Aaron over at AjaxNinja has a great post this week exploring why niche social media sites are better than Digg when it comes to driving traffic and conversions to most web sites. While I've never been much of a Digg fan myself, (it's like news for the angry ADHD techie) I see true value in niche, topical social bookmarking sites. The trick is, finding the audience that best fits your content.
Aaron writes:
Digg has an immense amount of traffic and getting landed on the front page will send a tsunami of new readers to your blog or website, but getting onto the front page is incredibly difficult.
Getting onto the front page of a smaller, more appropriate niche portal, by contrast, is much easier, quicker, and ultimately you get a better return on your time/traffic ration in the short run.
He goes on to outline seven reasons why companies should look beyond Digg and seek out niche social media sites.
Aaron goes on to give examples in each of those categories of alternative sites more targeted to his content where he's see positive results. While the sites Aaron mentions likely won't work well for everyone, they're demonstrative of the need to find the sites that target your audience. Remember, just because something is the most popular doesn't mean it's the best.
If you've been thinking of playing in the social news and social bookmarking realm, I'd suggest you carve out some time to go hunting for options other than Digg. Think of it as the long tail of social bookmarking.
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Jennifer Laycock is the Editor of Search Engine Guide, the Social Media Faculty Chair for MarketMotive and offers small business social media strategy & consulting. Jennifer enjoys the challenge of finding unique and creative ways to connect with consumers without spending a fortune in marketing dollars. Though she now prefers to work with small businesses, Jennifer’s clients have included companies like Verizon, American Greetings and Highlights for Children.
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