The internet was made to share, and that is just what its users are doing with social media, and social bookmarking. People share pictures of their dream homes, themselves, their dogs, and they share funny videos of people falling down stairs or off of boats. There is a lot of white noise on the internet, especially around social media and social bookmarking.

So really, what good is a social bookmark site to a business?

• For promoting your business.

There are 500 million Twitter users. You could promote a trend for 24 hours in the hopes of reaching some users, but it would cost you about $200,000. While less effective, you can instead rely on your quality content, and the share-ability of your message.

Social media sites and the top social bookmarking sites tend to go hand in hand. New social bookmarking sites come out occasionally, and you will need to determine for yourself, based on the demographic of the user, if it is worthwhile to be on that social bookmarking site. For example, there is a very wide range of Twitter users, but Reddit users tend to be the more tech savvy, and heavy internet users.

• For understanding your target consumer.

You can follow the trends on Twitter, or see what people are posting most on Pinterest. A few months ago you would have been able to see that natural hair care was a big deal for a lot of Pinterest users. You can also see when people start to think about upcoming events, like a holiday, or a big sports game, judging by the frequency of related posts and shares on the social bookmark site.

• For improving your online reputation and brand recognition.

When you promote your business online, you get to see the response from individuals. With social media savvy you can craft a positive message, or manage any negative responses. Share the messages that you want to have shared, and tell the story that needs to be told. Increasing your visibility on social media and social bookmarking sites will get your message to potential consumers and clients very quickly.

If you use social media and social bookmarking wisely, you stand to gain a lot of knowledge about the likes of your potential clients. Armed with a better understanding of the users, you can then share your business and its products when that message will be best received. Internet marketing strategies are constantly evolving. Maybe it is time that you gave a social bookmark site a try.