The recent phenomena called � social network marketing� which should become a part of your online marketing strategy. Some web experts are saying it could become more important than search engine optimization in driving traffic to your small business website.
What exactly is it and how can you get in on the trend?
I�m sure you�ve heard of MySpace.com. If you don�t have a page on MySpace, your kids probably do. MySpace was the first in a series of websites where people go to network online, to share information, links, music, great resources and all sorts of things. Many social networking sites get millions�yes that�s millions�of hits each day. Anywhere millions go, marketers and businesses follow.
Just imagine the power of posting your information, website, blog, press releases etc. on these sites! The search engines love them and crawl them often, because they contain tons of fresh, updated content. In addition you�re creating links back to your website or blog.
Another great resource is Linked In (www.linkedin.com Open a free account, ask your business associates to join your network and you suddenly have access to their networks. The more connections people add to your "downline", the more professionals and companies you can potentially connect with.
Besides social networking sites, there are social bookmarking sites, where people save their favorite webpages. These sites act like a revved up �My Favorites� file where you can save, store and organize your personal bookmarks. The catch is that they keep track of how many other people have saved each webpage. Bookmarking your webpages and blog posts on these sites, you�re sharing them with millions of others who are doing the same. Make sure to open an account and bookmark your web pages and blog. Ask others to do the same.
Here�s my favorite social bookmarking site:
del.icio.us
Then there are social news sharing sites, where you can post press releases or relevant information about your business and direct people to your webpages. Every time you post to your blog, or write an article, you can post direct links to this fresh content on these sites, where millions of others can read them.
