'Online Marketing Series'
Increasing website traffic…going beyond pay-for-placement
To successfully increase traffic to your website requires a multi-prong strategy. Just because you build it, it doesn’t mean they will come. Prospects can either find you offline or they can find you online. If they find you offline, and become interested, rest assured their next step is to seek you out online. However, it is important to note that today’s buyers are the modern day Sherlock Holmes. Buyers are taking control of their own fact-finding agendas. Online research does not necessarily mean a direct visit to your website. Today’s buyers can be classified as cynical, skeptical and very well informed.
Online search behavior studies show a significant trend towards research beginning in social media forums as well as local and regional news sites, prior to visiting the community’s actual website, if they actually make it that far. This trend directly supports the fact that friends, acquaintances, and third party opinions and comments are much more meaningful and held in a higher regard than a community representative’s marketing-speak. In addition a recent international study shows that when consumers were asked what their most trusted sources of information were, social networking forums sites ranked at the top.
With this knowledge in hand, it is time to concentrate on creating a consistent, knowledge-based presence in other industry-related venues. Be where your buyer can find you. Sites like City-data.com and Tulia.com have over a hundred million unique visitors a month, visitors that are seeking information or advice that is relevant to them personally. These are your prospects. Participating or becoming actively involved in sites that already has tremendous traffic can be more rewarding than most pay-for-placement campaigns. Create a detailed profile for yourself, post comments, answer questions, become a consistent participant, a valued expert.
A word of caution: There are thousands of user-generated forums and blogs out there. Be critical of your choices. Make sure the platforms in which you are positioning yourself support or reinforce your philosophies, brand and personality. For example, Facebook and Myspace might not fit for either your demographic or your business model. Whatever forum you choose to pursue realize that this low-cost networking tool requires a lot of time and dedication. They are not for the person or persons so busy or technically challenged they can’t seem to find the time to answer their email. If budget allows, a well-managed paid search program will result in generating website traffic.
amy@maximumdesign.com
maximumdesign.com
Comments(2)