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All over the web, you hear talk about how social media is changing for 2009, but I already think things have changed. It used to be that everyone relied on search traffic, etc. to get traffic to their websites, but now I personally believe the focus should be on other presences. Everyone knows how Twitter can help grow your site, but that is a side issue. Same thing with Facebook. The problem with these two “tools” is that you can only do so much and people can only see what’s up if you are connected to them as well.
I think the new focus should be on services like Guy Kawasaki’s very own Alltop. Getting your feed on this service is where it is at. I have no doubt that Alltop is going to evolve for the greater good of its users over the course of the future, but what is Alltop providing that other sources of traffic cannot? It used to be that everyone was involved with the SEO of their website and how to play games with search engines in order to rank #1, but that is no longer the case in the internet world. I think SEO is okay to play around with, but after a certain point it is just a waste of time and money. Instead, spreading content and connection to your audience over useful and meaningful services like Alltop, will essentially be the winner.
What the heck am I talking about?
Twitter was good and is still great to connect with your audience. I have 8,000 or so followers, but I would still rather have my feed on Alltop if I had to choose between Alltop and using Twitter. People don’t know to come look for “Romil Patel” or “Venture Level” or “Blab Web” when they are looking for something I am talking about. Instead, people look for key terms like “business” or “entrepreneur” or “blogging” when they would be looking for the type of information that I am writing about. The problem with Twitter is that only people who have read my content or know me will follow me and that isn’t a way to spread content. When people search for something in Alltop, chances are they will visit a new site, of which they have never heard of before. This is what makes services such as Alltop great.
Why do I keep saying Alltop, when there are so many other options?
Alltop is a growing service. Numerous people are visiting it on a daily basis and essentially if your feed is being presented on Alltop, you are growing as well. It basically takes the marketing aspect and multiplies it by 10 or more because your blog will be featured under relevant searches. I am pretty sure that there will be an ability to personalize your “daily reads” soon on Alltop, so users will be able to really sync all their news or blog sources in page. So I can’t stress how beneficial it could be to be on Alltop.
Will you get on Alltop?
The answer to that is quite simple. Alltop was named after being a service that takes “all of the top” feeds on the internet and presents them in one place. If you are not the top, don’t expect to be on Alltop quite just yet. Work on developing your site so Alltop would want to put your feed on their site.
Anyways...
All in all, the web HAS already changed. It will keep changing, but people need to move their focus off of the little things and look at the big picture. The sooner people realize that there is more to marketing their blogs than Twitter or Google keyword searches or even Facebook for that matter, the faster they will potentially grow. In fact, I wouldn’t even classify Facebook as a way of connecting. It is just something that people have manipulated into making a marketing tool.
In the end, it is extremely important to grow a brand so you can rely on yourself being the #1 tool that you use to continue to grow. While it is natural to use other tools to establish your brand image, you shouldn’t rely on these resources forever. What if any of the services you use were to shut down? Your brand would drastically be affected and potentially collapse altogether. By becoming less dependent on 3rd party services, you help your brand stick around for a long time, more often than not. In other words, BECOME THE NEXT GOOGLE...or at least the next Yahoo! ;-)
