SMA: Social Media Advertising- paid media (i.e. Facebook ads, promoted Tweets)
SMO: Social Media Optimization- content that goes viral (popular on Facebook or retweeted on Twitter)
These terms are important to know and understand, because they are changing the face of the Internet, and actually have been for a while. As the web continually integrates search and social results, the two become harder to seperate. According to this article from Mediapost, search engine queries are down 20%, and social searches are up 50%. Essentially, people are relying more on reviews, recommendations, posts, and commentary by their network to learn about a place or product.
2010 was a gigantic year for social media. Facebook page views in 2010 grew month over month by 150%. Year over year, time spent on Facebook in 2010 was up 80%.
So, the question now becomes, "How do you have a great campaign for Social Media?"
1. Audience targeting. Geographical location, age, gender, interests, and language are just a few of the many criteria you can focus your efforts towards.
2. Customized Ads. Building ad groups and targeting specific ads to keywords relevant on a profile make your ads even more relevant to the user.
3. Managing Bids. Facebook ads can be auctioned, and your ad's frequency demands simply on demand.
4. The Brand Within a Community. Your ultimate goal doesn't have to be driving to your website, you can cultivate relationships and easily communicate with fans and followers right on a social platform, such as a Facebook page or Twitter profile.
5. A Cycle of Continuous Efforts. Test new ads, change wording, see what results work and rule out ones that don't.
