Of all the social media sites available, StumbleUpon is perhaps one of the most complex bookmarker available. It allows you to connect with others, message them, send links to friends, vote up and down and a myriad of other actions. If you are using SU for business promotion, chances are you’re missing out on a few of the better methods of using this handy tool.

1. Install the toolbar. If you really want to make good use of this social bookmarking site, you’ll definitely need the toolbar. It will let you rate and share the best websites as you find them, without having to log into StumbleUpon each time to mark a site. After all, let’s face it, you probably won’t bother to do.

2. Discover new sites. While giving sites thumbs up after someone else has already marked them, being the one to actually discover a webpage and give it the first review is good for two reasons. First of all, it puts your avatar at the top of the page as the one who discovered it. That means others who enjoy the site will want to click on you and find out what else you have found. The second reason is that StumbleUpon itself is on the lookout for those who are discovering numerous sites, so you will get a better status by providing quality content.

3. Deep link to your site. If you do link to your own blog or site, never go for the home page. Instead, make sure you link to a deeper internal page or specific blog post. This not only means you have a lot of options when it comes to stumbling, but you will boost SEO in a more natural way. Keep in mind that you should only stumble your own stuff once in a while. Most of the time you will be far better off giving someone else’s content thumbs up in exchange for them rating your pages.

4. Write a real profile description. Entirely too many people put an ad in place of their profile. Instead of frightening off potential followers, try being more realistic and personable. Tell a bit about yourself and then introduce what you do. This will work far better than a straight up ad.

5. Stumble posts that link back to you. If you are writing good, consistent content, chances are your URL will end up on a few other blogs, whether in context or a list post. The important thing is that it links back to your site, so stumbling that post will help you out, as well as the blogger who was nice enough to give a linkback.

6. Thank the person who discovered your site on SU. They’ll keep you in mind next time they’re looking for great content to stumble.

7. Build up that friends list. If you look for friends with similar interests, chances are much higher that they will want to help you out and link to your content or give it a thumbs up. It’s fairly easy to find friends because if you find a page that relates well to your business, you can simply look at who else liked the page and then add them as friends. You already know that they are interested in the same things and if you stumble their picks from time to time, they will start to notice you, as well.

Are you using StumbleUpon to its full potential? The social bookmarking site is one that offers a lot of value if you use it right, but so many people never realize how to maximize their use of it.