Social bookmarking, in simple terms, is a method to share your favorite sites with people all over the world.

When you join a social bookmarking site, you create a profile and then create bookmarks to sites you like, just as you would on your internet browser.  The bookmarking service then shares your bookmarks with all of the other members of the site.

So how does this relate to your marketing strategy?

When you publish any content on your website or blog, entering a bookmark for that page expands your marketing reach exponentially.

Bookmarking your website on a social bookmarking site can generate a lot of traffic.  On some sites, if your content is good, other members will also bookmark your site and you’ll raise in the rankings.  And as your ranking increases, so does your level of traffic, both in the bookmarking site and in the search engines.

Good content, bookmarked correctly, is the key.

Creating your bookmark.

When you create your bookmark, you’re required to link that bookmark to a category and enter a description of the site.  You’ll also need to add keyword “tags” to your bookmark.  When someone searches for a specific topic in a social bookmarking site, the service returns bookmarks based on the tags associated with them.

Keywords

Use all of the keywords that you can that describe your website or blog.  Use variations of words, including different tenses and singular and plural forms.  Just be sure the keywords you choose are relevant to the page identified in your bookmark.

Category

Also be sure to post in the correct category.  If the social bookmarking site that you’re using doesn’t have a category that ties in with your website, choose another service.  Don’t waste your time or theirs by putting your bookmarks where they don’t fit.

A Strong Word of Caution.

Using irrelevant keywords or posting in the wrong category might cause the bookmarking service to remove your bookmarks and close your account.

Some companies have been found in the past to be using social bookmarking to drive all of the traffic they could to their sites, regardless of whether or not their sites had anything to do with what the other members were looking for.  Because of these dishonest advertising practices, the social bookmarking services began watching closely to be sure their members were getting good information and good content rather than what essentially equates to spam.

Contributing

In addition to bookmarking your own sites, take the time to create bookmarks to other high-quality websites or articles that you find helpful.

Part of the reason for doing this is perception:  you want to be seen as someone who contributes rather than someone who is only promoting yourself.

The other reason for bookmarking other content items is the real reason to be involved with information marketing in the first place:  you want to help people.  If you find a site that offers a real solution to a problem, bookmark it so everyone else can get the help they offer.  If you find a site that’s just plain fun, share the joy.

Put your focus on helping other people, and make the effort to share valuable knowledge with them.

Take the time to bookmark sites that are high in quality, entertaining, and useful, and you will earn a good reputation and increase your traffic.