How to Use Digg to your Advantage

Most webmasters and internet users alike are familiar with Digg, a popular user-driven website to share content from all over the web.

The premise is relatively simple. Users submit content they like, and Digg members vote for the content they think should be the “next big thing.” Get enough Digg’s, and you may just have your article land on the front page for millions of people to see. Pretty exciting, right?

But how exactly do you earn the coveted spot on Digg’s front page? Unfortunately, there’s no guaranteed formula that will ensure your content lands on the front page, but there are a few tips you can use to help get you there.

Before we get to that, however, you might be wondering why it’s such a big deal to get an article on the front page of Digg. Well, let’s think about that for a minute - your article lands on the front page, millions of people see it, thereby increasing traffic to your website. Bingo! Now do you understand how important Digg can be in attracting traffic to your website or blog?

While there are no set rules that will guarantee your article will ever see the front page of Digg, here are a few tips that may help you get there. Bear in mind that everyone has their own strategies, so what works for some may not work for you.

First, see what types of articles are consistently popular. If you write about something newsworthy, unique and entertaining, people are bound to digg it. Add a “Digg This” button to your blog entry so readers can quickly and easily help push your article up in the ranks. Make friends, network, and leave comments on other popular Digg articles (just make sure they are actually RELEVANT comments) to help bring traffic back to your blog.

These are only a few simple tips to help your article reach the front page, and they may or may not work for you. It’s all about trial and error, my friend!

Do you have additional tips you’ve found useful? Leave ‘em in the comments!

Marketing with Facebook

There’s no denying that social networks are a great opportunity to market your products, service or business to potential customers all over the world.

Facebook continues to grow in popularity every day, and more people are choosing to spend their time on this social media platform than any other. With that being said, why not make the most of your marketing potential?

If you’re new to marketing with Facebook, these tips should help get you into the game. Even experienced Facebook marketers may not be aware of the significant benefits Facebook offers entrepreneurs when it comes to promoting their business!

First off, start by creating a profile that speaks for your company, product or service you provide. Facebook profiles are simple to create and maintain, and your profile will serve as the “face” behind whatever you are trying to market.

You can also take advantage of Facebook groups by creating a group centralized around your business – that way, customers, contacts and colleagues can interact with you through this medium, as well as invite other friends to join. With a bit of time and effort, Facebook groups can easily allow you to be connected to thousands of potential customers.

Have a hot company party coming up? Maybe you’re launching a brand new development and want people to know about it. Whatever event you have, utilize Facebook’s Events application tool to let your contacts know what you have planned.

These tips are by no means an all-inclusive listing of how you can effectively market using Facebook. However, these tools are some of the most popular and relevant applications to help you make the most of marketing with Facebook.

If you are new to Facebook marketing, these tips should help get you started. Later articles will detail further Facebook applications that can help internet marketers get the word out about their business, product, or service!

How to Write a Winning Blog Entry

If you aren’t a writer, creating frequent blogs for your website can be tough. However, there are a few simple things you can do to write a winning blog entry - even if writing isn’t exactly your strongest skill.

First of all, you need to set aside all those dollar signs floating through your mind. Don’t create a blog purely for money; while blogs can bring in revenue in addition to your website, your blog needs to be something you are passionate about in order for you to stick with it.

When it comes to actually writing your first blog post, keep in mind that visitors want to read useful, unique content that’s relevant to your website niche. Very rarely will your visitors want to read endless diatribes about your personal life!

Because internet users have such short attention spans, you’ll want to attract their attention at the very beginning of your blog post - and keep it! With that being said, create an attention-getting headline that’s also search engine friendly; additionally, ensure the title is relevant to what the rest of the blog post will be about.

The majority of beginning bloggers fail to realize how important the title is, so take your time creating one that will capture a reader’s attention and keep them coming back for more.

Of course, in keeping with short attention spans you’ll also want to keep your blog posts short and to the point. I’ve found that 300-500 words is ideal, but you can write more if it’s engaging enough to keep visitors reading.

Bullet points, bold words, and short blocks of text (rather than lengthy pages) will also make your blog entry much more reader-friendly.

As far as the rest of your blog post is concerned, make sure you KEEP the reader’s attention past the title. You want to write engaging, useful content that readers will find relevant. While you want to make sure the post is search engine optimized, well-written content will almost always be; take care not to stuff your blog posts with tons of keywords that don’t make sense.

These are a few very basics tips to writing a winning blog entry; there’s a lot more that actually goes into making a blog work. In future posts, I’ll talk about how you can write even BETTER content, attract more readers, and how adding a blog to your website can benefit you, among other things.

Questions? Comments? I want to hear them!

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