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.