5. Jump into Social Networking.

Social Networking comes in many shapes and forms, but the good thing is that it’s easy to dabble in and I’ve, personally, seen great results with little effort. 

It’s free to try, so there are no excuses. 

Here’s how it works. You sign up for one or more of the programs below (all are free).  

• StumbleUpon.com • Digg.com • Reddit.com

(You can search google to find hundreds more. This is just for starters.) 

Next, update your profile on each site you’ve joined, including your URL and photo.  

Then, the next time you post something of interest on your blog (or see something on a friend’s blog), you just submit it to the sites above. 

Many of these Social Networking sites expect you to be an active participant. You’re expected to rate and comment on other people’s contributions. Just jump in and play with it and watch your stats to see what is and is not working. You’ll see the traffic start to trickle in if you play by the rules and share quality information. (Don’t be afraid to have an opinion and stand out!) 

Along the same lines (but slightly different) is a Social Networking tool called Twitter.com  

Now, in the name of disclosure, I’m pretty new to Twitter, but I had to check it out after I realized that I was already getting traffic from other people Twittering about me. 

Basically, Twitter is like a group Instant Messenger Chat. You can add as many friends as you’d like (which is called “following” people). Then, you just chat about what you’re up to. 

For instance, when I’m done with this report, I’ll turn it into a pdf and load it on my site for my readers to enjoy. Then, I’ll Twitter the link to let my followers know what I’ve been up to today. Whenever I post on my blog, I quickly Twitter it. Not even a minute later, I get a nice little spike in traffic (and some comments) on my blog. 

Hot Tip! Of course, you can make this even more viral by talking about your affiliate program on Twitter or on the Social Networking Sites above. That way, instead of getting one visitor to your website, you’re getting a person who can send you additional traffic. You’re tapping into their lists, their connections, and their traffic instead. Pretty smart, isn’t it?