Three Top Social Networking Sites to Promote Your Blog

Social networking sites are everywhere and in every niche and industry you can think of. We all know the big ones, LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace, however there are many that are brand new, that focus on a smaller niche, or that maybe you just haven’t heard of. While there is the risk of social networking overload, it can also be a big boost to your online presence through branding, networking, and getting your name and website out in front of as many people as possible. While it is important to focus on your niche, it is also a good idea to promote your service, product, blog to a much broader market as well. Just as in networking with people that leads to other people, etc., the same is true with networking online. If you write an article that catches the attention of a top blogger or gets published by many ezines through article distribution, you may end up getting a lot more traffic and who knows what other opportunities. In any case, it is good to have a few that you focus on so that you can build trust and a strong community who support and believe in you, your company, and/or cause.

I have been searching the internet for new networking opportunities that I can join to help further advance this blog as well as other projects that I am working on. I have found three that I want to share, as they all offer different strategies to help promote your site while “joining in on the conversation.” The first one is well known to many and is an authoritative site of its own. The next one is great for blog promotion and meeting fellow bloggers with similar interests. The last one is new to me, as I have just joined, but has a unique way of promoting and networking that I think will be fun to use. Let’s get started.

Technorati: We all know this site as a great resource for searching the blogosphere. For those who do not know how the website works, here is a quick run down. Once you join, you create your profile and claim your blog. When you write new blog posts, Technorati will ping your site, allowing other Technorati members to see your blog. As other readers favorite your articles and profiles, you increase your ranking. And best of all, it is all free! So join the community today and get noticed.

BlogCatalog: This is a great blogging network to join. After creating your profile, you can promote your blog through the forums that relate to your topic. As you answer questions and meet other bloggers, you can build your community by becoming friends. As you build up the community, you then have an audience that you can broadcast to through email and groups that you can create. Creating a group allows you, as a blogger, to teach other bloggers something valuable for free. This will build trust and as they get to know you, will visit your website and may eventually buy from you. Check out my profile page and join the community.

Zimbio: The idea of Zimbio is to create an interactive online magazine.  From the About Us page, Zimbio is:

…interactive magazine publisher focused on entertainment, style, current events, and other pop culture topics.  Zimbio.com, one of the fastest growing web publications and one of the 10 most popular magazines on the web, is now read by over 18 million people each month.  The company is based in San Carlos, Calif., and is venture-backed by Menlo Ventures and Draper Richards.

We offer a unique blend of professionally written featured stories, user contributed articles, videos and high resolution photography.

From Zimbio.com

Being that it is a magazine style website offers a unique take on social networking and blog promotion, this is another great way to get your blog in front of a different type of online reader. You can create wikizines, pages within Zimbio on any topic or a company profile wikizine that will get updated as you update your blog should you choose to let Zimbio promote for you. As you gain traction in the community, you build up Kudos, Zimbio’s ranking system. Check out my new profile page and join the community. Reaching even a small percentage of Zimbio’s 18 million monthly readers could be a big boost to your website and business.

Overall, just like anything in the online or offline world, these social networking sites all take work to get up and running. However, once you get yourself established, the pay off and return on investment can be great. The most important thing is, if you aren’t enjoying being a part of a particular community, then close your account and focus on others. It is better to have a large audience from a couple social networking sites than to have a small audience from a lot of different sites. Which social networking sites do you recommend?