Some entrepreneurs use the time-tested technique of paying for ads to get traffic. Others generate buzz through promotional stunts, or try tweeting with reckless abandon. But those aren’t your only options. Here are five strategies to try to push your traffic numbers skyward:
1. Pay pennies for YouTube views.
The concept of paying for ads (à la Google Adwords) has been around for years. One new technique, though, is to pay for YouTube viewers. Virool.com is one option. You can post a video, and then pay about one penny per view. The idea is that Virool pushes your videos out to a targeted audience culled from its network of publishers. Once someone watches your video, he or she may want to visit your website as well.Just be sure your site is set up to cater to Web viewers: Offer other videos and media as well as an engaging call to action.
2. Get specific on Twitter.
Twitter is one of the best ways to generate traffic, because you can target users, groups, and topics. Experts say the trick is to get specific: Send tweets to popular social networking gurus who might respond, and make sure you actively retweet those in similar fields. Statistics say that the average person on Twitter reads around 200 tweets a day. Also reposting a tweet is not a bad idea: 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and 9 p.m. are good times to tweet. The best time is between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m and there really is very little point in tweeting content type links out at 2 a.m when no one is going to be following your feeds. Try to get your content retweeted constantly as it adds to your reach.
3. Run on Groupon
Stephen King, an investment and marketing expert, says one good strategy is to run a ‘Groupon’. This might seem like a stretch for a company that does not sell a product, but every business has something to sell. For example, a Web design company might run a coupon offering services for half-price. When bargain hunters investigate what your company offers, you’ll probably get more traffic to your website. Note that the approval process to post coupons can take up to two weeks.
4. Find a journalist in need
Seeking out a journalist who is looking for a case study, an opinion or comment from a business is a great way to get your company name known and in helping out the journalist and the title there is a good chance that your company name as quoted in the piece could be a link back to your site. This will help you in two ways as both instantly the piece will get clicks thru’s and over a longer term this will help in your ongoing SEO strategy as Google loves these kind of links.
5. Write a counterpoint blog post
An excellent way to generate buzz on your site is to write a guest blog that offers an alternative viewpoint and get it published on a popular website. Say everyone else is talking about a particular topic. Offer your take on the subject. (Of course, you do genuinely need to have a decent working knowledge of the topic otherwise it could backfire.) Make sure that your post includes a link back to your site. And be ready for some backlash and visitors looking to post negative comments.
And also make sure that you are tracking your visitors using either Google Analytics or gosquared.com as once they start to come you need to okay to your strengths and focus on the activity that works and not the ones that don’t.