Web Based Bookmark Managers

There are few Internet-speak terms that are as widely understood as the term, “bookmark.” Want to remember a site and come back to it? Bookmark it.

An Internet marketer’s bookmarks are like a public relations professional’s rolodex: priceless. The only problem is that most folks rely on the bookmark system built within their browser, and that browser is uniquely a part of a single PC. That means that if you need to access your bookmarks from multiple locations — the office, home, your laptop — you can’t without the hassle of constant transferring and copying. Worse yet, you can’t easily share these precious bookmarks with others without similar hassles.

Enter the web-based bookmark. These programs enable you to access your bookmarks from any computer in the world with Internet connection. Better still, they give you the option to share your bookmarks, either publicly or with a selected group. Ready for the kicker? Smart marketers can use their web-based bookmarks to help market their clients (more of that in a moment).

To get an idea of how these programs work, let’s go to one of the leading web-based bookmarking services, Backflip. After you register with Backflip your next step is to import your existing bookmarks from whichever browser they are currently stored (this import feature is totally optional). The next step is to install the “BackFlip It!” button to your tool bar (done through a nifty drag-and-drop capability). Then, whenever you’re on a site that you want to bookmark, you just click your BackFlip It! button, and the site will be added. Add the button to any computer you use, and you can access your bookmarks from wherever you are. Additionally, in your personal preferences, you can choose whether or not you want the public to be able to see your bookmarks.

Now, we’re not endorsing any one web-based bookmark service, so here are others for you to evaluate:

* Bookmarks Plus
* MURL (MyURL)
* Blink
* My Bookmarks
* Hotlinks
* PowerSearch

Let’s move back to the subject of how you can use web-based bookmarking tools as a marketing tool. Web-based bookmarking tools are little dynamos: a search engine (of bookmarks AND the Web), navigational tool, and highly trafficked site with a loyal (and returning) customer base of registered members all rolled into one. According to an Ernst & Young study, 67% of web users use bookmarks to access web sites. Because web-based bookmark users have to go to the web site to view their bookmarks, these sites are getting tons of traffic daily. Tapping into this traffic makes for good guerilla emarketing.

How about this: register on each one of these sites and begin adding bookmarks. Besides bookmarking your own favorite sites, also include those of your client’s. When you add these sites, be sure to include their top search terms in the listings, this will help them be found by Internet users searching these bookmark sites for those terms. Don’t forget to make these bookmarks “public” for all to see!

You can also use web-based bookmarking services for more traditional emarketing. Blink.com, for example, runs a program “Blink Rewards” where Blink users earn points for visiting sites, registering, or placing an order. Both Backflip and Blink currently also sell advertising throughout their sites.

Accessibility, usability, and cheap marketing reach — what else could you ask for?

 back to top