Here on Apollo Media’s social media marketing blog, we have stressed the importance of social bookmarking when it comes to promoting your blog. When readers bookmark and share your posts on sites like Digg, Reddit and Stumble Upon, they generate buzz about your blog and direct lots of new traffic your way.

But simply having excellent content is not always enough for it to get the attention of hard core bookmarkers across the web. Sometimes, you have to employ specific writing strategies that will make your writing more bookmark-friendly. Here are some suggestions:

1. Think like a bookmarker & anticipate the usefulness of your post When you write your posts, try to put yourself in the mindset of someone who would potentially bookmark your blog. Ask yourself why you bookmark posts and how you share them. People bookmark posts for a variety of reasons – to save things they’ll come back to later, to share with friends, to have reference material and even reward the writer for a job well done. Consider what uses your post will have as a bookmarked item. Will people return to it several times? Does it provide valuable instructions that can come in handy later? Why would someone share it with their friends? Look at the underlying value of your post – is it to entertain, to inform, to illustrate, etc.? People will often bookmark things for specific reasons. Try to anticipate those reasons when writing and editing your work.
2. Make your posts worthy of more than one visit When you bookmark something, it’s usually because you will come back to it later. Make sure your posts have substantial information that people will come back to even if they’ve read it once. Lists do well as readers may glance quickly at the top few items and leave, then come back to read the post more fully when they have more time. An unusual assortment of pictures will also attract returning visits, as people will want to share remarkable or startling images with others.
3. Give your posts strong, attention grabbing headlines Your article’s title is going to be the first thing your reader sees, whether they find your article directly or through a social bookmarking site like Digg. Your title must be direct, succinct, and summarize what your article is about. Having numbers in your title helps as it indicates just how much is involved in the post. For example the title: “101 Alternative Uses for Household Items” tells the reader exactly what they are getting into and how comprehensive it is. Look to our “7 Ways to Create a Viral Title” article for more suggestions.
4. Make it easy for people to bookmark you This means making sure you have the appropriate plug-ins or widgets on your blog so readers can quickly bookmark your posts with one simple click. Have easily accessible buttons (or chicklets) for digg, reddit, etc. below your posts or next to the headline. If you want, you can also have a sentence at the bottom of your post politely encouraging readers to bookmark it or share it. Sometimes people just need a little reminder.
5. Structure your posts for easy skimming Many web users don’t read an article in its entirety when they decide to bookmark – it can be a snap decision based on the clarity and inviting appearance of your work. People like to visit dozens of sites and blogs everyday, so they will go through them very quickly. Arrange the information on your blog in clear, concise paragraphs that are easy to scan through. Have distinct sub-headings, bullets or numbers to indicate separate sections, points or topics that are essential to the overall impression or message you want to get across. Check your writing mechanics. You don’t want run on sentences or drawn out explanations. The simpler and more direct you make your information; the more likely it will picked up by scanners. If you have something you want to say and you can say it in ten words instead of twenty, then go for the shorter route.
6. See these principles in action – follow widely bookmarked content Research popularly bookmarked posts so you can see a variety of successful uses of the above tips. For instance, head over to digg.com and check out the day’s top posts.

We hope these tips will help you improve the accessibility of your blog and encourage you to get involved with social bookmarking. At Apollo Media, we encourage our readers to check these social sites everyday, either directly or through netvibes, so they can get an understanding of what titles and articles are catching the attention of bookmarkers everywhere.

Remember, a good writer anticipates their reader’s needs and a blog writer must do the same for their bookmarkers. Sooner than later, with these principles in mind, you can build a loyal readership for your blog.