Who shares content? EVERYONE.
On a daily basis there are 27 million pieces of content distributed on the Internet (AOL with Nielson). Content helps connect users, providing information that one user might find useful enough to social bookmark.
Social bookmarking is a means of sharing, curating, managing and searching content online. As an Internet user, you're participating in the whirlwind of the social web by sharing your favorite sites, articles and videos to your individual networks. Specific sites like StumbleUpon, Digg and FreindFeed offer users a platform for content sharing their own work or someone else's.
Why social bookmarking is good for your business
Amongst all of the content being shared, a large portion of it is industry specific. Brands should utilize social bookmarking for sharing quality content related to their industry. Social bookmarking does the job of categorizing content through keyword tagging and description updating for creating a type of meta data. As vital meta data is to website pages, it is also vital to your content being bookmarked, so make sure to update!
Bookmarking for SEO
In accordance with white hat seo practices, social bookmarking can also help build strong backlinks to your business' website. Creating accounts on various bookmarking sites can help increase brand awareness and credibility.
Follow these tips below for social bookmarking strategies that will help increase content exposure
- Create accounts on social bookmarking sites. You don't have to join them all, choose 2-3 that you will be able to manage and engage with. I suggest: Digg, Stumbleupon, Reddit, Delicious and/or FriendFeed. *Facebook and Twitter (to a certain degree) also fall into bookmarking categories, so if you have accounts for these two sites, you're starting off on the right path!
- Optimize your social bookmarking account. Edit your profile and update any automatic feeds so that your page is active even when you're not on it! For example, FreindFeed gives you the option to pull in RSS feeds from blogs and Facebook; you can also connect your Twitter account.
- Share daily and make connections. You'll have the option to connect with friends from your other networks like Facebook, but don't be shy; see who else is out there and connect with those who could potentially become your biggest advocates.
- Get involved. Comment on articles you find interesting and share content that you find useful to your network. You'll soon learn the lingo for sharing turns into "Digging" and "Stumbling."
- Update your social bookmarking "meta data." Add keywords and descriptions for search queries. Content on bookmarking sites is categorized, so make sure you're optimizing for search query finds!
Next time you stumble upon something interesting or write content concerning your brand's industry, make sure to share it to increase its visibility through social bookmarking. Over time, social bookmarking will help increase web traffic, broaden your social network and build an online house of resources that will help your brand get valuable exposure on the web.
What Questions do You have about social bookmarking?