Digg-Do you Digg it for Front Page Exposure or Laser Targeted Traffic?

If you say the word Digg or MySpace almost everyone knows what your talking about. But Digg.com has started to break away recently in it's popularity due to one main reason, it's "Community."

Not long ago, most folks would open up a free account at Digg.com so that they could "Bookmark" their website or blog content. Today that mindset is shifting and people are starting to see the value of what the Community as a whole has to offer.

Yes, there still are those that strive to get their bookmarks shown on the "Front Page of Digg", but more and more people are realizing that connecting with the community could pay bigger dividends in the form of Hightly Targeted Traffic.

Targeted traffic is what all website owners want and need, but getting it can be difficult and sometimes impossible if you don't know where to look for it.

The reason that Social Networking is so powerful is because of the connection that is formed between people. You can join almost any social community and find other people who have the same interests, backgrounds or even hobbies and those connections you make will eventually help drive targeted traffic to your sites.

Targeted might not always mean Volume though. Would you rather have 100 ticks on your website hit counter, or 10 Targeted Visitors who read your content, leave comments and become engaged in the value you have to offer? I would go for the latter any day.

Since this Hub is centered around Digg.com, I will leave you with some great Digg Tips, to help you get started on the road to targeted traffic.

The fastest way to drive targeted traffic is to look for those people who have similar interests.

With Digg, you can search for those folks by Keywords. No, not by a person's name, but by the Industry you are targeting.

For example: Let's say you have a website that sells the latest and greatest Lawn Care products. At the top of any Digg.com page, on the right, is a search box. In that search box type in the keyword, "Lawn Care." What do you get? You get a list of almost 300 submissions with topics on Lawn Care.

What is behind those submissions on Lawn Care? People!!

That is how you connect with folks who have similar interests as you. Once you find those people, add them as "Friends."

One of the most overlooked hints I can share with you is the difference between "Fans" and "Mutual Friends."

Next to every person's profile at Digg is a button called "Add Friend." When a person likes one of your submissions they have the option of connecting with you by adding you as their friend. When they push that button they will show up in your "Fan" list until you do the same thing and add them as a friend back, then they become a "Mutual Friend."

Why are Mutual Friends the key? Because they will receive any shouts that you send to all your Mutual Friends, which in turn alerts them to your submission and hopefully to your site. A "Fan" does not get these shouts.

As you can see from the two pictures below, these folks are missing the boat in my opinion. The first one shows 830 fans not yet added as a Mutual Friend, which means that 830 people are not getting any of their shouts and they could be loosing valuable targeted traffic to their sites.

A "Fan" is someone who has already seen value in your Diggs and has asked to be a friend. Why not make them a Mutual Friend and allow them to connect with more of your value?

Always check your "Fan" list before you submit a Digg, it might just bring you 830 new targeted visitors with a click of a button.

No matter what Social Networking site's you are on, always fill out your Profile. Many people like to know who is behind the mask, so to speak, so tell them what they want to know and give them an even better way to connect with your information.

Digg has a great profile area where they not only allow you to add a small blurb about yourself, they allow you to add direct links to your site's. You can't ask for a better Advertisement. Plus, your Profile shows in plain view anytime a person checks out your submissions, so it is always there, showing folks what you are all about and how to find more of YOU.

Profile's are key to driving targeted traffic. Human beings in general are curious by nature and the need to see who somebody is, what they do and what they have to say can sometimes be overpowering.

Take a look at the social site's you belong to, are your profiles used the max?

There are so many tips that can be given on how to use Digg or any social networking site for that matter, and this last tip should be utilized no matter where you connect with folks.

To fully experience any Social Networking site, you have to actually interact with people. What that means is that you have to spend the time in getting to know who your friends are and what they are all about.

Digg is a great example of how the shift in Social Networking has begun. In the past, it was all about bookmarking, but today people actually communicate back and forth through "Shouts" and they use them just like an instant message or email to a friend.

Relationships are built, trust is formed, and before you know it, people are actually taking an interest in what others are doing, including places other than Digg. As I mentioned before, the "Community" side of Digg is driving this change, as people realize that there is value and benefit to connecting with others.

As you take an interest in others, they will take an interest in YOU, and most of the time that interest means more targeted traffic to your site's.

If you are looking for a way to grow your niche and connect with others who have the same interests, goals and dreams then try to expand your audience through Digg and other Social Networking Sites and you might just find that you have no need for a "Website Hit Counter" anymore.

You can find more tips and advice on Internet Marketing at Work from Home Smart.com, or connect with me, Mike Witt on Digg.

Thanks,

Mike Witt

www.Mike-Witt.com