Traffic To Your Website

By Nizam Shapie

If you are new to online marketing, the most difficult question of the hour may be, "Where in the world do I start?" It seems that there are too many choices, too much information, and too many self-proclaimed marketing gurus trying to steer you in the wrong direction.

There really is money to be made using the power of social media to attract almost immediate attention to your website or product. Here is a simple, step-by-step plan that will explain (in simplest terms) exactly where to concentrate your energy in order to maximize your earning potential.
Social Networks are one of the fastest growing areas on the internet. The top Social Websites are experiencing 60-100 million monthly users. The number of new members is over 250 thousand every day!

So what does this mean?... To many, this information holds with it the promise of making new friends who share similar interests, finding a date, or locating a long lost friend or colleague. But for some of us, who think a little differently, those numbers mean the opportunity to network and build relationships with people who will then become someone who will be within our scope of influence and before long, a business relationship will be formed. Smart thinking...
So there lies the general plan...but how do we bring this idea into reality?

Here are some tactics that will give you the upper hand in your social marketing endeavors:

1. Sign up. Obviously the first step, but let's make sure we do it right. When you sign up, make sure you take the time to create a genuine profile in which you are a real, live, thinking, breathing personality. No generic garbage please. Remember, this is a SOCIAL network. It's like meeting new friends at a party. Yes, ultimately, you may want to sell them your latest hot product, but they are not going to give you the time of day if you don't turn off the "salesman" gab for long enough to actually get to know them a little. Go ahead and sign up on several networking sites. LinkedIn should be a top choice.
Their growth percentage is up over 300% since last year according to Nielson Online. Other good choices are Facebook, Buzznet, and Myspace.

2. Make Friends & Join Groups. Be sure not to set your profile to private. You do want the whole world to be able to access your page, either purposefully or accidentally. Your next step is to make friends. Do searches for people whose interests would naturally make them a potential candidate for your product.
(i.e., if you are selling personalized baby bottles, make friends with pregnant women or new mommies, not middle school boys). Signing up for groups is an easy way to make friends with entire populations of potential customers...Is it really this easy?

3. Contribute. Once again, remember this IS a social network. People want to get to know you as a person. The most effective way to do this is NOT to start emailing or instant messaging individuals. That is actually the worst, most time-consuming direction to take. Instead, write a blog and post regularly on forums. Make sure your posts are lighthearted, interesting, and funny. The more endearing you are, the more of a following of readers you will have. People will befriend you 'mentally' by reading your blogs. It is the same concept as reading the fan magazines of the 1980's. Once you read enough interviews by your favorite celebrity, you felt like you 'knew' them, did not you? It almost felt like you were their friend. By writing a blog and posting a few times per week, you will develop the same type of friendships. Don't talk about your product. Just make friends and put a link to your product site on your profile. It doesn't have to be in blinking lights. Trust me. Once people become interested in YOU, they will automatically want to click on whatever they think you believe in.

4. Use social bookmarking. I'm sure you've heard of Digg and StumbleUpon. Most people have. Believe it or not, if you use Digg on your blog and someone (even one or two people) use it to 'recommend' or 'digg' your site, you will immediately enjoy excellent page rankings. Digg and Google are friends, so if you use Digg exactly as intended, you will improve your visibility and search ability with Google. Easy stuff.

5. LINK, LINK, LINK. Remember the old saying about the team that is only as strong as its weakest link? Having links made them part of the team. Well, look at all of your social networking memberships, blog entries, and articles on Digg as all part of your marketing team. Don't forget to link your team together. Link your articles to your product website, to your blogs, to your social networks, etc.
Another quick tip is to use the same profile picture on each site you sign up for. It's just like building a branding image. You want to become that 'familiar face. '

Social marketing will continue to grow in the coming years, so it is best to get in and build an image for yourself now. Once everything is running smoothly, don't get impatient. It will take a little while to build up a presence on these sites. But it WILL happen. Now you have some solid and strategic tactics for social marketing. The rest is up to you!

This article was submitted by Nizam Shapie, independent marketing consultant who provides an authoritative voice on marketing strategies and training. Did you find these tips on how to dominate social media marketing are useful? Find out more about online marketing tips by going to http://www.nizamshapie.com and get FREE Video of how to dominate social media marketing at http://www.newbiecashvideo.com
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