It takes trial and error to develop effective strategic marketing for your online business.

What is StumbleUpon and How Can it be Used in Strategic Marketing?

It would be wise to consider different types of marketing tools when coming up with a combination that works. Have you considered StumbleUpon?

You may see it listed with other social bookmarking sites but it differs slightly. You use StumbleUpon by signing up and then downloading their toolbar.

When you sign up, you will be asked a few questions about your interests – what types of sites and articles you want to see when you search.

Then, plug in keywords that pertain to your site. Your results are targeted to those keywords and the information that you provided when you signed up.

Now you can begin viewing content on similar sites and rating it. StumbleUpon is a voting site as well.

Positive ratings are represented by a “thumbs up.” Conversely, negative ratings are represented by a “thumbs down.”

 

 

How to make it a part of your strategic marketing

As with all strategic marketing, there is a method to the madness. With StumbleUpon, don’t think profit – think networking. In order for this tool to work, you have to follow a process to get to the desired end.

Here is what we are talking about. Now that you have signed up and started using the toolbar, begin reading and rating the articles and sites you find there.

If they are within your niche, then you will also be able to see what your potential competition is writing about and how their work is being rated. Leave a review for new sites you discover in your searches.

Join the community. This site is built on the strength of its users. Network with others who are also using StumbleUpon. Create a list of “Friends” who you share favorite sites with.

They can point you to theirs and you can do the same. Participate regularly so you are not perceived as only being seen when you want to promote your site content.

You can also increase your list of friends by encouraging friends from other social sites to join StumbleUpon.

With the toolbar, you have the option of sending the URL for content you like to your friends to read and rate.

The more friends (especially those with similar interests) you have, the more chance you have to see your own work read and rated. Sites that are rated high and often fly to the top of the pile.

Lastly, write good quality content on your website. Just like you, your friends and your potential traffic want to read good stuff, too.

What type of content does well on StumbleUpon? List articles (such as “Top 5 Funniest Movies”) are easy to peruse given their format.

Also, topics that are hot right now in the niche of your choice fare well, especially those that might contain a controversial opinion or a new angle on an old issue.

You can find ways to incorporate StumbleUpon into your strategic marketing. Best of all, it is free to try. So, you have nothing to lose.

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