Like everything on the internet, social bookmarking is a delicate process and it’s important to know what social bookmarking best practices are. Today I want to focus on a few, which are usually mistakes that newbies make, which even lead them to get banned from certain sites.
My first and most important piece of advice is this: don’t spam social bookmarking sites. Only send them your best posts occasionally. Otherwise, you will be seen as a spammer and people will not read your posts. Let’s face it: few of us consistently write great posts. Some are just weaker than others. It is up to you to be able to discern which is which.
Although traffic from social bookmarking sites often runs like a mountain high (traffic spikes that disappear quickly), the idea is that you keep a percentage of those visitors interested in your future posts. That’s why it’s interesting not just to focus on the short view, which is the links to social bookmarking sites. You should also make it easy for your visitors to sign up for your RSS feed. You’d be surprised how many regular Google Reader or Feedreader users don’t even remember to sign up for a good website’s RSS feed unless it puts up a noticeable link or icon.
In other words, the best users of social bookmarking know that these types of websites have limited use. Basically getting spikes in traffic and advertising that you then want to convert into a loyal following for the work you do on your site. But you’ll only get a bad reputation by spamming bookmarking sites, making people angry and thinking you don’t know what you’re doing and wondering: if this guy misuses social bookmarking, is he good at his business? The question may not be completely fair, but it shows that you haven’t done your research before jumping into the world of social media.
Used well, these types of sites can really effectively expose your best work to an appreciative audience. But what can you do on other sites to start building an audience?
I always recommend participating in a limited number of social bookmarking sites as a member. That way, other members will be able to get to know you better and be more willing to do business with you. This is a labor of love and patience, so don’t push your product all the time. If you are a respected member of an online community, users will come to you. It may seem time consuming, but few systems are better than this for exposing your work and talents.
In short, don’t spam, submit your best work, do a good job on the site to turn casual visitors into loyal followers, and participate in online communities. By following these simple rules, you will be that much closer to having the best social bookmarking strategy.