Traffic, traffic and more traffic, isn’t that what every webmaster and online business wants? For one, it sure does gratify the hours of hardwork put in and reward with the numbers in traffic jumping up. More importantly, if you are an online marketer or someone who needs the revenue from your online presence, more traffic would eventually lead to more income.
Therefore, here are 10 very easy and effective social marketing strategies that could perhaps make your drive to get more traffic much easier and more effective.
1) Find your group, go socialize.
Find a community or forum that brings together the exact people that you are looking to reach out to. A bad idea is to find a community exactly like the one you are trying to build because then you might just be outright competition. So always think of ways you can compliment or “help” this community.
2) Sell yourself, not your stuff.
Most of the times, the marketers don’t actually bring any credit to themselves. They keep talking so much about the stuff that they are reviewing or selling that they almost always fail to tell people who they are. For 1), you might be just seen as another salesman or 2), have no background knowledge of what you are trying to voice out.
If you spend enough time and attention to build your own image or brand sense, your readers will follow or buy into anything you are selling them.
3) Test the fish, in your own pond.
When you start selling or promoting something, try to get market research or reactions done with your own small or even closed community. By coming out in the limelight and beating your drums aloud about what you think is best, might not be the same as what everyone thinks and eventually wants.
4) Treat your community with respect.
Very often I get broadcast messages everyday about blog posts and the little things about a blogger does to everyone in his friend list within a large social community like blogcatalog or FaceBook. Oh by the way, he has a huge friend base as well. But guess what, he has lost my respect and he is off my friend list.
You only want to keep your community strong and vibrant so they respond to you when you speak to them and not just ignore or worse, blacklist your messages.
5) Think Big, Go Global
Most people feel that blogs are only for small companies and individuals. This is totally changing. Even large companies are realizing the power of giving an open platform for discussion with their customer base, often earning respect and credibility that they are transparent and forthcoming with their customers.
Do you know of a large company near you whom you can “consult” for with your blogging skills?
6) There is no perfect product or message, Period.
Very often we are so sensitive and think about sending THE right message or selling THE right product. Once again, it doesn’t matter. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy applicable as the web “eyes” can be so diverse.
Think, but not too much that you paralyze your own progress
7) Be Social
Social communities are there for a reason, to communicate and network. Often they are overused and exploited to sell and only nothing but sell. This is a bad idea. Pitching your products always to your friends list on FaceBook, MySpace and Friendster is not going to get you anywhere. After sometime, you might be just a forgotten “friend”.
Add friends, not numbers
I simply cannot understand the number game with the social communities sometimes. There seems to be a constant “ego” factor nudging the count in the friends list always up. The more friends you have, the more affluent and well connected you are?
Obviously not, you have to build a group of friends that share something in common and when you say or pull them towards a direction, they will follow. If it is all about the numbers, that is all you will have. You will obviously not have a very sensitive community to anything that you do.
9) Digg Me, Digg You
Often there is a very reciprocal linking habit which traverses right down to the habit of bloggers who blog about each other. Most of the bloggers who are constantly on the front pages of Technorati or Digg, always ensure that they stay that way. This promotes collusion to ensure that you can get your blog on the front page too, if certain conditions of them are met.
This is obviously cannibalizing the whole community and if you feel that your content is worthy, you will get your following, just be consistent.
10) Keep your inside circle
Get a core team of bloggers and if they are friends even better, who can constantly share with you of new techniques, tips, widgets and ideas that can cause your blog to stay ahead of the pack.
Honestly, the blogosphere is so young and ever changing, you cannot keep up with it all alone. You need help and they are just around you, you just have to ask them.
Well, you cannot be using all of these techniques at all times. Pick a handful and perhaps focus on using a few to really drive home your blogging habit. Remember consistency is key.
Take care & God Bless,
Nikhil & Sumit
YO! CREATIONS
