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Turn Your Site into a Visitor Magnet and Attract Swarms of Qualified Traffic with Our Top 10 FREE Traffic Generation Tactics!
No
matter how cool your site is or how fabulous your
product is, you're not going to generate enough sales
to make your business viable unless you get traffic!
You have to get the word out about your site and give
people a reason to visit it, or else you'll go the
way of the dodo.
The
good news is, there are lots of ways to effectively
advertise your site online and drive tons of "qualified"
traffic to your site -- for free! ("Qualified"
traffic consists of people who belong to your target
niche market and are most likely to buy the products
or services you offer -- THESE are the people you
want coming to your site!)
As
more and more people turn to the Internet as their
first shopping choice, enterprising entrepreneurs
are coming up with increasingly ingenious ways to
attract visitors to their sites. In this issue, you'll
discover how YOU can use these tactics to turn your
site into one of the "main attractions"
for your niche market -- without spending a dime!
Let
the "Top 10" countdown begin!
TRAFFIC
GENERATION TACTIC #10:
Use
viral marketing strategies to "infect" people
with
the desire to learn more about your product!
These
days, viral marketing messages are spreading through
the Web like wildfire. Viral marketing is any type
of advertising that is "self-perpetuating,"
compelling people to share it with others so that
it spreads through a community like a virus -- but
a good one!
Hotmail.com is a textbook example of viral marketing
on the Internet. Hotmail was one of the first free
e-mail services on the Web. In its first one and a
half years, Hotmail managed to sign up an incredible
12 million subscribers! How did it accomplish this?
Simple: At the end of every e-mail, Hotmail included
the following message: "Get your private, free
e-mail at http://www.hotmail.com,"
encouraging everyone who received an e-mail to sign
up for the free service themselves.
Large
companies use viral marketing messages to perpetuate
awareness of their brand, often by creating humorous
videos or animation clips that people send to their
friends for a laugh. Some smaller companies have also
used this strategy successfully. An example is "Homestar
Runner," a small business that's created
a set of cartoon characters and animated shorts that
circulate around the Web, encouraging people to visit
the main site and buy the company's merchandise.
If
you like to play around with video or animation, you
might think about adopting this strategy to generate
interest in your own product. Just keep in mind that
it can be very difficult to determine the exact return
on investment for viral marketing campaigns, since
it's impossible to keep track of where the ad goes.
This type of viral marketing is good for generating
interest in your site and products, but it doesn't
always translate into immediate sales.
To
see more examples of viral marketing, check out the
following sites (warning: part of the popularity of
some viral ads is their "cheeky" or risqué
nature. Some viral ads contain material that viewers
may find offensive):
-
ViralBank:
Go here to discover "the web's most entertaining
e-mails"! This site features images, video,
games, microsites and text e-mails that have
spread virally through the Internet.
-
ViralMeister:
This site features a list of news items concerning
the latest viral ad campaigns as well as a sampling
of popular viral ads circulating the Web. Visitors
are invited to submit "funny or cool videos,
images, jokes or anecdotes" to be featured
on the site.
-
Lycos
Viral Chart: Offers a top 10 list of "cheeky"
viral e-mails, as well as viral campaigns listed
under other headings, such as "New Releases"
and "Celebrities." Visitors are invited
to submit viral ads for review and vote on the best
campaigns.
TRAFFIC GENERATION TACTIC #9:
Use online business networking communities to hook
up with other entrepreneurs for link swaps and joint
marketing ventures
Business
networking communities are springing up all over the
Web. They're similar to dating or social networking
sites, but are used by entrepreneurs to find other
businesspeople with whom they can establish mutually
beneficial business relationships.
Sites like these can offer great opportunities for
entrepreneurs to set up joint marketing ventures with
like-minded businesses, or simply to find link-swap
partners who can help drive more traffic to their
sites. (We'll be looking at link swapping in greater
detail later on, in case you're not familiar with
this effective traffic generation tactic).
Business
networking communities can also help generate traffic
by allowing their members to create personal profile
pages with links to their main business sites. These
links can improve a site's ranking with the major
search engines.
If
you decide to join a networking community, be sure
to partner with people whose business is complementary
to your own. Their site has to attract visitors who
are likely to become your customers as well -- for
example, it probably won't do you any good to have
your all-vegetarian tofu burgers featured on a Cattle
Rancher's Association site!
Here
are some business networking communities you may want
to check out:
TRAFFIC
GENERATION TACTIC #8:
Become a recognized "name" in your niche
market by participating in newsgroups, discussion
forums, or blogging networks
A
great way to establish an online identity and develop
relationships with your potential customer base is
by taking part in newsgroups and discussion forums
or starting up a blog related to your niche market.
These tools can really help you communicate directly
with your niche market and discover what their wants
and needs are.
For
example, if you sell special mountain biking shoes,
spend some time hanging out in mountain biking forums
-- that's where your target market's going to be!
Or you could start your own blog in which you describe
your latest mountain biking adventures -- complete
with attention-grabbing photos, of course! You could
even combine the two tactics and generate interest
in your blog by mentioning it in forums and newsgroups.
However, most newsgroups, blog networks, and discussion
forums do NOT allow people to blatantly advertise
in them! If you want to generate traffic through these
sites, the best way to do it is to offer friendly,
useful advice to people who express a need for something,
and then include a subtle link to your business site
at the end of all your messages. If people like what
you say, they may decide to visit your site and check
out your products or services.
Taking
part in newsgroups, forums and blogs can be very time-consuming,
but can still be a great way to establish a name for
yourself in your niche market.
TRAFFIC GENERATION TACTIC #7:
Get your visitors to tell their friends about you!
A
good way to drive visitors to your site is to ask
your existing customer base to do it for you!
There are lots of sites that offer free "tell-a-friend"
buttons you can place directly on your site, in order
to encourage your visitors to send e-mails to their
friends telling them about your site.
If
your site offers a free opt-in newsletter, contest,
quiz, or "tip of the day" -- in other words,
any information that people will want to share because
it's fun, valuable, or exciting -- include a "send
to a friend" button in that feature as well.
It's a great way to get the word out about your site
to as many people as possible -- and there is nothing
more powerful than a personal recommendation from
a friend or colleague.
Here
are just a few sites that offer free "tell-a-friend"
tools:
TRAFFIC
GENERATION TACTIC #6:
Encourage people to "get busy" with your
site
with interactive traffic generators
One
of the best ways to get traffic to your site is to
offer valuable content that's updated on a regular
basis, so that your visitors are prompted to pay frequent
return visits to see what new information you have
available. Provide content that's relevant to your
industry, such as articles, product reviews, or "how-to"
advice columns -- anything you think your visitors
will find useful or entertaining.
As
you develop your collection of written content, consider
placing it in a searchable archive so that your visitors
can access past articles and product reviews. This
will encourage people to think of your site not only
as a place where they can buy things, but also as
a valuable source of information.
You
should also consider offering other free resources
to attract your target audience. Remember,
the most powerful word in a marketer's arsenal is
"free"! The more useful tools and resources
you offer your visitors, the more they'll appreciate
your site.
Offer
fun or helpful interactive tools that relate to the
purpose of your site. For example:
- If
you sell recipe books or kitchenware, include a measurement
converter that easily allows people to convert imperial
measurements to metric and vice versa.
- If
you sell clothing, include a size converter that shows
how the clothing sizes compare to measurement systems
used in different countries. (For example, a woman's
size 10 in the U.S. is equal to a size 12 in the UK
and a size 40 elsewhere in Europe!)
- If
you sell scuba gear or sailing goods, link to current
tide and weather information.
- If
you sell books on philosophy or self-improvement,
include IQ tests or quizzes that determine personality
types.
- If
you sell education products, include interactive math
or grammar games and other fun learning tools.
This strategy tends to be better for getting repeat
traffic than for attracting new visitors, but if you
include a "tell-a-friend" button with your
interactive traffic generator, you may prompt visitors
to share the news about your site with others -- and
get them to drive new traffic to your site for you!
TRAFFIC GENERATION TACTIC #5:
Increase your site's exposure by swapping links with
other sites
If
you want your site to be seen by as many potential customers
as possible, try to get it mentioned on sites they're
likely to visit. You want to find sites that are related
to yours, but not competing with it.
For example, if you sell ski goggles, try to get your
product mentioned on alpine tourism sites, sites that
sell skis, boots and poles, and sites that sell winter
clothing -- but not on other sites that sell ski goggles!
A
great way to get your site mentioned on other sites
is to contact those sites directly and offer to "link
swap" with them. Tell them you'll put a link to
their site on your site if they'll do the same for you.
Not only will this generate a lot of increased exposure
for your site -- it can also boost your ranking with
the search engines.
Search
the Web for sites that cater to your niche market --
AND that get a lot of traffic! If you own a souvenir
shop, for example, see if you can get your site listed
on local hotel and restaurant sites, as well as other
travel and hospitality sites tourists are likely to
visit.
TRAFFIC
GENERATION TACTIC #4:
Get the message out about your site by giving away
free content
One
of the best ways to make sure your site gets mentioned
on other sites is to offer them valuable free content.
Many online business owners are happy to get quality
information to put on their site or in their opt-in
newsletters so offer them some of the regularly updated
content you've posted on your own site (as suggested
in Traffic Generation Tactic #6). By providing other
site owners with free articles, product reviews, or
advice columns, you'll be doing them a favor -- as
well as increasing the exposure of your own site!
Try to get your content published on popular web sites
or in newsletters that have huge mailing lists. Before
you offer your content, do a little research to discover
how much traffic the site gets, and how many people
subscribe to the site's opt-in newsletter. Try to
find out which sites are the "hot spots"
in your niche market -- THAT'S where you want your
articles to be published!
IMPORTANT
NOTE: Remember, this tactic will ONLY work if you
include your contact info and a link to your site
at the end of every article! That'll make it easy
for people to visit your site and learn more about
the products or services you sell -- so make sure
that every site or e-zine that publishes your content
includes this contact info and link.
TRAFFIC GENERATION TACTIC #3:
Be one of the first sites people see listed when
they search
your keywords in the free search engines
The
free search engines such as Google,
Yahoo!,
and MSN
are still one of the most effective ways to get
the word out about your site. There are lots of
different techniques you can use to ensure you get
a good ranking with the free search engines. For
example, you can...
- Submit
your site to the free search engines and online directories
- Optimize
your web site so that it's easily indexed by search
engine spiders
- Pay
close attention to your keyword inclusion and placement
- Create
content-rich "information pages" to direct
traffic to your site
... And these are just a few tactics that will help
you improve your search engine ranking! You can spend
the time needed to do all this work yourself, or you
can use software that will do the job for you, such
as WebPosition
Gold.
To
explore search engine optimization strategies in more
detail, check out Issue
96 of the "Marketing Tips" newsletter.
TRAFFIC GENERATION TACTIC #2:
Use e-mail promotions to present your visitors
with offers they CAN'T refuse!
Yes,
it's true: E-mail promotions are one of the top
two ways to attract qualified traffic to your site.
If you have list
of customer or subscriber e-mail addresses, then
you're set!
People
who have visited your site and signed up for your
newsletter (or a contest or survey) are far more
likely to buy than someone who has never heard of
your site before. It's essential that you stay in
touch with these people!
Encourage visitors to frequently return to your
site by e-mailing them attractive promotional offers,
such as e-coupons or discounts on new products you're
offering... notification of a sale or a contest
you're running... even free services or products
you've decided to give away to a limited number
of people!
You
can manage your mailing list and automate your e-mail
promotions using software like Mailloop.
To learn more about how to build a substantial list
of opt-in e-mail addresses, start by checking out
Issue
49 of the "Marketing Tips" newsletter.
For more advanced strategies, you'll want to read
"The
Insider Secrets to E-mail Marketing."
And
now, the time has come for...
TRAFFIC
GENERATION TACTIC #1 (drum roll please...):
Build an army of affiliates to drive TONS of traffic
to your site for you!
Without
a doubt, an affiliate program is the BEST way to increase
your site's exposure! You can get your affiliates
to drive qualified traffic to your site using all
the techniques we've mentioned so far, as well as
other effective advertising techniques that require
an initial investment.
You
can literally get your affiliates to do ALL your marketing
for you! In fact, one of our most successful clients
doesn't spend ANY time optimizing his site for the
free search engines -- he lets his affiliates do it
for him! Many of them go to great lengths to make
sure their sites are highly ranked -- and because
they all link to his site, they boost his search engine
ranking as well!
And
the best thing about affiliate programs is that you
don't pay your affiliates a dime for all the work
they do unless they help you make a sale! It really
is a win-win proposition:The more sales your affiliates
help you make, the more money they earn as well.
For
more on growing your own affiliate program, check
out "The
Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the
Internet," which is filled wiht lots of in-depth
information on how to start up and make the most of
an affiliate program.
Final
thoughts
In
order to maximize your site's exposure, it's best
to use a combination of the tactics listed above.
For example, if you're sending out an e-mail promotion,
you may want to include a "tell-a-friend"
option in the e-mail so that the people on your mailing
list will send the promotion to others. If you have
an affiliate program, ask your affiliates to post
your articles and product reviews on their sites in
order to help you build a reputation for yourself
as an industry expert.
Remember:
When it comes to online marketing, there are three
words you need to keep in mind: LOCATION, LOCATION,
LOCATION! Your site has to be mentioned often in places
where your niche market hangs out if you want your
site to be seen by as many potential customers as
possible.
If
you think you could be doing more to boost your site's
traffic numbers (and really, who couldn't?), start
putting these top 10 Traffic Generation Tactics to
work for you today -- then sit back and enjoy all
that free traffic coming your way!
Have
fun!
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