IKEA is a world famous furniture brand name and also is known for its kitchen, bed and bath accessories. IKEA is based in Sweden and has store branches all over the world. Recently they opened up a new branch in Malmo, Sweden. In order to promote the opening of their new branch in Malmo, they decided to use social networking to their advantage. IKEA created a Facebook account for their Malmo store manager, Gordon Gustavvson. They uploaded pictures from their new store and encouraged consumers and followers to tag themselves an object. If they were the first one to tag an object they won that item from IKEA. This initiated a tagging frenzy amongst IKEA followers on Facebook and in the same effect distributed information about the new IKEA branch and its products.

source: http://www.deviantart.com

IKEA used a simple social network activity called tagging which is normally for marking a photo which you or others appear in. When a number of people view these pictures that have been uploaded they are aware of who is in the picture because of the tags that appear below the picture. The pictures people are tagged in appear on their social network profile. IKEA reinvented the idea of tagging to get users to willingly promote IKEA and their new store branch. In return, IKEA gave away free merchandise to the participants that tagged their names first. The use of social networks to promote your business website is referred to as social media optimization. As you can understand from this example, social media optimization is constantly evolving and changing.

source: http://www.facebook.com

Many businesses all around the globe such as IKEA, are using social media optimization to promote their brand name and websites. The most important aspect of social media optimization is refraining from using any form of blatant advertising. Social media optimization allows businesses to interact and communicate with consumers on a more personal level. Businesses that are able to effectively build personal relationships with their consumers through social media optimization are considered to be trustworthy. Consumers are then more willing to bank on their products and services. Interaction with businesses through social networks allows consumers to familiarize with brand names, products and services. Currently, social media optimization is the most effective and popular Internet marketing strategy used by small business and large corporation websites. A variety of social networks can be used to develop a business’s social media optimization campaign. The most popular social networks include Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

If you would like to begin a social media optimization marketing venture, consult an experienced Offshore SEO company. They will offer you a range of SEO packages and social media optimization services at a fraction of the cost. They will provide an analysis of your website to determine which marketing campaign will suit your website and boost traffic. Social media optimization will also increase page rank and improve brand name awareness for your company. It is imperative that you consult an experienced professional rather than winging it on your own because social media optimization can also work negatively against your business if you’re not careful.