Social Media, Search Engine Optimizations Best Friend?

Organic search engine optimization has changed over the years; there is no doubt about it. And today, it is more competitive than ever. Now social media is peeking around the corner ( more like running full speed around the corner actually) so how do these two types of internet marketing solutions work together?
With this question in mind, I have thrown together these bullet points. Take a look and let me know what you think.

How Social Media Helps SEO

• Social media sites rank for targeted branded and non-branded terms helping secure a larger search space.
• When blog content is pushed out through social media it gets exposure & stimulates organic linking.
• Content must be generated for social media. Fresh content greatly benefits search.
• Twitter content is indexed and shown in Google real time search.
• The Twitter search engine is used by millions. Tweets allow you to optimize keywords for that engine.
• YouTube videos rank in Google general search and are important for optimizing the video search space.
• Social media sites drive traffic!

But that’s not all; social media is pretty powerful on its own. Here are some reasons why I think it’s important:

 Social Media Benefits

• Build an online community of loyal users
• Get customer mindshare
• Strengthen brand identity
• Create your own media channel
• Get important demographic information
• Watch the size of your reach grow exponentially with time
• Have a presence in the world’s largest online communities
• Grow your online presence
• Make your brand likable and positive
• Watch your community do your marketing for you
• Manage your brand identity by responding to customer complaints
• Get people talking about your products, announcements and content
• Become the source of your own news
• Optimize your brand for the millions of users/searchers on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook

So this is just a quick list. I’m sure there is plenty we can add to it. So you tell me, what did I forget? Why is social media important to search engine optimization? And why is it important on its own?