  
• Booking engines, search portals [like Lycos with special offers]
• Email marketing [never forgotten]

Then later it went into:

• PPC, PCM, banners and affiliate campaigning
• Consistent pricing, price parity, terms and conditions and then back to web structure [as in part one].

Then there entered more development and this one was more morose, intrusive but informative about your life, profession and interests.

Why are Facebook et al famous?

Well, we always want to know what people who we worked with once are doing or even follow someone from afar who we knew was right or wrong but never really wanted to confront. So.. what does this mean commercially?

It meant that:

• Customers had the right to talk, critise as well as SHARE their thoughts with business.
• This created a rise in customer to business [c2b] then later.. customer to customer [c2c] and user generated content [ugc] took off!

So then what is Web 2.0?

It's hard to say, even the world's best can't answer that one. I think it's best to find the truth in the language game, i.e: language in use.

It seems clear to me that SMO or SMM encompasses the following elements:

• Blogs: The good, the bad and the ugly. They all have something to say. Are you listening?
• Photos and pictures: By the User
• Videos: By the User
• Rating and review sites: These include consumer reviews
• Networking sites: To on-line end players beit business or consumer or even a potential new buyer whos looking around at other possibilities and wants the real bottom line.
  

What are the key messages of SMO, SMM: The new SEO and marketing vibe?

Not easy to answer... Let's look at how people make a buying decision [for b2b or b2c].

So are you offering it all? I personally think many firms don't. Why do I think this?

• Web 1.0 to 2.0 lesson: 24% of sites do not allow customers to enlarge the product image
• 1 in 3 sites so not offer customer reviews: No feedback, no credibility!
  
• 61% do not offer any information on the product/service
• Web 1.0 lesson still not learned... 58% correctly answer an e-mail question within 24 hours.

EIAA Online –Shoppers Europe 2008

Bottom line: One has to consider entering Web 2.0 infact any form of elevated CRM with an:

• Understanding the audience: What are their motivators. Think about what they'd say about your brand exposure and make it right!
• Think less corporate and more risky point of view. This aims at being transparent, credible and valuable. Why, as I've heard your 10 second sales pitch, you're saying you're the best now why.. and without all the jargonised business power speech. Talk to me in my language and how I LIKE IT [most important element of SMO: Personally this is I believe an element it can never fulfil when push comes to shove].
• Take in, feed-back attitude to all learn to repeat.. truthfully!

It's a tricky one to define this SEO, SMM and SMO idea. I've always preferred SMM as unless a company gets all it's favourite consumers or fans inhouse and says here's what you can do, tell us why you love us. Outside this, for me it's marketing, not a labour of personal love.

As well, responding and engaging to me is something that is marketing and PR focused. Indeed, I would say a lot of Web 2.0, SMM, SMO is about safeguarding reputation online. Maybe as I had found in some agencies I'd worked for and networked with, online PR was always scoffed at. Now it seems to have come into central play again. For this reason, I think the BEST people to speak to would be an internet savvy PR agency and to learn ALL the basics of responce media.

TravelCLICK Social Media Optimization Solution at ITB in Berlin.

TravelCLICK announce that they will launch Social Media Optimization Solution at ITB in Berlin. Good for them. I will be interested if they'll follow some great advice for review sites: By adding Rich Media this has a knock-on affect to conversion: Why is this?

* People want to see what the hotel is like, what they expect and value from their stay.
* Using SMO studies have stated that site visitors tend to go further on a site and stay on their longer offering videos
* A case study by Jetair.be conducted landing page A/B testing. There was a 200% increase in online conversion using video. Additionally site stickiness [people staying on-site] radically increased

So, where is the value in SMO and using Web 2.0? Well, using something like Google streetview to a hotel site adds something? Why is this then?

* Hotels can demonstrate it's closeness to shops or include user generated content of great views show a truthfulness to their claim. For example Marriot did actual views OUTSIDE the windows showing the Eiffel Tower. This adds a show me, don’t tell me and credibility to any website promise.

These easy to miss facits adds credibility and does not lessen the quality or brand value of a site Why addressing reviews on places like TripAdvisor is a good thing?

* In 2008, 75%+ of reviews were good on leading review sites. There's also very goodhotel managers and staff, like those at the Pulitzer in Barcelona Spain as seeen on TripAdvisor . This increases the increase conversion rate as satisfaction post-stay, even a loose to win situation is a good example of smart marketing.
* One can also learn from the comments what are the hotel’s USPs and fall-down points..
* Finally a hotelier can find out about their USPs and benchmark these to trained staff on the phone. Thing is, where TravelCLICK fall down with this, is that the competitive benchmarking vs competitors, I'd be very surprised if they offer a ABC toolkit saying you're better than X hotel coz of this or that! This waits to be seen.

What's going on at present:

* Many hoteliers are arguing with people who had a problem WRONG! Be honest and admit mistakes!
* Stay with core review sites, get your ratings up and then move on elsewhere!
* Larger hotel chains have been known to get lawyers to the publishers of UGC. Wrong, embrace it and move it to your USPS

What Web 2.) can do for you?

* Web 2.0 can add to site stickiness. How about integrating content rom new sources. If you're offering value, don't overstate your brand, compliment it with relative values to yours!

Web 2.0 and UGC adds credibility to a hotelier's website. Your visitors won’t click-away if they feel the site is unbalanced. If they feel the reviews, testimonials sum up the hotel, they tell it on trust if the reviews hit the mark

So what about... video? Man do I cringe at many hotel promo videos. It's like having ice-cream with 29 flakes in it and calling it a diet version... come on get over it already! What should I do?

* Offer a range of videos. Not all your punters are going to be rich or looking for the best rooms... but sell them in their league. As well, if the situation, location and communication is good... showing the options helps with UPSELLING!
* Do you hate it when you go to a myspace page and music you hate blares out. How do you think visitors to your hotel feel? Don’t automatically play videos. Let the user decide.
* Make sure ALL videos are concise and fulfil what they were designed for. Don't take a person on a long journey. They want to see the room godammit! They migh be looking at work and son't want 30 secs of montages. People get disinterested fast, aim at the lowest common demoninator and offer a 30 sec and a 2 minute one. Offer - OPTIONS!
* Ensure that the video clearly supports the conversion goal and is well located on the site. If I can see it and it's well labelled I'll click it....

Anyway.... let's hear from TravelCLICK on what they see as an optimisation strategy using Web 2.0 rich media integration and development of facebook and myspace pages to give a true encompassing taste of hotels, world wide! I for one am very interested!