by Heather Johnson

There was a time when a good Web content article had a fighting chance to make the front page of Digg. These days, the site seems to be heavily influenced by a small percentage of “power users.” This is the nature of the beast and, rather than complain or waste superfluous energy, it is time to find some new social bookmarking sites for content marketing. Below are five sites that still provide some decent traffic for the little guy.

1. StumbleUpon – Although StumbleUpon has been a popular alternative for a while, it still provides a long tail of traffic with its unique metrics. One easy way to give yourself a legitimate boost from StumbleUpon is by starting a pay-per-click ad campaign with the site.
2. Mixx – Although Mixx has yet to usurp Digg’s throne, it is a very similar alternative. The community at Mixx is smaller, which means you still have time to work your way up the ranks and make a name for yourself. Also, the vibe seems to a bit friendlier.
3. kirtsy – This site was originally known as Sk*rt, though it recently changed its name to something decidedly less confusing for users. kirtsy is a niche social bookmarking site, as it is targeted to women.
4. Propeller – Propeller is another bookmarking site that appears to be a Digg clone on the surface. However, the site is growing very popular and offers many original features. Backed by AOL News, Propeller isn’t likely to falter any time soon.
5. reddit – This no-frills bookmarking site is similar to the popular del.icio.us, but the latter seems to commonly focus on tech articles. reddit, however, will cater to the needs of all Web content writers.

There are many marketing strategies when it comes to making your written work viral. However, nothing can bring in the numbers quite like a story on the front page of a popular social bookmarking site. As part of your online marketing strategy, you should always be networking on sites like the ones listed above.

About the Author: Jennifer Mattern

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Jenn is a professional blogger and freelance business writer. She has worked as a freelance writer since 1999, and has been an active business and niche blogger since 2004. She owns All Freelance Writing as well as several other sites and blogs covering PR, small business, and related topic areas. She is also currently writing a nonfiction book for freelance writers called The Query-Free Freelancer, and is the author of the Web Writer's Guide e-book series. Subscribe to my posts (only posts from this author).

1. Web Success Diva says:

   May 20, 2008 at 5:57 pm

   Great post and a good list of alternatives!
   Sharing with my audience now

   Maria Reyes-McDavis

   Reply
2. lissie: 100 Sites says:

   May 22, 2008 at 7:53 pm

   In the end though only good relevant anchored backlinks will make a real difference: social traffic is notoriously untargeted

   Reply
3. Diana says:

   May 28, 2008 at 5:24 am

   Thanks, Jenn. I’ve been wondering about Digg lately and these seem like good alternatives. I agree with Lissie about untargeted traffic, though. Any chance you can expand on how to attract more “appropriate” readers to your blog?

   Reply
4. Social Media Blog Carnival | Social Media World says:

   September 17, 2008 at 4:37 pm

   [...] Johnson presents Five Alternatives to Digg for Marketing Your Web Content posted at All Freelance [...]

   Reply