Adding social bookmarking to your online marketing mix can be a little tricky. Like search engines, social bookmarking websites have rules that users need to follow. For most social bookmarking sites, one of the most important rules is not allowing users to use the social bookmarking site as a means to promote one particular web page or website.
This rule is often implemented to keep the mission of social bookmarking sites intact: the goal to create a community that enables an individual to share informative or entertaining resources online that are relevant to his social bookmarking network. The great thing about this rule is that it controls spamming. On the other hand, it could result to a website being banned from the bookmarks, whether or not it belongs to the user that keeps bookmarking the site.
Don’t get stuck with the idea that social bookmarking is dangerous and detrimental. When done right and according to the rules, you’d be able to reap the benefits of niche traffic streaming into your web pages.
Below are 3 strategies to help you get your web pages bookmarked.
1. Create quality web page content
Before even attempting to bookmark your own pages, ask yourself if your content is worth reading, let alone be presented for worldwide consumption. Even if the anti-spamming law doesn’t exist, people will still not visit your site when they find out that it’s a waste of time.
Coming up with good content doesn’t mean talking about your brand non-stop. It means connecting with your niche and figuring out what their issues are and what’s important to them. Find a problem that your brand can solve. Every time you create content, keep your niche in mind. Give them a reason to come to you.
2. Share your knowledge through blogs and other websites
After bookmarking a handful of your best web pages, it’s time to have others find you worthy and bookmark you. A good strategy for this is to guest-write for blogs that talk about your category. Not only does this up your credibility, it also opens another Pandora’s Box of your niche. If the content you submit is good, then you will be bookmarked. Just make sure you leave a URL that leads readers to your related web page.
In relation to expanding your reach through other’s blogs and websites, it is a good idea to bookmark the websites and blogs where you contributed. This encourages the entire community to pay it forward and bookmark you.
3. Share your knowledge through forums
Joining different forums also helps increase your chances to be bookmarked while adding to your credibility. Make sure you join topics that are related to your brand or category. Pay attention to peoples’ questions and pick out issues that only your brand can solve. Reply to these posts with helpful tips. If people respond well to your contributions, you can eventually add links to relevant pages from your website.
Check back regularly for follow-up questions and other opportunities to make your brand shine. Make as many friends as you can and if they request you to add them up as your social bookmarking friend, happily oblige!