Trendy blogging for big traffic
One of the quickest and easiest ways to get traffic to your blog is to actually write about stuff that people want to read. Yet, very few bloggers actually do it.
If you blog about “what’s hot” in the on-going global conversation, there’s a bigger chance for your blog to be talked about as well. Especially if you are able to provide an interesting point of view or put an interesting spin to the stories you blog about. When you talk about what’s hot, by proxy you’ll become part of the heat. 
The good news is that even if you have a very niche-specific blog, you can benefit from this strategy. All you need to do is hunt down the stories that will resonate with your audience, or find a way to tie in a particular story to your niche.
A sneaky trick to “go viral”
Back in 1999, before all the rage about “online video” existed, the most popular thing people would share were pictures. Some of these photos and illustrations were the very first real-world examples of “going viral”.
Then, in late 2000, a computer programmer and part-time DJ from Kansas called Jeffrey Ray Roberts took all the photos, modified them to fit his latest music creation and turned them into the single most watched flash file ever created: “All Your Base Are Belong To Us”.
By leveraging the existing popularity of the photos, he was able to promote his music to the world. And unknowingly sparked an internet and pop-culture phenomenon that lasted for years.
Viral Marketing Basics
“Going viral” is a buzz term used to describe the electronic version of word-of-mouth advertising. Therefore, “Viral marketing” is the act of promoting a product or service by different means that facilitate its viral growth online.
A viral marketing campaign, however, is not easy to accomplish. It needs to be carefully planned and then executed with surgical precision to avoid puncturing the thin veil of trust of internet folk.
There are plenty of examples where viral marketing campaigns have not only failed… but back-fired and created a real PR nightmare for the company that tried to outsmart the global community (like the infamous Edelmal-Walmart fiasco or the CAA-LonelyGirl-YouTube debacle.)
Marketing with “Yahoo Answers”
Did you know that Yahoo Answers is the #2 reference site on the internet? It’s right behind Wikipedia, and yet, it is often overlooked by most as part of an overall internet marketing plan. However, because of its high traffic, it deserves serious consideration.
If you aren’t familiar with it, Yahoo Answers is a place where people can ask a question about any topic and people can post replies. The person who asked the question chooses the best answer and that answer is featured at the top.
What’s great about it is that you can include one or more links in your answer - as long as they are justified, provide good value and honestly help to answer the question. And because so many of the users don’t give well-written, thoughtful answers, it’s pretty easy for your answers to stand out and get chosen as the top answer.
The coolest keyboard ever!
It’s called the “Optimus Maximus” keyboard. And even the cocky name falls short in describing the true coolness of this new keyboard by Russian design studio Art Lebedev.
The optimus maximus is a true technological marvel. It features a tiny OLED screen on each key (yes, that’s a total of 113 tiny screens) that can be configured to look any way you want and change dynamically depending on what you’re doing.
Press the shift key and all the keys go uppercase. Run Photoshop and each key will automatically update to feature (with icons, animations and even QuickTime movies) so each hot-key has an image representing its function.
Social proof: The key to success
The only way to succeed with Web 2.0 marketing is by focusing all your efforts to just one clear and precise goal. And this is where most social marketers “get it wrong”.
The goal of social marketing is not to generate sales directly from Squidoo, Facebook or YouTube; the goal is to generate something far more valuable for your business: social proof.
Ironically, “social proof” has become a buzz-word in the web marketing arena. It has been twisted around so much that most people understand it as a synonym of “testimonials”. But it is much more than that. Testimonials are just one of the many ways to generate social proof… and there are many others. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Uber-profitable memberships
“Attrition” is the most feared word among membership site owners. After all, the only way to keep a membership site alive is by billing customers month after month. If your members leave after just one or two months, you have no business. Period.
Most membership site owners fight attrition on a regular basis. But there are a few members-only websites out there that not only have zero attrition… but they also have a line of customers waiting and begging to be let in. They are uber-profitable.
Andy Jenkins has released a must-hear podcast that explains exactly how (and why) StomperNet is able to stay in business even when they charge nearly $1,000 per month to EACH member. This stuff is quite simply, too dangerous to miss!
