Holiday Shopping with Social Media

With the tenuous economy plaguing consumers this holiday season, retailers have prepared for a likely decline in sales in the coming month, as opposed to last year. While households may not burst through the roof with expensive gadgets and large packages this time, one can still anticipate some level of gift exchange. Shoppers are apt to hunt down deal, online and off, and as Black Friday and the Christmas rush approaches it’s no surprise to see how business have taken advantage of social media channels to promote specials.

Social Media for the Retailer

Businesses with active Twitter and Facebook profiles are well advised to make use of both when courting shoppers to their online carts or brick and mortar locations, but other social networks also prove useful. The key to successfully utilizing social media to stimulate sales, though, is to maintain a high level of activity and sociability. As people pose questions on your Facebook wall or send messages via Twitter, answer promptly and offer links to your sites whenever possible. It may not be necessary to change up sales information via social networks, but it’s important to make sure the messages stay visible.

Social Media for the Consumer

If you consider yourself a savvy online shopper, chances are you are following all the retailers you patronize the most, and have subscribed to all the right mailing lists and forums. However, social media can still optimize your shopping experience.

If you’re aware of a particular shop or restaurant in your area and are contemplating shopping there for a gift card or other item, Yelp.com can prove useful in making up your mind. This social forum, while on the outset a customer review site for dining, also accept commentary on local shops and services.

Similarly, Digg allows Internet users to find links on bargains as discovered and promoted by Digg users. A search on an item you wish to purchase for a friend or relative can yield information helpful in your search for the best deal.

Smart phones have an extra boost this year, with specialized apps available to assist in hunting the best sales.  Coupon Sherpa, a website known for providing sales codes for online carts, allows smart phone users to download coupons that are accepted simply buy showing the cashier the phone screen.

This holiday season, keep watch on your social feeds for the best shopping deals, and see how social media can save you money this Christmas.

Using Social Bookmarking For Your Business: Reddit

What is it?

Reddit falls into the bookmarking category of social media. It’s a simple concept allowing users to provide content and vote on what they see. The more “good” votes they receive, the more likely the sites are to jump up to the homepage. Each user is also assigned karma, which is how much “good” they have contributed to the Reddit community. With each good vote, users get one point. In addition to providing numerous categories to filter submitted links, Reddit also allows users to create their own category.

Who uses it?

Reddit isn’t as popular in the bookmarking world as Digg and Delicious, but most people who use this site use it for the same reasons. It still serves the same purpose of providing information to people, so Reddit users are more than likely newshounds with more than one bookmarking account.

Benefits in Internet Marketing

If your Web site has a blog, this is another place to submit each entry for an increased amount of exposure to the Internet. When posting each URL in Reddit, you are allowed to submit tags for each entry, giving your entry a greater chance of being found by someone who is looking for it. Also, the more active you are in Reddit, the more likely you will be to get followed. If you vote “good” for entries you like, users that posted those entries are likely to vote “good” for yours, moving you up the Reddit karma ladder.

How to Sign Up

To register, simply provide a username, e-mail and password. Unfortunately, Reddit doesn’t explain the rules of the site very well, so take some time to familiarize yourself with the setup. Start reviewing articles and submitting them into appropriate categories and you’ll get the hang of it.

If you don’t already have an active presence on hot social platforms, we’ll create them for you. As these sites gain popularity over various demographics, so their referral influence can help draw people to your main Web site. We emphasize the “social” in social networking, and will help build your audience. Whether your business is the tourism industry, non-profits or volunteering, health and diet or local/regional interest, we’ll do the research and craft articles for use on related third-party sites, blogs, and social networks – each of which links back to you as the main source of information. Contact us today for more information or to receive a free quote.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about Social Media Optimization and SEO for travel Web sites.

Using Social Bookmarking for Your Business: Kirtsy

What is it?

Kirtsy is a social bookmarking site that allows users to bookmark articles on sites they think are the most interesting, then put them in a popularity contest against each other. On Kirtsy, articles are categorized into articles about: Arts & Entertainment, Design & Crafts, Family & Parenting, Fashion & Style, Food & Home, Internet & Technology, Mind, Body & Spirit, Travel & Leisure, Politics, and World & Business.

Who uses it?

Although it mimics popular bookmarking sites like Digg and Delicious, Kirtsy is directed toward the female audience. Most of the articles have something to do with women’s interests, and articles get voted on relevance to make sure they do.

Benefits in Internet Marketing

Like most social bookmarking sites, publicizing your business is easy when you can post URLs of each new blog. If your company offers services or products that women would find useful, place it on Kirtsy to increase its likelihood of getting seen by potential clients. By generating content for your company as many times as possible on the Internet, you are building the exposure of your brand.

How to Sign Up

To register, simply provide an e-mail address and desired username and password and you are well on your way to adding and reviewing content online.

If you don’t already have an active presence on hot social platforms, we’ll create them for you. As these sites gain popularity over various demographics, so their referral influence can help draw people to your main Web site. We emphasize the “social” in social networking, and will help build your audience. Whether your business is the tourism industry, non-profits or volunteering, health and diet or local/regional interest, we’ll do the research and craft articles for use on related third-party sites, blogs, and social networks – each of which links back to you as the main source of information. Contact us today for more information or to receive a free quote.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about Social Media Optimization and SEO for travel Web sites.

Using Social Bookmarking For Your Business: Mixx

What is it?

Mixx is a social bookmarking site that allows its users to view a customized list of sites they want to see on the web. When you log in to Mixx, you see the top stories in each of the categories you want to see. Categories consist of Popular, News, Entertainment, Sports, Business, Life, Health, Tech, Science, Fun and Community. In order to see stories on this site, users have to submit a link. Then, other users can vote on its popularity. As pages gain popularity, they can move up and down the story popularity rankings, which have an effect on where the story is placed in certain categories. Users can also join communities that share similiar interests to help generate information about what they are interested in.

Who uses it?

Mixx users are most active in their individual communities they can join. By finding other Mixx users that are interested in what you are, more news stories are generated toward a specific topic. Most users are information seekers who have what they want to read brought to their profile page for easy accessibility.

Benefits in Internet Marketing

If your company has a blog that generates a different URL for each entry, it is wise to take advantage of social bookmarking sites. It is easy to get started sharing content on Mixx. Finding people that are interested in your company’s interests is a great way to network and attract clients. After you upload your site’s address, you can tag it with certain keywords that make it easier to be found by users.

How to sign up

Signing up for Mixx is easy. You can either use your AOL, Yahoo, Google, Facebook or Open ID information, or create a new account with an e-mail address and password. Take a few minutes to get yourself familar with the interface and the posting of information. Join a few communities and be sure to keep posting your Web sites often.

If you don’t already have an active presence on hot social platforms, we’ll create them for you. As these sites gain popularity over various demographics, so their referral influence can help draw people to your main Web site. We emphasize the “social” in social networking, and will help build your audience. Whether your business is the tourism industry, non-profits or volunteering, health and diet or local/regional interest, we’ll do the research and craft articles for use on related third-party sites, blogs, and social networks – each of which links back to you as the main source of information. Contact us today for more information or to receive a free quote.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about Social Media Optimization and SEO for travel Web sites.

Using Social Bookmarking For Your Business: StumbleUpon

What is it?

StumbleUpon is a social media bookmarking site that allows users to keep all of their favorite sites they stumble upon in one place. Similar to Digg and Delicious, StumbleUpon allows you to search in categories of News, Photos, Videos, Arts, Business, Computers, Health, Fun, Lifestyle, Music, Science, Sports and Technology. You can also search for specific articles and filter them by tags.

Who uses it?

Like most social bookmarking sites, the majority of StumbleUpon users are people who constantly search and sift through content online. Easy usability and downloadable toolbars and widgets make this site easy to use to everyone.

Benefits in Internet Marketing

StumbleUpon provides another place for your content to be delivered online. With each blog written for your company’s Web site, each separate URL can be posted on StumbleUpon. People are also able to write reviews of each site on StumbleUpon. In addition to those benefits, you are allowed to tag and place your page into categories, putting it in the same category as related pages. Finally, use StumbleUpon like you would any social bookmarking site to search what the current trends are in your industry to better equip yourself with what your clients need.

How to sign up

Registering for StumbleUpon requires a valid e-mail address and a username and password. You will also be prompted to provide your gender and birthday. After that, simply post your articles and start looking for reviews.

If you don’t already have an active presence on hot social platforms, we’ll create them for you. As these sites gain popularity over various demographics, so their referral influence can help draw people to your main Web site. We emphasize the “social” in social networking, and will help build your audience. Whether your business is the tourism industry, non-profits or volunteering, health and diet or local/regional interest, we’ll do the research and craft articles for use on related third-party sites, blogs, and social networks – each of which links back to you as the main source of information. Contact us today for more information or to receive a free quote.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about Social Media Optimization and SEO for travel Web sites.

Using Social Bookmarking For Your Business: Delicious

What is it?

Delicious is a straight-forward social bookmarking site that allows users to search for articles by keyword, or tags. You can also join networks, allowing you to find friends and interesting people to see what they are bookmarking. Sending and receiving pages of interest can be achieved by a few clicks of a button.

Who uses it?

Anyone can use Delicious, although it is probably mostly used for people who are constantly reviewing and searching for information online. Delicious allows you to organize your favorite pages and find others who may find the same things interesting, yielding similar results.

Benefits in Internet Marketing

Delicious allows users to post URLs to notable sites. After submitting, you have the opportunity to assign tags to the article, putting it in the same category as related page. For example, if you are trying to promote your travel agency, you can submit the URL and tag it with “tourism,” “hospitality,” and “resort.”  This allows it to come up in all searches with these keywords, allowing people to find it faster. The more places your site is published online, the more chances it has to direct more web traffic to your site. Also, if your business has a blog, each article can produce a different URL, allowing for more opportunities to promote your business online. You can use Delicious to search to see what people are bookmarking the most, giving you an insight on what people really want in each category.

How to Sign Up

When you register for a Delicious account, you must provide your first and last name, along with an e-mail address. Create a username and password, enter a captcha and move on to the next steps. Steps 2 and 3 in the registration allow you to download a toolbar to easily bookmark favorite pages, as well as import existing bookmarks from your browser.

If you don’t already have an active presence on hot social platforms, we’ll create them for you. As these sites gain popularity over various demographics, so their referral influence can help draw people to your main Web site. We emphasize the “social” in social networking, and will help build your audience. Whether your business is the tourism industry, non-profits or volunteering, health and diet or local/regional interest, we’ll do the research and craft articles for use on related third-party sites, blogs, and social networks – each of which links back to you as the main source of information. Contact us today for more information or to receive a free quote.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about Social Media Optimization and SEO for travel Web sites.

Using Social Bookmarking For Your Business: Digg

What is it?

Digg is a social media site geared toward bookmarking. When users find what they are looking for online and like what they see, they have the ability to Digg it, or add it to a bookmarked list of other sites they enjoy. Users can search for articles online via a search box at the top, or they may choose to browse the listed categories. These topics include: Technology, World & Business, Science, Gaming, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Sports and Offbeat. When someone finds an article they like, they can “Digg” it, adding to it’s popularity and likelihood of being found by other users, or they can “Bury” something, taking away a popularity point.

Who uses it?

People who use Digg are constantly going through information on the Internet. Some may have a toolbar on their browser that allows them to instantly “Digg” or “Bury” each page on the Web site. However, newcomers to the Digg world can see how popular certain topics are, and which pages provide the best information.

Benefits in Internet Marketing

Digg can work for any kind of business – you just have to know how to make it work for you. Having a Digg account should be an active process, not something to just sign up for and let it work for you. Digg allows the posting of all Web sites, so if your company blogs, articles can be uploaded to the site. This not only promotes your business, but allows for more circulation of your content online. Doing so allows more traffic to flow back to your site. On the flipside, you can use your Digg account to get information on what’s going on in your industry by searching categories.

How to Sign Up

You can provide Digg with as little or much information as you’d like when you register. If you have a Facebook account, you can enter your login information and it will automatically import friends and info, as well as post content to your wall as you upload content. If you don’t have Facebook, simply create a username and password and provide an e-mail and you are on well on your way to Digging through the Internet.

If you don’t already have an active presence on hot social platforms, we’ll create them for you. As these sites gain popularity over various demographics, so their referral influence can help draw people to your main Web site. We emphasize the “social” in social networking, and will help build your audience. Whether your business is the tourism industry, non-profits or volunteering, health and diet or local/regional interest, we’ll do the research and craft articles for use on related third-party sites, blogs, and social networks – each of which links back to you as the main source of information. Contact us today for more information or to receive a free quote.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer is specializing in articles about SEO for travel Web sites and social media optimization.

Internet Marketing To Women Made Easy With Social Bookmarking

When it comes to social bookmarking, there is one main goal: users bookmark articles on sites they think are the most interesting, then put them in a popularity contest against each other. While most bookmarking sites are generally the same, one differentiates itself by catering specifically to women.

Kirtsy has the skeleton of Digg and Delicious, but makes articles easier to find for women by categorizing them into these categories:

• Arts & Entertainment
• Design & Crafts
• Family & Parenting
• Fashion & Style
• Food & Home
• Internet & Technology
• Mind, Body & Spirit
• Travel & Leisure
• Politics, World & Business

Here, users can post Web sites and articles in these categories, and women across the country can read them and choose to make an article popular, comment on an article, or “Lose” an article that is irrelevant to what women really want.

Kirtsy comes in handy in article marketing because this gives freelance writers a chance to post content on their sites, pushing into the desktops of women across the country. By having articles floating freely on this site, each click on an article generates hits to a company’s Web site, increasing traffic.

Spider Writers represents a specialized branch of SEO services of with a concentration on content and search optimization writing. If you don’t already have an active presence on Facebook, Twitter, or other hot social platforms, we’ll create them for you. As these sites gain popularity over various demographics, so their referral influence can help draw people to your main Web site. We emphasize the “social” in social networking, and will help build your audience. Contact us to discuss a social media optimization plan that is right for you.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer is specializing in articles about SEO for travel Web sites and social media optimization.

Making the Rounds With Social Media Optimization – Get the Most From Your Posts

Kathryn Lively freelances articles on several topics within search engine optimization, including Virginia web design and regional PPC programs.

Should You Duplicate Content Across Your Social Networks?

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on Virginia web design and local PPC advertising.