Ask any new blog owner if they have “enough” traffic to their site, and you’ll get a resounding “NO!”. But now worries there is hope … you just need to implement a few strategies and today I’m going to share with you a few of my favorites.
If you’ve been trying to get more visitors to your blog – and therefore, more sales – but your efforts of traffic generation aren’t working for you then these 10 tips are just what you need to give you a boost!
Tip #1 Host a contest
No one can resist a contest, whether it’s a drawing for a free lunch or a month’s admission to the nearest 24-Hour Fitness. Contests have two main advantages: They draw new visitors to your site, and they are a great way to reward your existing readers and customers for their loyalty. Post a link to the contest on your social media pages announcing the contest over at your blog to drive traffic to it.
Tip #2 Write a Series
I’m sure you’ve started an online business based on a topic that your knowledge is based more than one blog post deep – or at least I hope so. So here’s how to make a blog series work for you: Choose a specific topic, divide the content up, write out several posts and schedule them over time, you can publish your series every day for a week or more, or you can space them out, releasing the next installment each Monday, for instance. Make each post have the reader wanting more so they will come back to get more information! And make sure to remember to promote the series on your social media sites to keep the interest going.
Tip #3 Conduct an Interview Series
Interview a set of people, preferably with a significant audience of their own, on a specific topic and run their answers on your blog as text, audio, or video. Make sure all of the people you interview are within the same related niche and related and complimentary to your niche so your readers will benefit form the content. And also have the people you interviewed share the blog post about the interview with their readers therefore sending a new group of readers to you.
Tip #4 Hold a Twitter Chat
With over 500 million registered Twitter.com users and over 8900 tweets per second, Twitter is the place to see and be seen. So why not leverage that power to bring attention to your online business by hosting a Twitter chat? Exchanging tweets with your audience is like holding a really interesting conversation in the middle of a crowded coffee shop; everyone around can’t help but wonder what’s going on.
Tip #5 Write a Round-Up Post
Round-up posts are similar to suggestions from a friend; there’s so much information out there on the internet that it’s impossible for us to sort through all of it on our own. So when you create a round-up list for your readers and link them up with helpful resources, blog posts, and other content that they might not have discovered on their own, you’re doing them a huge service. Share the blog post on your social media channels and you have some great content to share with your readers and you are also representing yourself as an authority in your field.
Tip #6 Add Video
Many online entrepreneurs are moving away from strictly text-based websites and incorporating additional media, most notably, video. Adding video to your blog is a great way to increase the connection visitors feel with you, grow the trust factor with your audience, and communicate in a personal manner. People are more likely to do business with people whom they know, like and trust – and video helps with all three elements. Share the video on Youtube with a link back to your blog and you have another stream of traffic.
Tip #7 Go on a Blog Tour
Guest blogging is when you write a post for someone else’s blog to gain exposure to their audience. A blog tour just takes this idea a step further by creating a “tour” that you share with your readers of all the blogs you will be visiting and writing on. You keep providing great content for your readers and also give them some great new blogs to visit, and you also gain the exposure on the other blogs you write on to their readers.
Tip #8 Article Marketing
Write an informative article on a subject related to your blog, include a resource box with a call to action for the reader to click through for more information directing them to your blog, submit your article to an article site like ezinearticles.com.
Tip #9 Join in or Host a Blog Carnival
A blog carnival is a group of blog postings on a particular theme. Numerous website owners and bloggers post content on that topic at a particular time – usually the same day of the week – and include links to each other’s posts, or to the blog carnival host. It’s an easy and fun way to share traffic and develop relationships with like-minded bloggers and business owners.
Tip #10 Create a Freebie to Give Away
By giving away a valuable piece of quality content on your blog or website, you can not only demonstrate your expert status in a very tangible manner; you can also attract people to your site and encourage them to become part of your community by promoting it within your social media pages.
When it comes to traffic generation to any website there are tons more strategies I could include in this list. The important thing is to choose a few strategies to try, see what works for you, and then be consistent with using what works with your efforts.
To Your Success!
Kate Wilber
The Marketing Momma
Hi Kate,
This is my first time to your blog and I like it very much. These are great tips, it’s important to keep abreast of what’s working now. While I am doing most of the things you suggest, I also find it advantageous to be a part of a blog commenting tribe. Until next time…
Golda