Most companies know by now the benefits of using social media as a communication tool. But often overlooked is how social media can improve the visibility of your online property through SMO (Social Media Optimization). The latest research by eMarketer shows that 44% US B2B marketers said their social media efforts have led to positive effects on search performance. On the other hand, only 1% of them said the effects were negative.

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So how are these B2B companies using social media to improve their search performance? As you can see in the following chart, nearly half of the B2B companies drive inbound links through their various social media channels.

These are not the only ways social media can help boost your search performance. In addition to increasing your site’s linkability, Rohit Bhargava, Vice President for Interactive Marketing at Ogilvy Public Relations, listed these 4 other tips:

1. Make tagging and bookmarking easy

2. Reward inbound links (i.e. listing recent linking blogs on your site)

3. Help your content travel (i.e. create content that is portable)

4. Encourage the mashup and be more open about letting others use or recreate your content.

If you are only using social media for marketing communications, you should definitely evaluate your site and see how you can use it to optimize your search performance.