How can we build traffic to our site?
There's actually a pretty simple formula: you create something of real value - or, in the social media world, enable your users to create it - and then you work your hardest to let the world know about it. You'll find plenty of refinements to that formula (putting keywords in your headlines, say, or sacrificing a goat to the search engine gods under a waxing gibbous moon), but that's the gist of it.
You can raise awareness with activities like direct outreach to bloggers, advertising, outreach to organizations and participating in online conversations related to your site. Make it easy for your community members to spread the word, whether it's with send-to-a-friend features or social bookmarking links. And encourage your own network - including the people in your organization, and their networks - to get the message out.
But at the end of the day, nothing has as much impact as irresistable value: the content, tools and connections your social media presence offers.
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10 ways to use numbers in your blog post titles
A lot of the most popular pages and blog posts out there on the web have something in common: a number in the title. If you want to get people's attention, why not try one of these tricks for using the magic of numbers-in-titles the next time you're blogging?
2007 Valentine
We've been involved in memes that went viral, but never one of our very own... until this valentine. And one of the real surprises - other than the thousands of people who came by to look - was the the big traffic driver wasn't belle-of-the-ball Digg.com, but the less-talked about StumbleUpon.
Helping your community do what they want to online - even outside your website
How do you create a site that keeps people on your pages? One of your most attractive features may be a big, well-lit exit door. Here's how you can keep your site from feeling cut-off from the rest of the Net... and keep a healthy circulation going, in and out.
How focusing on your community's needs leads to success for your brand
Unless you have the kind of customers who are willing pay for the privilege of wearing your logo, don't build an online community around your brand. Instead, create a community that resonates with your brand... but focuses on something your customer cares passionately about.
Reflected glory marketing versus the heavy hand of the brand
Conventional wisdom suggests that when you sponsor an event, you get the most marketing bang for your buck by slapping your logo everywhere you can, the bigger the better. But online communities – really interesting ones – are a lot less likely to grow and thrive if you brand a site so heavily that users never feel any ownership over it. Here's how to acknowledge your role in sponsoring a community, and then step out of the way, allowing the community's success to speak for itself... and reflect well on your brand.
Tagging tips and strategies that make content easier to find and manage
Tagging is one of the most powerful tools you have for adding value to online content, driving traffic to your blog and generally building stronger online communities. Put it to work with this collection of basic tips - plus a killer tip for using tags to put your blog in the middle of a big conversation.
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Work Smarter with Evernote
Get more out of Evernote with Alexandra Samuel's great new ebook, the first in the Harvard Business Press Work Smarter with Social Media series!
