Getting more web traffic for your blog site….part XVI.
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
This is the last blog post on getting more web traffic series.
The next series is already cooking in the kitchen.
My last tips on more web traffic.
Create a membership site and give visitors VIP access in exchange for their contact information. Of course to make this work you have to provide good content inside the members area. If you do then people will return to your site on a regular basis to check out your member’s area. WordPress is a great tool to create this kind of sites. If you are interested in that let me know in the comments and I will create a a content about that specifically.
Learn what viral marketing techniques others are using and apply their ideas to your business. Some of the most successful advertising campaigns are the ones that were proven successful in one industry and then applied to another.
Use your thank you pages. Often the thank you page that is displayed after someone makes a purchase or signs up for a newsletter is wasted real estate. Put these pages to work by using them to promote other products and services. After all, if people have already agreed to do one thing that you wanted them to, they’re likely to do something else. A great idea is to form JVs with other webmasters so that you can promote their products and in return they’ll promote yours. You don’t have to have hundreds of sales a day to make this work. Simply contact website owners that are a similar size to you and let them know how many sales per week you receive. Then ask if they’d be willing to exchange ‘thank you page ads‘ that include affiliate links so you both have the potential to make money on all referrals. You’ll be surprised how many say yes. Another good use of ‘thank you pages’ is to promote an affiliate program or another related site that you run. Just don’t let this great opportunity to generate more traffic get away!
Submit your free eBook or special report to directories. There are lots of sites dedicated to compiling lists of free information products. Submit your ebooks and special reports for added exposure and traffic. The key is to make sure that what you offer is high quality so that people will be interested in learning about your products and services once they’ve read the free information. If you throw something together in an hour it will show and you’ll lose credibility with potential customers.
Don’t forget to consider the smaller PPC Search Engines. For most keywords you’ll pay less than Google Adwords and many give you a credit in your account when you sign up.
Do a direct mail campaign using postcards. Postcards have become a favorite advertising method of online marketers because they’re easy to design, inexpensive and they almost always get read. The added bonus is that not only does the recipient read it but often so do several other people along the way. To get started with a postcard campaign use your current customer list and send them a special offer. Another option is to find someone with a list and ask if you can pay them per postcard to send your offer. Or, find a reputable list company and purchase a list of potential customers. Remember though, like all advertising you can’t send one card and expect a flood of orders. Create a campaign that includes a minimum of 3 cards to get the maximum benefit.
Participate in Newsgroups, Forums, and Mailing Lists. There are hundreds of forums online and you can find one for almost any topic imaginable. Most allow you to include a signature line that will be attached to every message. This is a chance for you to advertise your site. Visiting these forums to post thoughtful questions and offer your expertise will mean your signature is viewed by others and will bring you free, targeted traffic. Of course how much traffic you get depends on how often you post and whether your signature makes people want to visit your site. A good approach is to use an ad you’ve had success with elsewhere as your signature.
Hopefully these tips have given you some ideas that you can implement in your own business. Remember, generating traffic is more art than science. It usually requires some trial and error before you find what works best for your site. But if you stick with it, you’ll be rewarded with a steady stream of visitors!
Now you know how to generate traffic for free and also with a budget. Load your guns and start shooting. Take massive action and get massive results.
Cheers.
Maroschief.