Building relevant traffic for our blog is often the biggest challenge we face. One great way to generate links and traffic is to register your blog with popular blog directories.

WebsiteMagazine.com recently published a list of 30 popular blog directories. I’ve taken this list and turned it into a blog submission tracking spreadsheet that you can download and use to track your efforts in submitting your blog to the relevant blog directories on the list.

30 Popular Blog Directories

Use this list to generate additional traffic for your blog by

• Visiting each of these directories and
• Registering and claiming your blog.

Then use this document to track your efforts and any login information and other notes related to your submission. Keep in mind that not all directories are appropriate for all blogs. Some serve special niches which may not be appropriate for the focus of your blog. Also, check within your own industry to see if there are industry specific directories where you’ll want to pursue a listing for your blog.  

Many blog platforms provide the capability to “ping” or notify popular blog catalogues when you create new posts but a more hands-on effort on your part will ensure that you create a more targeted, focused listing that will pay off in more targeted, focused traffic to your blog.

• Riding 150 miles next week to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. Best wishes & donations both welcome. http://sn.im/twitms #
• Collecta is a new search engine that finds real time results from blogs, twitter, flickr & other soc media http://sn.im/kfnab via @juliaroy #
• RT @mashable How Cellphones, Twitter, Facebook Can Make History [VIDEO] – http://bit.ly/paWve #
• Some truly beneficial niche social networks operating including Patients Like Me … http://sn.im/k9evz #
• Just added myself to the http://wefollow.com twitter directory under: #marketing, #blogger, #socialmedia #
• “I take a different approach 2 building traffic on Twitter — I look 4 ways 2 help other people.” @mitchwagner via http://cli.gs/5QWyQ6 #
• Bricks & mortar? I don’t need no stinkin’ bricks & mortar. Run your business the web2.0 way http://cli.gs/y7nvD8 #
• RT @marshaegan: On 2 wk 2 of our 4 prt Social Media series, Wed, 2pm EDT (w/ Me) .Join & u’ll get last wk’s MP3 +. http://cli.gs/tW4 #
• Do you speak the Queen’s Twitter? Now you can with the AP Stylebook via http://cli.gs/jsG3Ud #

• Top 5 Tweeting Cities (per Hubspot report) London, LA, Chicago, NYC, San Francisco #
• http://twitpic.com/74fq6 – Call me crazy but 4 $250 I’ll give you a $1000 to put down on a new 2008-2009 Chrysler #
• Pick up your copy of Hubspot’s State of the Twittersphere at http://twitter.grader.com/. Free report full of great info… #
• Social Media has arrived. This month’s AARP magazine has a feature article on Boomer Facebook addicts http://cli.gs/J2Z3Hm #
• You thnk Twitter is tough? You basically have 50 characters to generate interest in email subject lines. #

• @lisawilliams $30k 2 cr8 a community site… ID your community, discover their interests, build to suit in reply to lisawilliams #
• LOL & RT @adamcoomes Unnecessary product of the day: World of Warcraft Game Fuel Mountain Dew. http://twitpic.com/6y7nw #
• The Dirty Little Secret of th Twitter Elite; a bit of a ‘doh’ but between the lines practical advice on mnging Twitter http://cli.gs/BU0h5q #
• RT @franswaa RT @AllisonVanDiest NetWitsThinkTank (http://cli.gs/SdZt90) added 2 COP’s list of recommended reading on soc media! #
• RT @dannybrown: RT @franswaa Childrens Hospital of LA talks about their Soc.Media Stratgy – http://cli.gs/SdZt90 (VIT-very important tweet!) #
• RT @jowyang: An older, still relevant post: “The Many Forms Of Web Mrktng” http://cli.gs/yqDDQW Not mch chnge in last 2 yrs #
• Twitter platforms: Seesmic (up 7%) vs. Tweetdeck (down 48%) vs. Yoono (up 62%) http://cli.gs/n497eN .. Is Tweetdeck 2 complex? #
• Exploring seesmic desktop client 4 Twitter & Facebook – some very nice functionality … http://cli.gs/283GVb. Lighter ‘heft’ than Tweetdeck #
• RT @FredParrishCheck out @3keyscoach – Her How To Be an E.G.G.™ program is fantastic! It addresses essentials for business success. #
• RT @michaelbenidt: Bots make follower numbers irrelevant -via @thetechnewsblog http://cli.gs/PSEHre (idiots, spammers & sellers dn’t help) #
• ‘Breath’taking RT @MrStrider MrStriderPhoto: Breath http://tumblr.com/x2w20488f #
• I know a lot of words but sometimes shaky on pronunciation the Free Online Dictionary, pronounces them correctly http://cli.gs/7VEBYm #
• 10 percent of Twitter users account for more than 90 percent of tweets http://yoono.com/2fviJTj #
• ICANN info page for new Global Top Level Domain rules (gTLD) http://cli.gs/232uJz – roll ur own in 2010. Example of gTLD = .com, .edu, .org #
• Soon u can reg ur own top lvl domain so instead of tomsmith.com you can register http://www.tom.smith. Pricey tho @ ~$200k – http://cli.gs/gTLD #
• Wouldn’t freak about Twitter’s slo grwth n May. 13M+ incr. n visitors in 6 months. Just a mrkt adjstmnt. What about Linkedin’s decline? #
• Oh but the Palm Pre is a pre’tty little thing http://cli.gs/qJtVan #
• What r your thoughts on the $99 iPhone? Kind of takes the wind out of the Palm Pre’s sails even w/ their strong opening wkend #
• Selling wine 2 guys.. http://cli.gs/PjvpR9 “We all shop based on the label – fluffy squirrel, castle in middle distance .. whatever works.” #
• RT @MarshaEgan 17 Key Diffs betw SM & traditional mkting http://cli.gs/8re3a9 #
• Social Media doesn’t replace marketing … via Social Media Today http://cli.gs/4rNRPG #
• RT @MarkIsMusingLove has nothing 2 do w/ what u r expecting 2 get, only w/ what u r expecting 2 give, which is everything.-Katharine Hepburn #
• RT brilliance from @EmailCopywriter Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there. ~Josh Billings #quote #
• http://twitpic.com/6wi8l – Just added Power Twitter 2 Firefox – http://cli.gs/yTLRD1 – these are a few of it’s features #
• @problogger the ability of any of us to chose self restraint over self promotion kind of depends on when the rent is due in reply to problogger #
• Superchirp – tweets for free but subscribe to premium content via DMs – http://cli.gs/vpDud2 @problogger wonders what you think? #
• China may not be the low cost producer any longer. Viva la Mexico? http://cli.gs/9LzEMB #
• Quirky, creative t-shirt designs from Glenn Jones http://cli.gs/aDNAhr via @nsmithmorgan #

It’s a commonly known way to build followers quickly on Twitter. Find people with large numbers of followers and follow them regardless if there’s a potential relationship there or not. The payoff from this strategy comes when you find so called ‘open networkers’ who automatically follow back anyone who follows them.

Since I’m more in the Quality over Quantity crowd, I don’t ascribe to this formula. I want there to at least be the potential that

• I have something of value to offer a potential follower and
• A potential follower has something of value to offer me.

What a novel concept, eh? But isn’t this what puts the social in social networking?

Tom’s Quick Twitter Tip on Who I Won’t Follow

Having said this, here’s a new follower I picked up this morning who I won’t be following back. (By the way, I use a service called Twimailer to receive a more complete view of who a follower is than the built in alert service offered by Twitter – this allows me to make a more informed follow back decision without leaving my email inbox.)

This, in my view, is little more than Twitter Spam. This person shares nothing but a name (probably fake) which doesn’t match the picture (probably fake) which is complemented by…

• No location
• No web address
• No Bio
• No Tweets (Twitter Posts or Updates)
• And a disproportionate number of Following to Followers

In other words, there’s nothing of value here. In fact, this follower has done an exceptional job of providing no value whatsoever to the extent that I’m wondering if it’s just an exercise in Follower getting.

Now if all you want is followers with no regard to who they are, what they do, where they’re located and what mutually beneficial interest you might cultivate then you can pursue the above strategy or any of the number of schemes to gain followers quickly floating around Twitter at any given time.

5 Steps to Twitter Value

However, if you want to pursue, as I do, a Twitter follow/follower strategy based on value … value received from those you follow and value offered to those who follow you then it’s really very simple…

1. Follow the leaders in your hometown, your market, your industry. Your criteria here is to learn. They may not have the most to say but they afford the best value in the information they offer in their Twitter Stream. Retweet their tweets and reply as appropriate when they offer exceptional value that should be passed on or you can add value to a conversation they’ve started.

2. Follow your customers, prospects, and vendors. Invite them to follow you. Listen to their conversations in Twitter and other social media. Reply to them, retweet the good stuff they offer and offer them information and insight, not necessarily yours, that provides them real value not just the features and benefits of buying this or that from you.

3. Be relational rather than promotional. When they get to know you, trust you and like you is when they’ll want to do business with you … not when your tweets constantly link them to a squeeze page offering a 27 lesson e-course on mastering the law of attraction for the special twitter discount of $97.

4. Be generous rather than narcissistic. What does this mean? It means every tweet shouldn’t be about you. It should be about (re)distributing value – with appropriate links or attribution – from wherever you find it. Don’t just be the expert on your products and your services but be the expert on your industry so that you become known as a valuable resource and not an irritant. Finally …

5. Be yourself. It’s okay to have a personality, have an opinion, have a life and show it in your tweets. Just remember WWYMT … What Would Your Mother Think … and offer your tweets with respect and good taste.

Believe me, if you put the above strategy into place you will find your twitter following growing more quickly than you can imagine and with a much higher and more satisfying return on the investment in value that you make.

• Just added myself to the http://wefollow.com twitter directory under: #marketing, #blogger, #socialmedia #
• Thanks & a RT to @jasonvo My rec for hosting your podcast media files is Libsyn. 1. Affordable 2. Fast 3. Great stats http://cli.gs/YtJGm7 #
• Snog. No. 3 on list of 20 ways to find happiness .. http://cli.gs/bZuRHp #
• “You know, I always wondered about that taping equipment but I’m damn glad we have it, aren’t you?” R. Nixon http://cli.gs/0jMUe7 #
• 10 Ways Twitter Will Change American Business (from @Time Magazine) http://cli.gs/Le2VN5 #
• Read @mashable’s report http://cli.gs/6ubAyb on Time Mag’s cover story on Twitter http://cli.gs/YLnPq8 #
• Blogger’s block? Check out excerpt from @problogger workbook at the TypePad blog http://cli.gs/eu1v14 #
• Disagree w/ this post via @fratel 3 Traits of True Social Media Experts http://cli.gs/JMzEqR but what’s ur take? #
• RT @guruofnew RT@Awapy: Just learned a new term from @skydiver’s: “E-holes”. I know some.. (Send me ur E-Hole tales .. will keep anonymous.) #
• RT @KevinEikenberry | @Brat13 | @PaperCakes: “YouTube,Twitter & Facebook will merge into one super time wasting website called YouTwitFace.” #
• Harvard study found median # of lifetime tweets/user = 1. Top 10% of active users account 4 over 90% of site’s content. http://cli.gs/09LQzm #
• RT @limyh @whitehouse: Obama: The ppl of the world can live together in peace. We know tht’s God’s vision..tht must b our work here on Earth #
• RT @remarkablogger 5 ways to tell you need a blog consultant: http://cli.gs/RdyJG3 #
• RT @debbieweil Here’s my “follow” secret: I try to respond w/ a DM to everyone who replies to a question I ask. OR I just follow them back. #
• My advice? Don’t miss! RT @JanVermeiren …presenting how to REALLY use LinkedIn @ NSA, Phoenix Lightning Round. 6 min 40 sec. challenge #
• Brilliant blogging advice from @markivey (via @MarketingProfs): 7 Habits of the ‘Just Good Enuf’ Marketer: http://cli.gs/pEVLr4 #
• Social Media Marketing – powerful tools to prosper in tough times. Start mastering it today http://cli.gs/tW3 #
• Marketing 101 – find need; fill. Marketing 202 – go contrarian. Drank, the non-energy, extreme relaxation drink, http://cli.gs/HXnpY2 #
• Re: Sedaris via @JustWrite & @chrisbrogan. I’m a fan too, here’s classic Sedaris in Santaland http://cli.gs/vzyZt6 (thanks to NPR.org) #
• @kadamof a ‘swipe’ file is just a digital or hard copy file of ideas you like and might ‘swipe’, er imitate, for ur own stuff. in reply to kadamof #
• June resolution: “Learn Social Media Marketing to build my business.” Details at http://cli.gs/tW3 #
• I’m a huge fan of social bookmarking site, delicious.com, here’s a guide to using http://tinyurl.com/r898z6 #
• Started using @YooNo – soc. media sidebar. Kinda diggin’ it . Helping me track Twitter, FF, FB & others + cool widgets http://cli.gs/MnaRUV #
• RT @jfredson @baekdal Absolute *must see* video about how Best Buy embraces the social internet: http://bit.ly/17GEZw (via @mashable) #
• Tough times call 4 new mktg ideas. 4 part series: How 2 Use Social Media 2 Market your biz. Starts 6/10. Recorded – http://cli.gs/tW4 #
• RT @nprscottsimon @badbanana’s Hall of Fame Tweet: “China has blocked Twitter. Now 1.3B people will have no idea what I’m having 4 lunch.” #
• 50 CEOs Who Use Twitter: Tweets from the Chiefs – BusinessWeek http://cli.gs/bvyavh #
• Tip of the Tweet to @EilSmi for 25 Media People You Should Follow on Twitter – Advertising Age – http://cli.gs/X7vnv1 #
• The BEST way to process Twitter Followers is to use a tool like @tweepler http://www.tweepler.com What do you think? #
• Interesting article on social media competition, add your take on social media frameworks in comments … http://cli.gs/0Shutt #
• “…When asked why he was on Twitter, Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO said: “People relate to people, not companies.”…” from http://cli.gs/vUh3jm #