People share links to web pages by email, through Twitter and Facebook and a lot of other methods. There are a number of URL shorteners available but one in particular is standing out from the rest. Not only does it easily shorten your links but it also shows traffic, conversations, and history from those links.
Over the summer I made the switch from TinyURL to bit.ly for my URL shortener. This little tool is becoming a big deal. It is now the default shortener for Twitter and has rapidly become the most popular URL shortener available. Google Reader included it in their new “send-to” feature, which lets you share any post on Twitter, automatically shortening long URLs with bit.ly.
You can drag a convenient button to your browser’s tool bar to shorten a URL from any Web page and quickly share it without interrupting your reading. You can customize the copy to share and even customize the URL if you want.
Bit.ly allows me to more easily share links to people in my network. Whether I want to do it through Twitter, Facebook, Email. I can also get real-time stats. Just review the stats from the post link above just after I shortened the URL and and shared it through my Twitter account: http://bit.ly/info/1BAyEm. It shows me the clicks on the link, the conversations that took place about the post, etc.
The great value in this, from a new business perspective, is getting instant feedback, knowing what information is appealing to your audience.
Targeted traffic = inbound lead generation. To generate traffic you have to hone your appeal.
If you get into the habit of checking these kinds of metrics, it will greatly help you to become a better writer by providing the resources your prospective clients are searching for.
Remember: People want to work with people that they know, like and trust.
…very useful topic, excellent! thx a lot!
Michael,
Love this blog! As a member of an Agency Biz Dev team, I find it invaluable.
An important note on URL shortening with bit.ly: bit.ly is a super slick great service, which I undortunateky have to advise against due to issues with Libyan government interference with .ly domains. http://benmetcalfe.com/blog/2010/10/the-ly-domain-space-to-be-considered-unsafe/
I’d look for other alternative providers.
Bit.ly is a helpful solution. For my clients that have a strong branding strategy, I recommend using the custom domain solution from Budurl.pro. Provides the same type of statistics, generates a QR Code for the URL if desired and also provides the option to create a mini-site (landing page) all at the same time.
My company is Fill the Funnel and I was able to secure http://FTF.sh/???? as my own branded shortener, allowing me to have complete control over the 4 digit extensions as well as some recognition of the URL itself. An additional benefit is that you are able to use 4 letter extensions compared to Bit.ly which is at 6 digits the last time I checked. If Twitter characters are important to your efforts, it can make a difference.
Always enjoy reading your blog Michael, keep up the great work.
Much appreciated Miles and thanks for the additional insights. I’ll be sure and check out Budurl.pro