We all want to be viewed as experts in our particular niche. This can lead to increased traffic, additional sales, enhanced credibility and more visibility. The readers that you already have and your activity with social bookmarking services and sites can really help you out.
When you find something that you love to read, you want to tell everyone. You also want to be able to find it again if you needed to. That is part of what a social bookmarking site is all about. When you provide good quality content, your readers are happy. If they are particularly happy, they will make sure to bookmark what you have written within one of their favourite social bookmarking locations.
There are social bookmarking services and sites for just about everything. Readers can tag content, videos, pictures and more. You can set up your own account at these locations and add icons to your online sites and blogs as well. These sites are not duplicating your content, but are providing a link to it whenever somebody bookmarks. The bookmarked content or media is voted on by other members of the site. You could even be featured on the front page. Your inclusion here could bring you more visitors.
There is one crucial point: Readers won’t bookmark your stuff if you don’t try to build relationships with them. Listen to what readers say in surveys and make changes on your site or to your products. If people know they are being listened to, they will respect you.
Keep going from here. Your readers may be writers in their own right. Take the time to find out what your visitors really like. If they have blogs, read and comment on them. When you come across some of their posts that you like, bookmark them. You might find some of their content already bookmarked and you should leave comments and vote on this.
Reply when readers post on your blog. This is a way of starting a new conversation. You are gathering valuable information about them, at the same time as you are curious about why they are interested in your content or products.
Your material may end up being bookmarked on certain sites, such as StumbleUpon or Digg, where people may vote for you. Social bookmarking drives visitors to your web presence and helps to establish you as a trusted expert. You should select social networks that are appropriate to your niche.
If readers like and trust you, they may be more inclined to use social bookmarking to interest others in your work too. It’s a two-way street, do the same thing for them by tagging their content as well and visiting their sites. Again, the reader/business relationship has proven to be mutually beneficial. If you’re looking for an expert to take care of the details for you, to get the ball rolling, consider hiring professional virtual assistants to get it all done, fast.
Blogging
On average, one in three of your readers will have a presence online in some way or other. More than likely it will be a blog. They could be fully fledged businessmen like you, blog in their spare time or be classified as a “professional” blogger.
Find out about them by visiting their sites. If you have your own blog for your business, have a category devoted to reader news. Tempt them to send information by offering discount coupons or giveaways if they give their web address to you.
Next, visit their blogs. Read what they have to say and the kind of topics they talk about. Leave helpful comments that show you actually read the posts and not just wishy-washy “I came to visit you to say hello.” Put some effort into it and be involved.
If you have an RSS reader, you can include all of their sites in it so that you will be notified when there are new updates. Participate just like any other follower of the site. They will certainly take notice.
