Socialize It!, SBI!'s latest tool addition, is your 80-20 solution to squeezing the most juice out of "Social Media Marketing" with the least work.
The general concept of social media is that it is another form of Web 2.0 (user-generated content with viral spread). This particular concept allows Internet users to gather in groups to create or discuss the content they see, read, and hear, and to spread the word.
We've turned a concept that is rather complex/murky for many people into a form of marketing that is click-button easy to implement.
The only thing you really have to do to make Socialize It! work well is...
Create great content. That is what makes folks want to share, buzz, and bookmark.
Building targeted traffic doesn't require all the latest and greatest "Killer Apps." As mentioned in the trusty SBI! Action Guide, getting lots of high quality traffic boils down to two tasks...
- writing content that encourages Search Engines to list your pages
- generating off-page visitor reaction that indicates to the engines that users like your site (ex., the number of inbound links is the most widely known "off-page" criterion).
That second point is what Socialize It! is all about. Once a "hot trend," social media and social media marketing have come into their own. The major players in each "type" of social marketing have pretty much established themselves. So the timing is right for Socialize It!.
Here's what you can do with Socialize It!...
Kick-start social media marketing on your SBI! site by allowing your readers to rave about your content. A simple two-step process for block-by-block SiteBuilders gets a highly visible button bar added to the bottom of their Content pages. (For those SBIers who upload their own HTML, they simply insert a Socialize It! tag into their page template.)
This button bar includes seven buttons that link your visitors to...
Google Bookmarks
Yahoo! Buzz
Facebook
MySpace
StumbleUpon
Technorati
del.icio.us
... so that they can easily bookmark and leave comments about the value of your content.
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Why these 7 sites? Two reasons...
They are either the leaders in their area (ex.,
StumbleUpon).
Or they have "brand recognition."
(Strictly speaking, Google Bookmark's button is not
especially social. But it's one heck of a brand. And
Google will notice anyone who bookmarks you.)
Why not others, like Digg? "Tech" or "net marketing" blogs
might be OK to try Digg, but even our blog has never had a
nibble from Digg. "Regular" (non-tech) sites especially
will be a miss. And even if they do get a one-time spike in
traffic, they won't build the steady traffic with Digg that
the others will. So Digg is not included in our 80-20 list.
Yahoo! Buzz is growing... and more likely for the average
surfer to use... and of more value when Yahoo! takes note.
Like everything in SBI!, this is about methodically,
relentlessly getting your site "out there." It's not
about short-term home runs.
And the prime driver?
Great content!
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Here's a key point...
Socialize It! adds the button bar section to the bottom of all your content pages, just above the footer. Why? Your visitors need to read your content before deciding whether or not it's worth sharing with their friends or saving for future reference. If they like it, they will read all the way to the bottom. At that moment, they are in a good mood about you, and most likely to click on one of the buttons.
SBI! HTML Uploaders have more flexibility as to the tag's location. But do remember the above point as you get started with Socialize It!. Don't get "pushy" and create a needy feel to this. Getting the most out of placement means that you prioritize your visitors' needs for information above your wishes.
So there you have it...
There are other third party modules similar to this, and our usual philosophy is not to re-invent the wheel. But this "trend" is only going to grow, grow, grow. So a simple module integrated into SBI! became an important priority.
To keep it simple, we decided to strip it down to the core essentials, make it easy to add, and have the ability to add as this area of Web marketing evolves.
Third party tools seem to "forget" how unsophisticated most surfers are. They make it too complicated. They offer tons of possible social sites, which only confuse your visitors into non-decision.
They also provide detailed statistics, when, in fact, it's better not to waste time logging in for those stats. The goal of Socialize It! is merely to "get the word out" on your site to increase your off-page criteria -- it's not so much to drive direct traffic.
By the way... you can check your SBI! Traffic Stats to see where traffic is coming from -- chances are, if your site has been around for a while, you'll see StumbleUpon as a referrer. And that extra traffic is nice.
But even if you don't see direct traffic, know that good content pulls mentions, and bookmarking, and discussion. And, just like inbound links, those off-page/off-site criteria help in your overall Search Engine rankings. Socialize It! is also a great way to get some "deep page" recognition.
Three final tips...
1) Don't miss the new Social Media Marketing section in the Tips And Techniques HQ.
2) Keep it real. That means, for example... no requests that go "if you stumble me, I'll stumble you." That's not real. That's abuse.
3) Don't expect instant miracles with Socialize It!. Do expect, steadily and surely, that as you create more and more valuable content that pleases, that humans will do all the good things that we'd expect them to do, in appreciation...
They spread the word. This will bring some direct traffic, but more importantly, it will build more off-page/off-site recognition by the Search Engines. And ultimately, that will bring thousands of free, targeted, warm, willing-to-buy visitors (through higher rankings at the engines) to your site every day.
All the best,
Follow Ken at Twitter
I just checked out StumbpleUpon.
The first site that I got interested in and opened in Business section...was an SBI site! :)
Posted by: Reinis Ikass | March 02, 2009 at 04:33 PM