SMO: how to optimize content for your business's social networks

 

 

Optimizing content for the internet is an important part of any good digital marketing strategy. It is not enough just to produce quality materials, it is also necessary to make them reach your target audience .

When we talk about optimizing content for the web, we immediately think of SEO. However, the digital universe is not limited to search results, social networks . 

That's where the concept of SMO ( Social Media Optimization ) comes in, the optimization of social media, which allows you to maximize your company's impact on social networks.

What is SMO (Social Media Optimization)?

SMO is the acronym for Social Media Optimization or, in good Portuguese, optimization for social media . 

This concept unites several digital marketing techniques with the aim of increasing your relevance for your publications on social networks. Consequently, SMO enhances your company's growth in the digital environment. 

But before delving into the concept of SMO, it is important to contextualize the importance of social networks in the universe of digital marketing , especially in recent years. 

After all, they have become increasingly relevant and important for companies that are focusing on digital. 

This is because the public began to consume branded content (or Branded Content ) at an unprecedented level, following and interacting with companies in the most different social media.

If on the one hand this is excellent news for your company, on the other it can saturate the audience. The more businesses present on the networks and producing different contents, the greater the chance that these materials are not very original or interesting.

This is the great challenge that SMO helps you with: producing relevant content that encourages the audience to like and share. With this, it is possible to increase the relevance of your company in the digital world.

Thus, SMO allows you to study your brand and your audience in depth so that your content planning and the measurement of your results are done assertively. 

What are the biggest benefits of SMO?

A good SMO strategy goes far beyond increasing your numbers and building brand awareness. 

By investing in optimizing for your networks, you benefit in other ways as well. Know how:

Reduction in social media marketing costs

This strategy reduces the need for large investments in social networks.

By using an automation tool, for example, you optimize your content creation team's time and allow them to produce with more quality. In addition to dedicating themselves to other important tasks.

Incidentally, there are completely free software to help you with this, as is the case with Facebook Studio. 

In addition, by working with strategies that encourage the engagement of your published content, you increase the efficiency and ROI of your campaigns and ads. 

It's no use boosting without having interesting content to make your audience interact. That's why SMO helps reduce your company's social media marketing costs. 

Thus, not only do you avoid throwing money away, but you can maximize your results by increasing the generation of leads and opportunities with good chances of conversion.

Improved communication with the public

Currently, we deal with an audience that sees brands as equals. Because of this, it is necessary to personalize the relationship with the public more and more . 

By humanizing your company you create a closer relationship with your audience, generate engagement and improve your business image in the market. 

To strengthen its relationship with the public, SMO guides the creation of posts encouraging the interaction and sharing of this content. 

This generates identification, boosts your numbers and, of course, helps to retain part of your audience, creating defenders (or ambassadors) of your brand.

Integration between social networks and other channels

A good digital marketing strategy requires integration between social networks and the other channels used. 

Among the most effective ways to do this is overall content alignment. 

This means that your company needs to use the same language, design and content themes addressed in each of the squares it occupies in the digital environment.

SMO assists in the integration of these elements by ensuring that your social networks are aligned with what is being transmitted on your institutional website and email marketing campaigns . 

For this, he uses some specific techniques, such as directing blog posts to his profiles on networks. This ensures quality traffic, increasing the chances of converting visitors into leads and optimizing your investments in social media .

 

The main differences between SEM, SEO, SMO and SMM

It's natural to get confused with so many similar acronyms that refer to digital marketing strategies. 

Therefore, we separate the best known ones to explain their differences and avoid doubts about what Social Media Optimization is . Check out:

WITHOUT

SEM ( Search Engine Marketing ) means marketing for search engines . It is a concept that brings together paid or organic optimization strategies to optimize searches made on search engines. 

We can say that SEM brings together SEO and sponsored links in a single strategy, but always with a focus on generating good results on search pages.

IF THE

SEO ( Search Engine Optimization ) is the most famous of the acronyms that we separate to explain. 

It is a set of practices focused on placing your website among the first search results on Google and other search engines. 

It is worth mentioning that SEO works with organic optimization. That is, without using ad tools like Google Ads. 

Furthermore, it is a strategy that constantly aligns with SMO.

SMM

SMM ( Social Media Marketing ) is similar to SEM, but with a focus on social networks. 

This concept brings together paid and organic strategies to generate engagement and increase sales on social media. 

SMM uses SMO techniques, but also works with advertisements and other paid media resources.

 

But after all, what are the main SMO techniques?

Now that you already know the concept of SMO and its main benefits, let's go to the best techniques for you to put the strategy into practice in your company. See more:

Find the ideal time and frequency to post

When we talk about time and frequency of publication, each case is different. 

There is no table with predetermined dates and times to be successful with posts. Tests are needed to find out this information. 

For example: if your audience engages much more in the morning than in the afternoon, publish earlier. If the public is better off receiving a post every two days instead of daily posts, adjust the frequency.

Reuse good content intelligently

Be smart with your posts. It's natural not to be able to create great posts every day or as often as you want, so it's customary to use the materials you've already produced.

Epic blog posts, for example, take a lot of time and effort. Why not use them to create a graphic that is relevant to your audience?

Revisit your productions and take advantage of the good work you've already done. Not everything needs to be a genius and revolutionary idea.

Produce shareable materials

Makes sense, doesn't it? If we are talking about the importance of integrating the messages conveyed in the different channels of your company, it is natural that you need to create shareable content.

More than that: encourage the sharing of your materials. Create calls to action, add share buttons and ask your audience to use them. 

Also, good content is shareable by nature. The proper use of images, GIFs, and other visual elements already works very well for this purpose, not to mention good text, of course.