Rohit Bhargava defines Social Media Optimisation as the [implementation of] changes to optimise a site so that it is more easily linked to, more highly visible in Social Media searches on custom search engines (such as Technorati), and more frequently included in relevant posts on blogs, podcasts and vlogs. I couldn’t have said it better. It’s a fairly simple explanation on the one hand, but on the other, it the question remains, "but how?" The following resources are a great starting point.

Social Media optimisation is an important part of any brand's Social Media strategy.Image credit:mattham

1. Five Rules of Social Media Optimisation

This is the original post, written in 2006 that sparked off discussions around Social Media Optimisation. It was referenced and quoted in blogs all over the world. Fortunately, it has since been updated by Bhargava with the post published this year that he aptly titled The 5 NEW Rules of Social Media Optimisation. Both are well worth a read.

2. SMO is the New SEO

This two-part article was originally published in the Shutterstock newsletter. Here Brian Solis outlines his opinion on social objects and how, while we can’t be everywhere in Social Media at all times,  the social objects that we create can be used to spark meaningful conversations about our brands.  

3. 11 Free Tools for Social Media Optimisation

As a precursor to his nifty list of tools, Lee Odden of TopRank argues that, “The changing nature of Social Media marketing and optimisation create the need for tools whether for research, marketing and promotion or analytics.” He then shares a list of great tools he’s sourced.  As the title suggests, all of the tools he suggests are free and they’re accompanied by a detailed description of why each of them is awesome.

4. Personal Branding and Social Media Optimisation

Long before marketers adopted Social Media as their personal platform for communicating with their target market, communities were forming online-based social networks of people using the Internet as a tool for connecting with one another. As it has become more mainstream, personal branding online has been at the forefront of many people’s minds. In this article, Paul Sutton discusses personal branding in Social Media and suggests some ways to optimise your presence.

5. 16 Things the Experts say about Social Media Optimisation

There are no frills in this post, which is (not surprisingly) a summary of a few key people’s thoughts on Social Media optimisation and how it is best done. It draws on the opinions of the aforementioned Rohit Bhargava as well as Lee Odden, Jeremiah Owyang and Cameron Olthuis. If you’re looking for a quick insight injection, this is the post to read.

Also check out:

• Optimising your Social Assets for Universal Search