When many of
my clients first come to me for coaching, they share
that one of their biggest challenges is getting enough
visitors to their site. Attracting traffic isn't a cut
and dry process - there isn't one perfect way to do
it. But there are many ways that, when used collaboratively,
will build you a nice stream of visitors.
To get your marketing wheels turning, check out these
15 simple ways to attract new visitors to your site.
This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but it
will give you several fresh ideas to try.
Now, remember - you don't want to expel effort in getting
just anyone to visit your site. You only want people
who would likely be interested in what you have to offer.
So before you read on, answer this question:
"WHO are your target clients or customers?"
Are they men, women, or both? Do they own a certain
type of business or work in a certain profession? Are
they young, old, or middle aged? Are they left handed?
Do they own pets? Can they juggle?
I hope you see where I'm going here. The more you know
about your ideal clients/customers, the better you'll
know where and how to find them .
So ... keep that information in mind as you consider
the remaining of my 15 traffic-building tactics. (See
Part 1 (http://www.ezinequeen.com/traffic1.htm) for
the first 7!)
___ 8. Recommendations by E-zine Publishers
Do you know anyone who publishes an e-zine for the
same target market as yours? If you're not direct competitors,
ask her about cross-promoting each other. Example: My
friend Wendy Weiss, "The Queen of Cold Calling," publishes
a great e-zine called "Opening Doors & Closing Sales"
(www.wendyweiss.com). When we both launched our e-zines
three years ago, I gave a two-paragraph recommendation
for her site in my own e-zine, and she returned the
favor by doing the same for me. That one exchange resulted
in hundreds of new visitors (and subscribers) for each
of us!
___ 9. Recommendations by Other Site Owners
ISame idea as #8. Many sites offer a "recommended resources"
page, so why not get listed on them? Find sites whose
target market matches yours and ask if they'd recommend
your site. You'll get more yeses if you offer to list
them on your site as well. (This strategy used to also
be very powerful to help increase your search engine
rankings, but not so much anymore.)
___ 10. Affiliate Programs
Grow your own sales force by offering a handsome commission
on your products and services. While this requires you
to give away some profits on those sales, they're sales
you would not have had otherwise. Right now almost HALF
of my sales come from traffic sent to my site by my
affiliates. Best of all, you can track and pay your
affiliates automatically using programs like ClickBank
(electronic deliverables only, zzz.clickbank.net/r/?ezinequeen)
or KickStart Cart (a superior version of 1ShoppingCart,
www.netofficetoolbox.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=36923),
which handles both electronic and physical goods.
___ 11. Your E-mail Sig File
You're probably familiar with e-mail signature (or
"sig") files - they're the few lines of contact information
that many of us put at the bottom of every e-mail we
send. Add a few additional lines to your sig file that
give us a reason to visit your site. Perhaps you're
having a special sale now or you're giving away a free
report, e-book, or e-zine subscription. Remember, e-mails
get forwarded around all the time, so take advantage
of this free exposure. (For more tips on sig files,
see my article "Make Your E-mail Sig File Work for You"
at www.ezine-queen.com/sigfile.htm.)
___ 12. Exposure in Print, Radio, and TV
You can drive hundreds or even thousands of new visitors
to your site with the right media exposure. Again, no
matter how great your interview or article is, people
need a kick in the pants to visit your site. So give
them something free that they have to come GET at your
site. For help in generating publicity at $0 cost to
you, check out veteran broadcaster George McKenzie's
Get Free Publicity program at www.automateyourwebsite.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=73137.
___ 13. Speaking to Groups
Nothing leaves more of an impact on people than an
in-person presentation. At each appearance, collect
your participants' e-mail addresses by offering something
free (your free report, e-book, or e-zine subscription).
The day after the event, send them a reminder to visit
your site to pick up their free gift! My friend Tom
Antion's site - www.netofficetoolbox.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=37477
- offers tons of advice and resources on speaking for
exposure and profit.
___ 14. Postcard Mailings
One of the most overlooked tactics in today's marketing
world is the humble postcard. Postcards are a fast,
easy, and reliable way to increase visitors to your
site. Best of all, they're the ideal way to break through
the online clutter and get your prospects' attention!
For a failsafe, step-by-step postcard marketing plan,
look to my own marketing mentor, Alex Mandossian. He
offers a wonderful tutorial package called Marketing
With Postcards (www.marketingwithpostcards.com).
___ 15. Sheer Shamelessness
If you live in the Los Angeles area, there's a good
chance you've seen "EzineQueen.com" whiz by you at speeds
in excess of 70 m.p.h. Why? It's emblazoned across the
back of my black SUV in large, lime-green letters! At
least once a month I get a friendly e-mail from someone
who saw my giant URL and, out of curiosity, visited
my site. A few of them have even turned into customers.
Lesson learned? Think out of the box! For help in this
area, see Debbie Allen's "Confessions of Shameless Self
Promoters" series. (www.confessionsofshameless.com)
(c) 2003 Alexandria K. Brown
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author
of the award-winning manual, "Boost Business With Your
Own E-zine." To learn more about her book and sign up
for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/
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