One of the social media tools growing in popularity and use is Stumbleupon. A simple yet effective application, Stumbleupon allows users to find random sites on the Internet either by recommendation from other Stumblers, or by happening across it by accident – all with the click of the Stumble button on your web browser.
It’s also one the most effective tools for web traffic in social media – yet Stumbleupon is still being underused by many, despite having the power to increase your web traffic by several hundred per cent. However, there are ways to make sure you’re utilizing all that Stumbleupon has to offer.
Start a Social Media Group for Stumblers
I can’t take credit for this idea – it was suggested by an online friend of mine and I was invited to participate. Yet the idea is so simple I’m surprised no-one else has picked up on it yet. Simply, gather a group of friends and create a social media group (not to be confused with the excellent social media clubs you can find online).
By gathering a number of online friends that use Stumbleupon as a social media tool and emailing each other a couple of blog posts or links each week to Stumble and recommend, you’re instantly getting new traffic to your recommended link. It also means you’re reaching new Stumblers through your friends, who can help you grow both your Stumbleupon and social media network.
To make sure it works to its maximum, keep the email requests to just a couple a week, and have your social media group at no more than 50 members. That means you only have to Stumble a maximum of 100 recommendations per week (including your own) which takes no time at all.
Use a Stumbleupon Widget
Although all blogs should really have some form of Share This or Add This widget at the bottom of each post – which allows readers to recommend the post to their friends – not all of them do. This is missing out on a great opportunity for your blog to reach a far wider audience – the Share This button allows the post to be shared on Digg, Technorati, Facebook and much more.
However, if you simply don’t like having too much clutter on your blog post, at least have the option to Stumble the post. This will see it being recommended to that reader’s Stumbleupon subscribers, which again will see you enjoy an immediate traffic spike.
(As an example, whenever one of my posts is Stumbled, I usually receive anywhere between a couple of hundred to over a thousand new reads. The more popular blogs receive several thousand new hits, so you can see the potential for business marketing as well).
The great thing about Stumbleupon is that once your blog has been stumbled the once, it offers a passive traffic flow for as long as your blog or post is live. Any time someone online hits their Stumble button, they could be taken to your original post. That’s just as good as any Pay-per-Click or AdWords campaign that I can think off – best of all, it’s free.
If you’re truly interested in all social media offers, Stumbleupon is one of the tools that you really should have a look at. Its potential for business is also only just beginning to be realized – be there when it happens.
If you enjoyed reading this post, please feel free to share with your networks using the social icons above. You can also leave your thoughts in the comments below and/or subscribe to danny brown to ensure you receive the latest updates.
The great thing about Stumbleupon is that once your blog has been stumbled the once, it offers a passive traffic flow for as long as your blog or post is live. Any time someone online hits their Stumble button, they could be taken to your original post. That’s just as good as any Pay-per-Click or AdWords campaign that I can think off – best of all, it’s free.
via uberVU
I’m still struggling to get how SU works and what makes it tick. That and my relatively low attention span, make that place a world of wonders and a source of major headaches.
BTW Starting SU groups (the real deal with forums and the whole nine yards) is I think another good way to attract some decent exposure. It is also one of the very few reasons for which a person would cough up 20 bucks and thus become a “sponsor”
Regards, George
George Cozma´s last blog post..Predatory Currency Attacks… Now That Sounds Cool
I think that’s the biggest problem with SU (and other social media sites like it). There are a host of benefits available, some more effective than others, yet unfortunately Stumbleupon itself doesn’t do a great job of offering ideas on how to utilize it best.
Perhaps what’s needed is for the social media companies to have their own PR or advisory gurus, offering tips and advice on how best to use a product? Then again, it’s always the users that find the profitable niches and design advantages…
Danny,
good read — so I’ll be doing my research and figuring out how to set up a group and get rocking on this. I just use SU to find the cool sites about what I like (travel, writing, liberal politics) – now it appears I get more homework!
Deb
Thanks Deb – that’s the great thing about SU. You can either use it casually or in a more organized manner – both are as “right” as each other.
This is a great article. I’ve been pulling my hair out over drafting an online media marketing plan for my company’s online shopping portal. The tons of social media websites available seems like an ice-cream store with thousands of flavours – too much of a good thing, and I also feel like I’m being armed with thousands of shot pellets instead of the few sniper bullets I need.
I’ve been using StumbleUpon for a while now, in a personal capacity, but this article casts it in a business spotlight. Very useful, and thank you for writing this.
If the marketing plan works, I know who to thank.
You’re welcome, Jules – glad the post offers use to you. Like I say, I do feel that Stumbleupon is a greatly underused tool and can offer fantastic results when used properly.
Good luck with the marketing plan – I’d love to know how it goes!
A fantastic review of the potential for StumbleUpon. Brown offers strategies for building a strong SU following, namely through the creation of Social Media Groups. An interesting insight.
via uberVU