1)      Facebook. It can be myspace-it depends on wherever you have a bigger list of friends. If you are active on both, please use both. If you use only one, register an account on the other. Even if you don’t do anything else, fill your profile and add your website URL. It leaves a signature on the web.  And with the networking site you use, there is so much to do:

Your status update: What do you write for your social updates? Whatever you do, don’t forget to add the link to your latest/post article. It is what have you have been up to after all. You may add a short, fun description and also use the thumbnail too. Now, you can directly post your link to your profile page but if you post it on status update, you appear on news feed and on your profile page. Two birds with one stone.

Your profile description: Add your profession, your website, blog ,factoidz, etc profile. You are a writer. Or you are a business owner. Maybe both. Either way, it is what you do for a living and maybe even how you define/express yourself. Make the most of that profile page.

Friends: Let your friends know when you write an article that you know it relates to them. Think about this way: My girl friends love my Gerard Butler news. One friend specifically asked me to write more on relationships. One friend works for a music company so said he can promote my music stuff.

They will see your links but sending messages to individual message takes a like a minute and it is more effective. It also helps if you have written about your friends. I mostly write my observations about career life and include my and their experiences. I don’t give names of course but they love being written about. Oh, and they like reading about themselves.

Groups/ fan pages: Every one of you have a special interest. Pets? Finance? Poetry? Beauty? Whatever it is, there are tons of groups and fan pages for al hobbies and passions. It is a great way to meet people who like the same things as you do. It is also a fun place to talk, mingle and share.  People will open advising in forums and while it might be a good idea, facebook is much more fun, personal and diverse. Why look for a different forum for each topic when you can find anything you need from one website you happen to use anyway? You can post on the walls, join in the conversations. Don’t self-promote without adding value. But let me give an example. People love sharing links. Why not share yours?

Tweeter-style following: If people you admire- blogger/writers or your friends/colleagues have fan pages, join and support them.  Your friends &colleagues will return the favor. The others will provide a venue where you will meet others following the same path as you. And if you do make your presence count, the payoff will be valuable.

2)      Twitter: I already wrote an individual post on the benefits of twitter and how you can use it on  4 Reasons Why Every Writer Should Use Twitter.

3) Meet-up. Com:

This is a social networking site. You create a free acoount, select your hometown and interests and you are notified when a group- consisting of people sharing that particular interest-is meeting up, you are notified. You can be a member of as many groups as you wish. If a group doesn’t yet exist in your area but there are other people who are interested, you are notified aw well. So you can start an official meet-group as well. Starting an official meet group with the webpage and all requires a fee. You can always ask around and message people to see if it is worth it. But remember that joining other groups and connecting is free of charge. So far, I joined three meeting groups, went to a couple of meetings, met new people and had fun.

4) Your blog for your writing and your writing for you blog:

Most online writing sites allow you to link to your other articles or website. Use this feature.

5) Email-signature and emails:

My email signature is my blog’s address.  As far emails, you can always include an “email this page” button on your blog/website so that if people like it, they can share it among themselves.

People usually tend to share the funny stuff than others but it’s worth a try.

6) Commenting on other blogs

Comment on other blogs. This provides you to mingle with the online communities of other writers. And if you add value in your comments, they will return to the favor.

7) Linking to be linked:

It doesn’t always work but when it does, it is a wonderful feeling. It shows that you were acknowledged by the person you linked to. It increases your visibility and gives you a chance to develop relationships.

8 ) Social Bookmarking: Digg, Stumble Upon and others

There are more social bookmarking sites than you can count. Digg and Stumble Upon are currently the most popular ones. Delicious is a strong one but I haven’t experimented with it yet. What you do is that you sign up for an account and engage in digging/stumbling the stuff you like. You can do this on stuff that others have submitted and you can also submit sites yourself. You shouldn’t make it all about you because it might be considered as spam. Find the balance and there is a chance you will get a good amount of traffic. However I need to admit that Stumble Upon has sent a lot of traffic my way but my posts weren’t “dug” that much.

9) Zannel.com

Zannel is a networking site like Facebook. I strongly recommend it if you are using a wordpress blog. WordPress has a plugin that allows you to auto-submit your posts to Zannel. This is traffic without effort.

10) Interactive Magazines

Subscribe to related ezines. I subscribed to zimbio. Zimbio is a great online interactive magazine in the entertainment area. Every time a new ezine is formed, they add my related posts to that ezine. So I get traffic and my blog gets awareness.

11) RSS Feed

According to the Wikipedia definition, a web feed is a data format used for providing users with frequently updated content.Your website needs to have a feed address.  It is a great way for others to check out your content all at once. While my website gets unique visitors, some people just  prefer reading the feeds. If you liked this article, you can subscribe to my feed and keep up with other posts as well.

12) Forums

The internet is full of forums for all niches. It is a great way to find people who are interested in your content and your products/services, if you are offering any. It takes time to make friends and gain respect, but once you do, you’re bound to gain a solid amount of traffic. I don’t usually do this a lot. I should. But I am a regular on IMDB and I just saw traffic from my notes there. So, it works.

13)   Free-classified ads

There are sites that offer free ads. You can just create an ad for your site and it will be shown around the web. However, traffic from these sources is very hard to measure. You might give it a shot but it is a more useful  method if you are offering a product or a service and not just content.

14) Real-life meetings/colleagues:

Let people know what your about. They want to know about your life? They can check your website and your writing. Everyone has a story to tell. You, on the other hand, have something to show as well. Some friends will do you a favor, some will follow your work because it has genuinely intrigued them. You don’t want to pass on this source.

15)   Business Cards:

I haven’t gotten to it yet but it is top priority on my to-do list. When you meet new people, you exchange cards. It will be nice to have a card to give in return. Nothing fancy but your name, e-mail, twitter and your website/blog. Yes, your twitter. Even Writer’s Digest is organizing seminars (and ones that cost, at that!) on how Twitter will help promote your book. So yes, twitter username. So try not to get too wacky with your twitter name. Mine is zoeyclark. It is not my real name but it is a penname I use on a lot of places. And it means Zoey Clark. Nothing crazy.

16) Search Engine Optimization

My biggest sources of traffic are search engines. You need to optimize your posts and articles according to the words people are searching for. Google Adwords offer a free tool for this and  I also use wordtracker’s free tool. There are two ways to go about this. You can search for the words and write accordingly. Or you can write first and then optimize. If your content is driven from your passion, you are more likely to choose the second route. Just check several versions of the words you are writing about.

17) Friends promoting for you

Whether it is your online or real life friends, it is great for your website if you are not the only one doing  all the promotion. If a friend has liked your content, ask them to post it on Twitter or their  Facebook account. If they are on Digg, ask them to submit it. The options are endless. Even one hour as a friends’ latest tweet will work for you.

18) Linkedin

This is an online business network. It is a more serious platform compared to facebook but the mentality is that you connect with like-minded people. Here, people are career-oriented. You can use this place to showcase your resume and your work. The beauty of Linkedin?  Your account there can be combined with your twitter account, which means all your content can be seen on Linkedin as well.

19) Amount and variety of content:

More content shows that you are passionate and interested. Of course quality is a must. But when you write more and about different things, you are increasing your chances for the search engines. My blog gets targeted for blogging and movies and other topics. My traffic isn’t monstrous but at the time of this post, my daily unique visitors averaged at 2.250 people.

20) Video and video blogging

Video blogs are getting increasingly popular. You can shoot videos to introduce your website or you can just produce your content on video. It is OK to experiment with the tools you already have in hand. A simple microphone and a webcam and an account on a video sharing site will do. If you like it and feel like you are getting results, you might invest in more expensive equipment.

21) Podcasting

This is like being a DJ for your blog. Instead of writing (or in addition to writing) you can record your voice and talk about your blog and/or posts. Of course podcasting has its own directories and might require some additional plugins on your blog. I am more into writing and reading than listening but most people prefer to listen so you might give this a shot.See if this works for you and your content.

22) Article Marketing

In many blogging guides, article marketing is shown to be the one of the most effective ways to increase traffic. I,however, am not a big fan. Because in order to be respected by those directories, you need to produce quality and unique content. Don’t say “duh!” just yet. If you submit to three directories, you need 3 articles. Which don’t pay any direct money. Even the traffic it gets you is slow, if any. The thing is, these directories are so populated. How is your article going to be noticed? To get them noticed, you need to work on traffic. But remember, you are doing this is supposed to bring traffic. So instead of spending all that time and effort, I have a more fun alternative. An alternative most of you are already using. It is the method below.

23) Writing for  paying online content  websites

That’s right. It can be websites like Hubpages or Wikinut where you are paid in adsense revenue. Or it can be sites like Factoidz or Triond or Bukisa where you get paid in traffic. That’s right. You now have a motivation to bring traffic to any individual article because it does literally pay. The more traffic means more money. But you include your website links as freely as you wish (however Factoidz is less liberal with links and Hubpages allows only 2). Now you have more motivation than one. Guess what? A lot of people come to my blog from my Triond articles. Why shouldn’t they? I put only relevant links so if they want more information on their favorite topics and like my writing, they come to check out more.

24) URL submission/submission to blog directories

If your website address isn’t out there, you can’t be found. You need to submit it to as many directories as you can. I prefer free submissions. They don’t cost anything and they do the job just fine. Just search google for free URL submission and you will have a good starting point.

25) Submission to feed directories

Just like there are blog and url directories where you can submit your web addresses (so that you will be more available to the search engines), there are feed directories. And you do want your RSS feed subscribers. Because it means those people really want to know what you say.

26) Blog Carnivals/Contests

I haven’t been lucky enough to catch one that is in my preferred areas but blog carnivals allow you to show your voice to a lot of bloggers with various levels of experience and popularity. It will allow you to blend in, have a fun challenge and meet people. Bloggers more often than not help out each other. Yes, everyone says this- but I have seen proof. Nathan Hagen is a famous problogger and one I follow regularly. When I included him in my post kick-ass blogging resources, he came to my blog and thanked me in a comment. You do realize how great a comment from him looks, right? It means you were acknowledged. And acknowledgement goes a long way in the world of blogging.

27) Guest Posting

This is exactly what it seems. You will be writing as a guest on other people’s blogs. It makes more sense to pitch your ideas and posts to blogs that are more popular than yours but there is no harm in helping out another blogger who gets less traffic. You really can’t know they won’t be the next big thing and they just might return the favor. As for the more established bloggers, don’t be afraid to submit. Obviously you should study other posts and the blog and pay attention to guest-posting guidelines. After that, make your submissions (yes-even to your favorite blogs) and keep your fingers crossed. Shame on me that I haven’t done this yet.

28) Auto responder + free gift

An autoresponder places a box on your page for your visitors to leave their email addresses. Of course this means you can send them email updates about your blog and make them regular readers. But usually people are more willing to leave their information if there is something else for them in return. Yes, they might like your blog updates or a collection of your best posts but they really love free ebooks more. It can be your or somebody else’s (that has given you permission to distribute it). It can be entertaining or inspiring or informative (but preferably a combination of these). I should know, I have given my email address to blogs I follow religiously (such as Copyblogger) or to receive a free e-book (mostly on traffic, blog monetizing or affiliate marketing). Think where and why you left your email address. Then gather up your own information and experience and resources. Autoresponders can be both paid or free.  Most popular ones (especially for probloggers and internet marketings) are the paid options. I read hundreds of books up to know on blogging and Aweber is the one that pops much more often than the others. Plus, it has its affiliate program (like most other paid auto responders). If you can afford it, I suggest you give it a try. I am waiting till I produce my own e-book. Then I will be using it too.

You don’t see how free (quality) products will increase your traffic? Well, one time visitors will turn into regulars. They will tell their friends and online communities. They will pass on your links. And the best part is, when you are offering your products that are not free, you will have a list who will be likely to buy it.

OTHER POSTS on Writing and Blogging

Get Rich Blogging or Die Trying: Kick-Ass Blogging Resources

Expert Blogging Advice to Hate (Even though I mostly do follow the bloggers who gave them)

Two Worst Comments Ever- It’ll Drive Most Bloggers and Writers Mad

Don’t Bother If You are Not American

Being a Fashion Writer Who Hates Fashion

Make More Money on Triond, by Helping Your Friends Earn More

Eight Tips to Make More Money on Triond – Number of Posts, Seo, Commenting and More

So Do You Write for Bukisa?

Triond vs. Blogging: Similarities, Differences and Benefits

... other posts by zoey