The Social Media Network You're Ignoring: StumbleUpon Marketing Tips

Published by Adam Grifitth on Thursday, December 8, 2016 in Content Marketing.

Long gone are the days when people underestimated the power of social media as a marketing tool. In fact, social media outlets have become one of the primary -- and most effective -- means of promoting a business or agenda (just look at our most recent president-elect!) According to a study by Social Media Examiner, more than 64 percent of marketers use social media at least six hours per day to promote their business. Also, a survey by the Aberdeen Group showed that 83 percent of marketers today actively pursue marketing strategies on social media outlets.

When it comes to social media marketing, there are countless platforms to choose from. One of the most popular, of course, is Facebook. Today, Facebook has more than 50 million active business pages, and in 2015, Facebook claimed 19 percent of all money spent on marketing worldwide ($70 billion). However, there are some social media platforms out there that many companies have not yet discovered the power of. One of those underutilized platforms is StumbleUpon.

Not So HumbleUpon

StumbleUpon is a recommendation engine that allows users to discover, rate and view content that might be interesting to them. The site, which was an early social media darling during the 2000s, has experienced an underrated resurgence lately and currently has more than 25 million users. It offers links to web pages, blogs, photos and videos (and more) that are personalized to a user's tastes. In addition to bringing internet users web content they'll enjoy, the site also has a paid discovery system that companies can take advantage of for marketing purposes.

Let's talk demographics: Stumbleupon's audience is largely female and young. It's used largely by High School and College students.



Plus, unlike Reddit and Digg, Stumbleupon works by delivering users straight onto a page. They click a "Stumble" button on the top of the page and are delivered to a new post in milliseconds. One of these could be your page.

If you're in charge of social media marketing for a company and you want to take advantage of a new platform to spread the word about your business, consider getting started with StumbleUpon marketing. The below tips can ensure that your StumbleUpon marketing efforts are successful, and that you can use it to drive leads and generate greater awareness about who you are and what you do.

Pay for Stumbles

StumbleUpon offers businesses users a Paid Discovery feature -- and you should use it. Paid Discovery sends users directly to your content, with no need for them to click any ads, and the traffic that you get from Paid Discovery costs only between $0.05 to $0.25 per click, which makes it a very low-cost social media marketing choice. With the paid advertising feature, you can choose what category your content fits into, and you can also select who you want to target by selecting audience demographics, geographic location and more. When you use Paid Discovery, you can help ensure that the content you create and share is getting in front of the eyes of people who need to see it.

Create Content Well-Suited for StumbleUpon Marketing

By definition, StumbleUpon is a site where people come to have stuff they like delivered to them. That doesn't mean that all StumbleUpon users are lazy, but it does mean that when they're visiting the site, they're not in the mood to expend energy or time to look for something to consume. For that reason, you should create content that also doesn't take much time or energy to consume. If you want your content to get noticed (or go viral) on StumbleUpon, it should be light on text -- and heavy on images. Easily consumable pieces, like listicles, are well-suited for StumbleUpon marketing, while long e-books or blog posts are not.

Make It Easy for People to Follow You

StumbleUpon is a great platform for generating a lot of traffic to one particular piece -- but it does not necessarily guarantee traffic longevity. Lots of people might consume one piece of content you've created but never return to see anything you post ever again. So, try to make it easy to get readers who Stumble to your site to sign up for more content from you. Try including an email signup form at the top of your content, or include a Facebook "like" button so they can easily follow your Facebook page. When you make connecting with you outside of StumbleUpon easy, you'll be able to garner an audience that will have the chance to consume your content on other platforms.

Avoid Ads in Your Content

When you share content on StumbleUpon, try to limit the number of ads on that content. People want to view what you've created -- not ads you are trying to generate revenue with. If you have too many ads on your content, it will ensure not only a bounce from your page but also a thumbs down, and this is a surefire way to develop a negative reputation on StumbleUpon. Ads can be important for generating revenue -- but when it comes to ads in StumbleUpon content, moderation is key.

Follow and Interact With Other Users

Of course, StumbleUpon is another social networking site. This means that you should use it to interact with other people (and businesses) -- not just to share and thumb up your own content. When you give content you like a thumbs up, those users are more likely to see your content in their Stumbles. Engaging with users in your particular niche or target audiences ups the chances that those people will discover your content, and those people may just be the ones who will end up becoming leads -- and then customers. Pay attention to the brands that are already doing well with stumbleupon marketing to learn more.

In an age when Facebook and Twitter are almost impossible to stand out on unless you're willing to drop thousands of dollars on ads, Stumbleupon marketing is a hidden gem with an engaged audience and bargain ads. Check it out.