Interview with Erik Qualman on Social Media Optimization
Next month from December 8th thru December 12th is the Search Engine Strategies Conference in Chicago, IL. SES Chicago is the only major Search Marketing Conference and Expo in the Midwest and I’m fortunate enough to not only be attending but to be doing a couple Pre-Show interviews. Today I’m interviewing Erik Qualman.
Erik Qualman is a Search Engine Watch Expert and the Global VP of Online Marketing for EF Education. He’s also an acclaimed fiction author. Erik will be speaking on the Social Media Optimization panel along with Liana Evans and Jonathan Ashton. This is going to be an awesome session to attend if you are a search marketer. Join me….. I’m attending.
Q: Why Should a business worry about Social Media Optimization?
A: If you knew what you do now back ten years ago in the Search Engines (SMO) you would be a multi-millionaire and ranked #1 for some popular keywords (mortgage rates, vacation packages, etc.). A similar opportunity has arisen with Social Media. It is a new frontier and there is some huge opportunity for those that move quickly and know what they are doing. Users are already starting some of their searches directly in Social Media (e.g. YouTube has taken over the #2 spot from Yahoo! in terms of searches). Also, the traditional Search Engine result pages (SERPs) have many social media placements listed high. For example if you perform a search for “John Deere” the #3 organic listing in Google is for the John Deere Wikipedia page.
Q: Many businesses don’t understand Social Media & therefore don’t want to invest their time, energy & money into Social Media Marketing. What would you say to these businesses to get them to understand the importance of SMM and SMO to their Company?
A: Look at Barack Obama’s successful use of social media to create his “brand” from the bottom up. I believe his success speaks volumes to the power of Social Media. President 2.0
Q: If you were only able to offer one tip regarding Social Media Optimization…. what would it be?
A: A business that tries and fails will be much better off than a company that does nothing.
Q: Are there any Social Media Optimization techniques that you feel businesses should avoid?
A: Business should avoid trying to make everything perfect before launch. The key is to get something out there and then adjust based on the social graph’s response. Also, it’s important for companies to not try and be on every network at once. Select the social media placement that has the highest potential for success and learn and build from there. It’s okay if you are only on MySpace and not Facebook, or vice versa.
Q: How can a business measure whether their Social Media Optimization techniques are working….. whether it is the SMO that is bringing more business/sales?
A: The best approach is to take a new or limited marketing supported product and show success (i.e., you know the success came from SMO as that is all you were running). There are also many free and robust tracking tools out there that can show where the volume is coming from. For example I know that some business I’ve spoke with now receive 20% of their organic traffic from Facebook.
This is just a tiny taste of what you would be getting if you attend the Social Media Optimization session at SES Chicago. Find out more information on this session and the other sessions at SES Chicago by checking out their detailed website.
3 Responses to “Interview with Erik Qualman on Social Media Optimization”
By Keahi Pelayo on Nov 20, 2008 | Reply
Very insightful. I will use his suggestions.
Aloha,
Keahi
By Gab Goldenberg on Dec 4, 2008 | Reply
Unless they’re FB apps or buying clicks from Fb, what are these companies doing to get that traffic from FB?
By Brand4profit on Jan 8, 2009 | Reply
The old method of advertising is interactive marketing. The term is misleading. Most people think it means that there is some type of interaction on the part of the person advertised to, and there is. But, it is not conversational. Instead, the advertiser wants you to interact with their campaign in a specific set of steps. Following the call to action and visiting a website for instance. It’s the push to make you do something. Live this image. Buy this now.
Social Media Marketing is just the opposite. It’s the pull of the tribe. The tribe already has your trust so the actions they take are ones you align with. On a larger scale, it’s the allure of belonging in the group as you take action together. “I am doing this so why don’t you do it with me?” On an individual level, the attraction is to behave the same way to get the same results that benefits your fellow tribeswoman or tribesman. “She looks hot! I want to look hot too. I want to go to her hairstylist” and you do. Social Media Marketing uses the power of attraction.
While advertising tries to use the same tactic, with a billboard for instance, of a gorgeous woman telling you the benefits of the salon, it doesn’t have the same impact because it’s pushing you to go. It is not pulling you in as a trusted friend. Your friends have your best interests at heart and advertisers do not. Social Media Marketing is based on building trust and that foundation will make Social Media a dominant player in Marketing.