Web marketing is the latest type of advertising and marketing tool for businesses, both online and brick and mortar. The Web 2.0 platform allows for companies to connect with customers and enhance various marketing strategies. There are two very essential tools that are most beneficial in today’s competitive world of internet marketing: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Marketing (SMM). These are two separate strategies although they share some common ground. Both take expertise and dedication to perfect over time.
Differences between SEO and SMM
SEO is a group of specific techniques used to increase traffic to a web site. This series of strategies will help put your site’s link and information in front of users who are most likely interested in your product or services. SEO leads users to a specific website by website optimization which will help it rank higher than other sites when specific queries are entered into a search engine. The goal of an effective SEO campaign is to get a site to rank in the top three slots of search engine result pages (SERPs).
SMM on the other hand, will use a wide variety of social media sites, or social networking sites to reach out to online users or potential customers. This is much newer than SEO strategies but it continues to grow rapidly fueled by mega social sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg, Twitter, YouTube and many others.
Many people say that they are SEO experts simply because they run a Twitter or Facebook account for their business. This may be all the online presence some companies need, but it is not SEO. There is no doubt that Facebook is an integral part of web marketing, but it’s not SEO by itself. The goal of an SEO campaign is for a website to end up on the first page of the SERPs (search engine result pages); while social media marketing’s goal is to find more customers through open online (social) interaction.
SEO and SMM
These are two separate strategies and either one of them can stand alone as an effective tool. While they both work to drive traffic to a site, they do so in very different ways. This is not to say that they cannot be used effectively together. Actually, a solid SEO campaign will use Social media marketing strategies as a valid part. SEO will enable users to be able to find your website easily if they are looking for specific information. Search engine optimization increases the chances that you can target a specific audience. There are many different types of SEO strategies that are used in a web marketing campaign, and doing SEO right will require dedication and time. It is usually best to consult a reputable SEO professional who can optimize your site.
Using social media allows you to expose yourself and your business to a wider audience. Once your business starts “trending” on different sites it will only gain popularity. Users may “like” your business page or product on Facebook, re-tweet your tweet on Twitter, share your video on YouTube or share your articles or information on a social bookmarking site. There are many other types of social networking sites too – these serve only as examples of common online social activities. One of the good things about SMM is that it does not have to cost you anything except time to interact with your audience. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of an SMM campaign is that the interaction gives an opportunity for friends and acquaintances to recommend your product and research indicates this can be one of the most effective of all marketing techniques.
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