Are You Using These 14 Powerful Traffic Techniques?
Most marketers have a preferred method for driving traffic. There are those who like SEO, experimenting with new techniques to push a page up the search engines. Others like the speed and efficiency of a paid advertising campaign, using large advertising platforms like Google and Facebook for the bulk of their traffic. Ultimately, though, you should be looking at a number of different traffic tactics, avoiding any reliance on a single source that could lose its impact. While not every traffic source will be effective for every type of business, it is good to be familiar with a number of techniques that can be introduced to a marketing campaign. So what traffic techniques are proving successful right now?
SEO
SEO is one of the most common methods of gaining traffic, but can still be effective when you target long tail keywords. When your site has gained some authority, future posts will usually require less promotion to reach a good search position.
Paid Advertising
Sites like Facebook and Google offer detailed targeting options, so you can attempt to reach your ideal customers. Anyone unfamiliar with buying traffic should be cautious initially, but you can gradually increase spending and move on to banner ads and other platforms.
Re-targeting
Re-targeting lets you promote to people who have already visited your site. The ability to market to people who have shown an interest is providing a good conversion rate for many businesses. Essentially, re-targeting lets you take tactics like SEO and Facebook ads to a new level.
Content Marketing
Content marketing can bring targeted traffic to your site, with consumers already aware of who you are. Content can be posted on your own blog, but it should also be added to relevant sites that accept guest posts. If the content is good enough, the traffic you get should already be warmed up and more likely to make a purchase.
Email Marketing
Email marketing lets you build a strong relationship with subscribers, so any traffic sent to an offer should be more inclined to purchase. Most site visitors will not make an initial purchase, with multiple visits usually required. Building an email list avoids this problem as you can consistently reach people with your content and brand.
Video Marketing
Video allows you to leverage the traffic that already exists on YouTube, directing a portion of viewers to your website. Viewers of your videos might be a largely different crowd from blog readers, so you can reach new people in an appropriate format. There are also great results to be had from video advertising, with opportunities to create eye-catching advertisements at a reasonable cost.
Related Products
Creating related products might seem a lot of extra work, but the results could be worth it. A Kindle book, for example, could generate an extra income stream, with readers being directed to your blog or email list. It is also common for businesses to create their own apps, allowing easy access to your content.
Podcasts
Podcasts have an obvious appeal in the entertainment field, but you can make a podcast work in more obscure niches. A common format is for a few guests to discuss relevant topics, but you could make it a solo effort or interview experts over Skype. Podcasting helps greatly with branding, while also tapping into the large audiences on iTunes and SoundCloud.
Forums
Driving traffic using forums is an old technique, but it still has relevance as the most passionate people in your niche can be found on these sites. If you want to go further, creating your own forum allows you to control advertising and develop your brand. Simply answering a few common questions can lead to your contributions being found through the search engines.
Social Media
Social media is being used by both individual marketers and the biggest brands. A site like Facebook can, in certain niches, contribute the bulk of your traffic, while other sites like Pinterest can help you quickly grow a following. For the best results, post quality content on a regular basis, while also engaging with followers.
Affiliate Marketing
Some businesses rely on affiliates for their traffic. Affiliate marketing is sometimes associated with beginner marketers, but there are many effective affiliates who prefer not to deal with products and customer services. Offering a competitive commission can lead to experienced affiliate marketers promoting you through paid advertising and their email lists.
Reciprocal Mailing
Teaming up with other successful businesses can see all parties flourish. You might not want to promote your biggest competitors, but there should be a number of related businesses with audiences that won’t overlap with your own. Each party sends their email list an offer, ideally leading to growth and sales for everyone.
Press Releases
Press releases can still be effective if you have some interesting news. A quality press release service will put your content in front of the major news sites, relevant niche blogs, and experienced journalists. If your story is picked up by the right sources, you should receive an influx of traffic.
Live Events
Appearing at a live event offers a type of credibility it can be hard to gain online. Speaking at a conference, for example, suggests you have reached a level of expertise, while trade shows let you connect with a variety of industry figures. Networking at industry events can generate relationships that might take far longer to grow online, with the result often being cross-promotion opportunities.
Adding a number of successful traffic streams to a marketing campaign can bring all the leads you need to run a successful business. Optimizing the campaign will determine whether you can make a profit, but it might only require a limited amount of targeted traffic to make it a success. While it can be tempting to focus on a traffic tactic you are comfortable with, branching out can insulate you from unexpected changes. Many successful businesses suffered problems when Google implemented changes to both SEO and AdWords platforms. However, with a number of different streams in place, your business can continue to flourish as competitors struggle.
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