Yes you read that correctly.  Social Media Optimization.   You are probably sitting there on overload from Search Engine Optimization and the last thing you want is to start with yet another thing to do.  Welcome to Web 2.0+.  Another fad, I doubt it.  But like SEO it can be confusing.

Do I really need Social Media?

To all those that are wondering what to do with all this social networking & bookmarking sites, here is a brief reason why you should get involved.  It gets your message out.  It connects you with who you are targeting. 

It can make a difference I am here to say you get out of it what you put into it.   Brian Brady in San Diego California pushed me into Twitter a little while ago.   Kicking and screaming, I might add.  It is the reason I am presenting this material tonight at Niagara University.  Never would have happened if that chain of events I did not join Twitter.

Social Networking is not just about being social; it is an integral part of your marketing strategy for your business.   It is about engaging with the community in a Web 2.0 world.  Social Media Marketing is an important part of your Internet Marketing plan. Ted Koterwas in 17 Rules of Social Media Optimization writes a great list of Social Media Optimization rules; most significant was how few are creating content and the percentage of people consuming it:

Be cognizant of what actions will influence the desired outcome with the most impact. According to Hans Peter Brondmo of Plum during the SES San Jose session "Marketing with Social Media", 1% of those involved with social media are creating content, 10% will enrich that content and 90% will consume it.

Read Also:  The 23 Types of Social Media Users

Building an audience: Using blogging, social networks, email newsletters and viral marketing instead of SEO

Additionally he writes:

In the spirit of social media principles, the idea of Social Media Optimization is now out there and belongs to the marketing and PR community.  People have already added great ideas and thoughts to this concept - and I strongly believe the future definition of this emerging marketing practice will come from the group.

So how do we integrate Social Media into our overall marketing strategy?  One step at a time.  In 5 Ways To Make Social Media A Part of Everyday Business Strategy Derek Edmonds brings up some great points:

The "SEO value proposition" of social media is that you get your message out to communities and individuals entrenched in an innovative online environment. You become a part of the community which understands online relationships; and that community brings forth new connections, networks and inbound link opportunities.

Read Also:  25 Tips to Perfect your Social Media Marketing Campaigns

Starting with Social Media

Where to start?  Everyone has their own opinion.   Each one of us needs to make the determination what works for our business.  The following sites will increase traffic and create a buzz when you need it:

Digg

The Digg Community is a great resource of targeted readership.   You can find a wide variety of material on Digg.  There is a limited selection of topics, and each member cans DIGG articles that they like. 

1. 11 Tips to Enhance Your Digg User Experience by Tamar weinberg
2. 10 Steps to Guarantee You Make the Digg Front Page by Seoblackhat
3. 15 Ways to become a Digg Power user in only 48 hours by earnersblog
4. The Digg Toolbox: 70+ Digg-related Scripts, Tools, and Tutorials by Laura Milligan

StumbleUpon

Stumble is a lot easier to use than Digg, and it is another way to vote on sites.  When I am looking for something interesting to write about, Stumble is a resource for me.

1. 65 Must Read StumbleUpon Articles by Fred Peters
2. Use Social Media Arbitrage to Drive Traffic by John Wesley
3. StumbleUpon's Top 50 Stumblers Analysis by Glen Allsopp

Twitter

How much can be said in 140 characters?  Apparently a lot!   And the you can benefit sigificantly from getting invovled.   There has been a lot of great things written about Twitter, it takes some getting used to, but what a great tool.  I find all sorts of interesting things out just by checking in... 

1. What is Twitter? By Colleen Kulikowski
2. Forget Facebook, everyone's a-Twitter by Jerry Langton
3. 5 Ways to use Twitter for Good by Chris Brogan

So what are you waiting for?   Get out there and get started!  Used properly you can be generating a large amount of business for yourself.   If you don't - it is like the New York State Lottery - You have to be in it to win it!

This is just a starting point, for every one mentioned above, there are at least 20 or 30 additional on the internet at this point in time.  Hope that this explains it for you!   If you join Twitter, I invite you to follow me...

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Additional Social Media Resources:

• 21 Punching Tips On Social Media Marketing and Social Media Optimization
• The Five Pillars of Social Media Marketing
• Social Media Evangelism: How to Turn Visitors into Supporters of Your Website
• 10 Ways Non-Profits Can Start Leveraging Social Media
• 7 Essential Web Design Principles to Earn Trust. And 4 Things to Avoid!