Help & How-To

Social networking sites, much like any site, can and should be marketed through an integrated campaign based on the particular goals you have established for site traffic and customer acquisition. Several options at your disposal include:

1) Cost-per-click advertising: Very effective for driving traffic or producing registrants. Costs can range depending on keyword bids from .05 cents
to well over $1. Google AdWords is, of
course, the kingpin here but some of the lower bid-based networks like Kanoodle may work for you.


2) Cost-per-action advertising: If you have a defined action such as registration, this is a perfect avenue for you. Costs can range from a few dollars per action to over $10. Google has a program in beta at the moment, but you can start using this model through networks like Turn.

3) Search engine optimization: Your best traffic will be from organic search results, so make sure you build your pages properly to optimize your rankings in the search engines, that you architect your site for maximum content exposure and interlinking, and start building backlink relationships with relevant sites within your space. A good tool to check out is SEOBook.

4) Content syndication: Create relationships with other sites that have significant traffic whereby you can distribute your content with embedded links back to your site. This can easily be done through XML and RSS feeds to your partners. The heavy lifting is actually in relationship building.

5) Build a blog: Like your site, it will take a little while to build authority for your blog and, therefore, traffic, but if you do it right, you become an authority in a specific area, you obtain distribution through sites like Technorati and you'll add valuable content to your site, which search engines love. Visit WordPress.

6) Email lists: Email announcements and offers to permission-based lists you can rent. There are several lists managers that allow you to email out to permission-based lists by topic, by geo, by demographic trait, etc. Check out PostmasterDirect.

7)Build your own list: Attracting new customers is one thing, keeping them coming back is another. While social networking sites to an excellent job of this, sending a newsletter or other announcements to your own permission-based list would keep that core audience coming back. Constant Contact is an excellent system for managing your internal lists.

8) Expert articles: Part of your marketing effort might be to become the expert on social networking or the niche that your targeting. This would tie into the blog as well as expert articles that you can prepare for publication on sites that have a great deal of traffic (i.e. portals). Make sure you have embedded links back to your site as well as promotional modules for advertising your site.

9) Misspelled/Expired domains: Acquire all derivities of your domain (misspellings and other manifestations) and redirect them to your publicly-facing domain. Acquiring expired domains that have existing traffic and doing the same thing is another
option. GoDaddya> has an excellent after-market service.

10) Social media marketing: With your blog and article content, make sure you expose that content to sites like Digg, Technorati, Slashdot, Newsvine, etc. </p>