Why Getting Traffic Shouldn't Be Your Social Bookmarking Goal

For marketers, the front pages of major social bookmarking websites have often been seen as the holy grail of online authority and marketing potential. Offering hundreds of thousands of page views, a true tidal wave of online exposure and word of mouth marketing power, and the flexibility required to generate thousands of online subscribers, the front page has become the top goal for thousands of online marketers.

The only problem is that the reality is not quite as rosy as the rumors. Despite endless buzz about the power of a Digg front page story or top-ranked Reddit content, the real effects are typically less significant and much less financially worthwhile. Social bookmarking visitors, for all intents and purposes, are a hit-and-run style phenomenon, offering a one-off traffic boost but very little in the way of long-term blog traffic or marketing power. While thousands of marketers do their best to monetize the front-page traffic, the most effective marketers are looking in an entirely different direction.

The Indirect Marketing Potential:

The real power of social bookmarking traffic is not in the direct marking and monetizing potential. While AdSense advertisements and some banners might generate a dollar or two for every thousand visitors, they are very unlikely to create anything that is valuable for you as a marketer. Instead of looking at direct social marketing income, smart marketer look at indirect marketing potential.

For instance, why not use your blog as an advertisement for your services? If you are an online expert, consultant, or businessperson, use your blog as a promotional asset for your business. When the product or service you're promoting is your own, and is backed up with quality content, it is highly unlikely that your social bookmarking presence will be viewed as spam.

Search Engine Optimization:

This is another method that smart marketers use to capitalize on bookmarking traffic. Rather than trying to directly monetize social media visitors, a range of companies are instead focusing on turning traffic into a quick and effective link generation asset. Articles are published that are link-friendly, and the thousands of interested readers spend their time linking back to the articles instead of directly responding to them with a purchase.

This strategy can be particularly effective if your websites deal with buyer-friendly topics and valuable niches. While personal finance and business-to-business topics typically don't succeed in their original form on social bookmarking websites, when turned into a news-style article or consumer reminder, they can generate thousands of links in a matter of days.

Becoming an Online Authority:

Want to become an online expert or authority? Gaining attention through social bookmarking websites can be a great way to boost your online resume and become an in-demand online presence. While traffic from social bookmarking websites typically is not worth it from a direct income perspective, a lot of influential people read major social bookmarking websites and could be looking for contacts. For personal marketing, few other online options are as effective as a dedicated social bookmarking presence.