Fortunately, there’s a social networking secret weapon that can help you take your blogging power to all new heights: Triberr.

If you’re a seasoned blogger trying to increase your traffic and grow your readership, Triberr is a powerful tool that allows you to supercharge your blog’s reach and visibility. Part online blogger community, part content distribution platform, Triberr lets you network with freelance writers and industry influencers that share your similar interests.

Triberr consists of an online community of “tribes,” which are typically organized according to categories so that member blog posts are all centered on similar topics. Once you join a tribe, you begin sharing your content with fellow tribemates, where they in turn share it on social media  with their followers.

As an automated Twitter sharing tool, Triberr is all about driving more traffic for the user. So, let’s do some quick math here to show you exactly how this can beneficial this tool can be for your blog. Say you belong to a tribe of 15 people and you all blog about music festivals. Now, let’s say you have 8,000 followers and each of the 15 people in your tribe has roughly the same. So you write an awesome post about the amazingness that was TomorrowWorld and share your post with your fellow tribe members; they approve it, and share it – BOOM! You just grew your reach to 128,000! Get the picture?

Even if you aren’t an avid blogger, Triberr is also a great way to discover new content that you otherwise would never have found. Rather than spend a lot of time visiting other websites searching for articles about topics that interest you, why not let members in your tribe provide you with fantastic content instead?

Exploring Triberr

As a community, marketing tool, and social network all rolled into one, Triberr can take a little getting used to – even for pro bloggers! If you want to get the most out of your experience, watch the step-by-step video below to navigate your way through the world of Triberr.

Why business directories for small businesses?

When researching a product or company, 8 out of 10 people will use a directory or an internet directory. Of those who use directory searches, 8 out of 10 of them result in purchase or intent to purchase.

Business directories are a great form of targeted advertising. Generally, when someone is using a business directory they already have a specific need for your service. All you need to do now is position your listing or ad in appropriate directories and design it so it catches the attention of your target customer before the competition grabs them.

For online directories, it helps to pick ones with high traffic volume and large ones with a high Google Page Rank (an algorithm that Google uses to determine the relevance and importance of a web page), it can help your listing appear higher in Google Search Results, thus increasing the likely hood of the user finding your company.

For print directories, look for regionalized or local directories and/or ones pertaining to your niche market. Look for advertising opportunities in the business directory section of a local popular magazine or newspaper, or in an industry/association directory.

Are business directories profitable for small businesses?

Maintaining your online listing or directory can bring a great ROI. A Patek Analytics Study found that businesses who maintained their print directory listing saw an average of 20% in growth over 2010-2011 (with 70% of respondents reporting year-over-year gains in call volume directly related to their directory ad). “Home service” and “emergency repair” businesses saw the highest average increases. The same study also found that 36% of customers who purchased after seeing a print directory ad are new, never having used the used that business before.

Ninety-seven percent of consumers research a product or business online, looking at an average of 7.9 difference sources, including directories, before making a purchase decision. As marketers we know that if we want to turn a prospect into a conversion, we need to remain front-of-mind to the consumer so when they are ready to buy, they think of us before our competition. This suggests that if they see your name often, for example in online directories, your conversion rates could increase.

Where can I find online and print directories?

It’s generally not effective to just “spam” your business into every directory you can get your hand on. You still need to ensure you are choosing ones that will give you the biggest bang for your buck, and for your time.

For small businesses, first look for directories in your niche and local markets. This is most likely where people will start to look for your services. Then, depending on your budget and resources, consider larger, more general-interest directories (like the yellow pages or WeZipcode.com).

It’s important to find the right mix of directories for your business. More and more directories are appearing every day. Some are free, some require a subscription or fee. Also consider directories like Google Maps and Google Places, so you can take advantage of people searching for local businesses using other Google services. If your business offers tangible goods, consider adding them to comparison shopping websites (42% of consumers use a comparison shopping website before making a purchase), and product listing sites.

Can online directory listings increase my web traffic?

Listing your company and company URL on online websites not only helps your ROI, but can also help your website appear higher in search results for certain terms. The more quality web pages that you can get your site listed or mentioned in, the more authoritative Google will begin to think your website is. When Google chooses where your webpage will appear in search results, Page Rank (the authority of the webpage) is one of the factors that can significantly increase your chances or being ranked first, or at least on the first page, for a particular search term or phrase.

What does my business need to do now?

Your small business should consider directory listings and advertising in their on-going marketing plan. First, look at your directory options based on your business niche and region. Also look up your competitors to see where they are advertising and see if it makes sense for your business to have a presence in these directories too. Aim to stay top-of-mind to the consumer as much as possible, without appearing “spammy.”

It may take some time to find the right mix of directories to advertise your business in. Implement some sort of analytics or tracking system to see which directories are giving you the best return, either in click throughs to your site, in direct revenue, or in call volume. This could include using special tracking campaign links for online directories, or a unique phone numbers or URLs for print ads. Over time, cut the zero- or low-performing directories and re-invest in new ones until you find a good mix of print and online directories that perform well for your business.

Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that listing your company in directories isn’t just a one-time project. It needs to be maintained and your strategies adjusted based on what your competitors are doing, and based on your changing business goals. However, studies are proving the maintaining business directory listings as part of your marketing plan can be a profitable business strategy for your small business.

Not only does the social media network have 25 million users, but 47% of online shoppers have made a purchase based on Pinterest recommendations. Pinterest also produces 4x more revenue per click than Twitter and 27% more than Facebook.

Here are 7 ways to ramp up the marketing power of Pinterest:

Make sure your profile represents your brand
People are going to read through your profile to learn more about your brand, so it’s a great opportunity to start building trust.

Make sure your username is the same as your business name, and fill out the About section completely. Include a link to your website and a headshot – no icons or logos! People like to follow people, not “things.”

Share – and be social
Obviously, the more you share, the more visible you are on Pinterest, so spend a few minutes every day sharing your own images on your boards and repinning images you like. When you leave comments, mention others, just as you would on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to get their attention.

Be picky about what you share
Only share and repin high-quality images that represent your brand. Black and white images are OK, but colorful images are a gold mine in terms of engagement. Bonus points if they are mostly red, orange, and brown, which get more love than blue images, and if they are light rather than dark.

Go where the cool pins are
Check out the Popular feed when you’re on Pinterest, and add a thoughtful comment to the pins that you actually have knowledge about (aka, avoid throwaway comments like, “Great photo!”).

Add your images to popular group boards to really raise your profile, and follow those with similar interests. (If they don’t follow you back, it’s OK to unfollow them.)

Oh, and don’t get too overzealous when it comes to commenting. If you comment more than a couple of times a day, or you could be labeled a spammer.

Keep your most popular boards highly visible
If they aren’t already, move your most popular boards to the top row of your boards, and consider inviting followers to contribute to them. When your followers add pins, your boards will show up in their profile, which could greatly increase your exposure.

Integrate Pinterest with your overall marketing efforts
Make your Pinterest activity visible on your other social networks. You can tweet your pins and share them on Facebook, and you can also add a link to Pinterest from your Twitter and Facebook profiles.

Also be sure to add your Pinterest “follow” button to your email marketing templates and consider sharing a favorite image in each newsletter you send out (link the image back to your Pinterest account).

Hold a contest
Set up an especially fun contest, and you could really turn up your brand visibility. Offer a great prize (cash is king), and require users to follow you in order to enter the contest.

As part of your promotion, create a pinnable image that includes your logo, a call-to-action, contest end date, prize, and the words “contest” or “giveaway” (important for search!).