Write More. Write Fast. Write Now.

You may be familiar with the old philosophy conundrum, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” While I have no interest in debating this issue, I think it sheds light on a very real problem we writers face when publishing online: If our content fails to find an audience, it might as well not exist. No matter how good the content or how earth shattering the consequences for humanity, none of that matters if no one sees the words.

Yes, there was a time, not long ago actually, when you could throw up content online, let it sit for a few months, and eventually Google or another search engine would find your page and send some traffic. Lather, rinse, repeat. However, competition has forced the search engines to weight their algorithms to value social cues more than in the past.

Social Promotion

The snowball remains a good metaphor for building an audience online. You create your content, you give it a push, and you hope it grows and accelerates. The more snow the ball picks up along the way, the greater the area of impact.

We know that people often look for cues that others are taking action before taking action themselves. They are more likely to read your post if it has a lot of likes. And then having read it, they are also more apt to like it if there are a lot of numbers already up on your social leader board.

Getting the Ball Rolling

The challenge lies in getting that snowball to start moving. When a small business launches a blog or a writer begins publishing online, the lack of interest by friends and family can frustrate efforts to get the ball rolling. You do not want to antagonize those who support you with endless requests to “+1″ and “like” your content, but those early clicks are so dear to getting something started online. (If only they understood. Those who bemoan the loss of local jobs should consider supporting local businesses with lots of likes and +1s. But that is another post.)

As a writer, you can increase the value of your content by giving it a push in the sort of snow most likely to cling and propel your content more vigorously downhill. Networks help you amplify your message early among people who spend their clicks freely. Not all this traffic is targeted, but those early social actions will have three effects:

1. Early shares expose your work to more eyeballs.
2. Early social clicks inspire others to click as well.
3. Clicks and shares increase your page’s visibility in the search engines.

If you are managing clients’ social media accounts, then networks are invaluable for situations like when you launch a Facebook page and need twenty-five likes before claiming your link.

FanBizzy

There are many online networks that will connect you with those who are generous with their social shares, like Triberr and Empire Avenue. I recently came across a new one: FanBizzy.

FanBizzy lets you load up your social networks and web pages and then use the on-site currency to exchange social shares and profile follows. You can earn currency by following other users’ social media profiles or by clicking social buttons. You can set controls on which country or gender you wish to solicit for clicks. To my mind, the best feature is that you can delete a page or profile when you no longer wish to promote it.

I recommend staying ahead of the next Google update (Koala? Kookaburra?) by minimizing the number of links into your site from FanBizzy.

How Much Does It Cost?

You can sign up for a basic FanBizzy account using coupon code promo and you will get 1000 FanBizzy coins. You can pick up additional free coins each day on the site. If you would like to unlock better features, you can purchase a VIP membership using cash or your FanBizzy coins.

Drawbacks

FanBizzy works imperfectly with Facebook. In the area where you can like web pages, I cannot see the pages before liking them. When I look at Facebook pages to like, in Firefox anyway, it opens a small window that disappears, but is not gone at first, just hidden behind my primary browser window. If I do not find that window fast enough, it does close. Very awkward, but now that I know how the windows work, it is manageable.

I think this network has possibility. Is it spammy? Not when you can see the pages/profiles first. In my opinion, it is like walking into a room of known marketers and saying, “Hey, can I get a few likes on my page?” No one is expected to lie and like something they find unpleasant. Still, you will get more likes per hundred views in that room. You will get even more likes if everyone knows you as a socially generous person as well. And once you have launched your snowball through the perfect patch of powder, you can sever the link if you wish to let organic growth guide it downhill.

What Networks Do You Use?

Do you have any networks you use when launching new content? Let me know in the comments.