Monday, February 25, 2013

Five Offbeat Web Platforms to Extend Your Marketing Reach

You’re most likely sick of hearing the same list of popular social websites and how to use them for traffic generation and branding; these topics have been done to death and it’s difficult to find any tid-bit of information that’s truly revolutionary.

No doubt, the big social networks are a great place to get started with building a brand through social media but it’s a mere drop in the pond for what else is readily available, out there.

What I’d like to do is share five sites that few affiliate marketers have tapped; these are a little off-beat but they’re primed for standing out from the crowd and gaining access to smaller communities that are far more driven (and focused) compared to the larger competitors.

Consider the following for extending your marketing reach:

#1: Blog Engage

Blog Engage is a social sharing/networking website dedicated to bloggers which gives members the opportunity to submit and comment on links. The real draw of the site comes from the opportunity to engage with other bloggers which, as you may know, opens the door to exciting guest posting opportunities, chances for backlinks, and possibilities for joint-partnerships on larger projects.

The platform also has a paid option which puts your site on the front page and allows you to automatically import your RSS feed.

#2: Sub-Reddits

Reddit is a massive website you’ve most likely have heard about but what makes the platform such an amazing resource, for affiliate marketers, is not what lies on the surface but the ability to find (or start) sub-Reddits of your choosing. You can find any number of sub-Reddits dedicated to affiliate marketing, SEO, content marketing, traffic, and more. They may not have as many subscribers as the major topics but that’s okay because it makes for a tighter community. Many marketers don’t completely understand how to use the platform so take a week (or two) to adjust to the community before you begin submitting links – and remember to vote and comment!

Reddit has an advertising platform that allows you to target specific sub-Reddits which can bring a lot of great attention to your projects.

#3: Triberr

Labeled as the ‘Blog Amplification Platform’, Triberr is a growing website/service which gives site owners the ability to form ‘tribes’ which help one another share and provide feedback about new content additions. A tribe can have massive reach, depending on the members. It’s easy to see your Twitter and Facebook engagement grow from the mere single digits into the hundreds if you’re very active in the community and build strong tribes.

Triberr is always expanding their platform with new features but the one constant that will always be the greatest benefit is your access to fellow site owners which will present plenty of opportunity to extend your marketing reach.

#4: Design Galleries

Design galleries are directory-style websites which allow users to upload their design work (whether it’s still in development or live). As an affiliate, you may not see the inherent benefit since it’s dedicated to the design community but it can be a real winner since it will bring an immense amount of inspiration to your work and give you access to some of the brightest minds in the industry.

Try connecting with designers on the network and gather feedback about your website; their thoughts and expertise will reveal the good and bad points of your work so you can begin making logical changes which would naturally lead to greater engagement with your community (and increase conversions).

#5: Tinychat

Take one part chat room, one part video streaming, and one part Twitter, and you’ve got yourself Tinychat. Tinychat is a throwback to the earlier Web with its “wild west” approach to social interaction. With that being said, it can become something worthwhile for your affiliate business if you use it to engage your community members via video, audio, and chat; it’s a lot like Google+ but with different features and oddball types of individuals.

Tinychat gives you the ability to keep an “open door” policy with your website and marketing efforts since anyone can pop in and start a conversation. The video element develops a greater level of engagement since it feels more personal and face-to-face. It’s worth a try.

Making the Most of these Offbeat Websites

Each website that appears on this list will command a different approach and mindset to get the most from their platforms.

The main element to stay focused upon is taking the time to learn and understand the communities that frequent these websites; they are there because it provides a tight-knit community in comparison to the larger networks which has seen dilution.

Don’t expect to show up and start making demands. You must assimilate within the community and give real value back to its members. Don’t treat them as another traffic source but as a platform where you can grow your skills, meet great individuals, and form stronger bonds.

If you take the time to understand and become one with the community, than you will show a gain during your stint on these offbeat websites.

Other marketers are too busy with the bigger networks to pay mind to the smaller; this means the full opportunity is on the table for your marketing needs – try them out!

 

Source: http://www.affiliateprograms.com/blog/offbeat-web-platforms/

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