by Nan King
Facebook may be the undisputed king of social networking, but there are also areas in which it is losing its grip. According to analytics firm Statcounter, online discovery and social bookmarking site StumbleUpon has surpassed Facebook as the leading source for social media traffic in the United States. The data reveals that the site accounted for 43% of U.S. traffic against Facebook’s 38%. This data is more proof of how useful StumbleUpon is as a marketing tool. If you are a marketer seeking quality traffic, here is how you can take advantage of this fast growing social channel.
Optimize Your Profile
Taking advantage of StumbleUpon’s marketing benefits all starts with optimizing your profile. What you want to do here is upload a photo, and make use of all the available fields for sharing your business details and interests. You also want to provide relevant information regarding the site you are trying to generate traffic to. For example, if you are using StumbleUpon to promote a blog, be sure to let people know what your blog is all about in your bio, and more importantly, include a link to the site. A good bio goes a long way in helping you establish some quality connections.
Build Your Network
One of the many great things about StumbleUpon is that it lets you build your own network on the site by befriending other users. When you stumble across something interesting or submit valuable content of your own, you can contact your friends, and invite them to check it out. Like all bookmarking sites, this one has a strong social element, so networking is the key to using it effectively. You must be willing to interact and communicate rather than use the platform to promote yourself all the time. Chime in on other people’s content, and you will be able to create buzz for yourself in the process.
Submit Quality Content
The best way to leverage StumbleUpon as a marketing tool is to simply submit good content. It sounds easy, but this is actually the point where many others fail. Realizing that it is a great source for traffic, they submit any piece of content in hopes of attracting visitors without putting in any real effort. Content is king, but quality content rules all. Some types of content that work well on StumbleUpon are how-to guides, numbered lists, and useful tips. Producing quality content is the best way to convince users to share your content with others, and thus, generate the traffic you’re looking for.
Conclusion
StumbleUpon has long been considered one of the best social bookmarking sites on the web, and StatCounter’s data is evidence of its rapid increase in popularity. Topping Facebook as the number one social media source for U.S. traffic definitely says a lot. If you have not added this site to your arsenal of marketing tools, now might be a good time to start.
Nan King, a tech geek and environmentalist at heart, is an advocate of internet marketing strategies and the use of an email marketing company which is permission based.