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Distributing your news content through search engines may no longer be the most effective method of getting your message across. While Google News offers a good way of publicising timely news stories, for a more rapid targeted spread social media is the best form of delivery.
This has led to the rise of SMO (Social Media Optimisation) which some say could soon overtake SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) as the most effective form of content distribution; especially with the rise of Google+ in Google’s new Search plus Your World search algorithm.
This is why we have put together some top tips to help you improve your SMO and progress your content’s exposure.
Posting times
For maximum impact you need to know when your target audience are most active. If you post your news at the wrong time of the day then it will likely get buried by other posts by the time traffic reaches its peak. This is why it is actually better to post during these high traffic times. These can vary depending on location or subject which is why there are tools to help you find your most effective times to post.
Tools such as TweetWhen and WhenToTweet are great resources to help you manage your tweets and help you get the most out of Twitter.
Regularity
Look at the how often you post content online. Using a highly updated site such as Twitter will mean that you should look to post more often, making sure you tweet your stories at least 3 times within 24 hours for maximum impact. Spread these across the day and use your posting time research for better results.
Interaction
Social media isn’t just for distribution; it’s social, so use it as such. Ask questions and try to formulate discussions around your news articles. By getting people to interact with your post you are not only spreading its exposure to the comment posters friends/fans/circles you also get different points of views on your news and opinions. This is engagement and what you should be aiming for with social media.
Post Size
Apart from Twitter, other social networks give you a lot more freedom with the size of your update. However, the fast rate of updates on peoples feeds mean that often the most effective posts are short and easily digestible. This is why images and short, punchy updates can be more effective at luring people to viewing and interacting with your content.
SMO for SEO
Posts on Google+ are becoming a more prominent feature of Google’s search results, so if you’re not already using it the time to start is now. Build a following and share content aiming to be added to more circles, extending your reach.
Gunning for Groups
Each social network has their own way of grouping people with similar interests together, whether it is groups, circles or hash tags. If your news content would appeal to a group’s interest make sure they know about it and send them a link or an update.
This post was written by Silicon Beach Training, a Brighton based company who offer a wide range of courses including Social Media Training and Project Management Training. Training is a great way to learn new skills and refresh existing ones for best effect in the current financial climate.
