Make Your List BIG, Part 5 - November '09
In this issue:
"If you build it they will come" - well actually no they won't. Just putting up a website is not enough. In order to use your website to its full potential, and get people opting in to your mailing list using your subscriber form, you will have to drive traffic to your site.
Through this series we have shown you how to optimise your sign up form and grow your database. In this newsletter we discuss ways to publicise your site and get people to your subscriber form.
Part 5: Increase traffic to your subscriber form
Your website needs a bit of a push start
It's one thing to create a fantastic website with gripping content, but the real skill comes in driving traffic to it. In the offline world, you can set up a stall at the market and be sure of getting passing trade. But on the internet, building a website without telling anyone would be like opening a shop in the middle of nowhere.
Paid advertising (Pay per click on Google Adwords, Facebook and other website) is perhaps the most obvious way to get attention for your website but this can be pricey. Fortunately there are all sorts of cheaper ways to attract visitors. One is to optimise search engine listings by building appropriate keywords into your site. Another way to generate traffic is to provide content of general interest to consumers, which hopefully they will reference on their blogs and social networking profile pages. If your company wants to attract visitors it must create content that people genuinely want to read, talk about, bookmark and share.
In practice, a variety of online and offline approaches can be combined. Traditional media and online advertising can be used to get a new site's name out, and useful content can be created online to engage visitors. All it takes is a bit of thought and imagination.
Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Website
What can you do to improve the odds of reaching your anticipated audience, and getting customers visiting or interacting with you online?
- Paperwork: This is the easiest and most economical method of advertising your site. Make sure you place your domain name on every form that is generated by your organization: quotes, invoices, orders, bill of lading, purchase order, checks, statements, labels, letterhead, envelopes, fax forms and of course your email signatures.
- Voice Mail Announcement: Announce your domain name and an attention-grabbing message on your corporate and individual voice mails. A great way to attract users to visit your site is to offer an incentive or special that is only available on the website..
- Verbal: Make sure you and your staff constantly promoting your web site and its content and value to your customers.
- Newsletter: Use your email newsletter to advise your customers and prospects of your products and services and all of the incentives available on the website. Provide links within your newsletter to direct the user to appropriate and interesting web pages.
- Links: Swap website links (URL) with business associates, customers and vendors, which will drive traffic your way. When linking to other websites, make sure that link opens in a new window in a separate session. Once the visitor is on your site, you want to keep them there as long as possible, do not force them to leave your site by clicking on an outside resource.
- Media: Always include your web site domain name when advertising or writing about your company in newspapers, magazines, trade publications, radio, TV, web and banners.
- strong>Search Engines Optimization and Pay-per-click: SEO and PPC is a huge growing segment of the economy and is the reason why companies such as Google, Yahoo, Overture and others have grown as much as they have. The basic concept is to properly optimize your site using certain key words and phrases to increase the odds that people can easily find you when they surf and search the web.
Implementing the proper plan to drive traffic to your site is a complicated task that requires strategic and tactical planning. However, you may find that some areas illustrated above are pretty easy and economical to implement.
Capture web visitor details by directing them to your subscriber form
Place your email newsletter signup form on your home page (TouchBasePro can generate a plugin for your site that you can copy and paste into your html to create an instant sign up form …read more)
Put your sign-up form (or at least a link to your form) into your website template so it appears on every page of your site.
Offer incentives for signing up such as: a competition, discounts, or special downloads. Remember to be clear that they are signing up to receive regular newsletter communications from you.
In Conclusion
Busy-work for this month:
- Publicise your website on all of your paperwork and marketing materials
- Create some interesting content for your website
Coming in Next Month's Issue:
- Getting free content for your newsletters and website