Social Media vs SEO & SEM

How is traditional internet marketing (SEO and SEM) different from social marketing?

The above question crops in the mind of many people. The intention of any campaign is to increase the presence of your website/blog on the internet. Improve keyword density.

Search engine marketing - (SEM - I would say a short cut to instant traffic)
The search results by any search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing are usually divided in organic and sponsored results.
Marketeers adopt this technique to bring their communication (website/blog) in the limelight (i.e in the top slot of search result page). Usually done when your website is not featuring in the top results dynamically.

Search Engine Optimization - (SEO - Would always ensure consistent traffic but you got to be patient for results)
A marketeer will do all sort of on-page and off-page activities to attain maximum back links. This would include article submission, directory submission, meta tagging, participation in other forums and blogs etc.

Social media however is different from the above a big way i.e. interactivity (web 2.0). Social media is a tool by virtue of which a marketeer can engage the readers in brand or generate leads.
Social networking sites like Facebook, Linkedin, myspace, twitter are usually used to device an interactive campaign which brings people close to the brand  in a subtle way. Of lately, I have seen lot of gaming and polling campaign being created.
social bookmarking sites like StumbleUpon, Reddit, Del.icio.us are also used to build brand awareness and loyalty. Marketeer has also found social media a perfect tool for corporates to manage their reputation. Yes, reputation management through these website is the latest discovery.
Brands are able to share their philosophy and product offering through this medium. It is natural for people and customers to react on the new offerings or on their past experiences with the brand/company. Traditionally companies have being spending lot of money to gage the market vibes thus this medium does exactly that in an organized manner. Added advantage is instant response from the corporates to the customer objection or appreciation. Message here is "we care about you". Thereby building a strong credibility in the minds of the customer. Thats what I call - CUSTOMER CONNECT.

While there are numerous advantages of Social Media, there are some challenges as well:

1. Time Consuming
2. Indirect marketing - everything is communicating in a very subtle manner.
3. Continuous content creation - only interesting articles or post will glue reader or customers
4. Networking - Continuously looking to expand the Fan Club, a big task in itself.
5. No Exit - It is almost impossible for brand to get out of social media. Any objection, query or appreciation unattended means dissonance in the mind of the followers. Such a negativity is extremely harmful for a brand.