7 free-traffic-sources
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This document provides 7 free ways to generate web traffic. They are: [1] Running blog contests to engage readers and drive links and comments. [2] Doing online radio and podcast interviews to gain exposure. [3] Becoming a featured expert columnist on relevant websites. [4] Providing content like reports or interviews to membership sites and ebooks. [5] Participating in social networks like StumbleUpon, Digg and Reddit. [6] Creating buzzworthy graphics or videos. [7] Starting your own affiliate program to leverage others' audiences. The document encourages testing various free traffic methods that play to long-term relationship building rather than short-term manipulation of search engines.
7 free-traffic-sources
- 1. Special Report 7 Totally Free Ways To Get More Traffic More Traffic More Sales More Profits ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DISCLAIMER AND/OR LEGAL NOTICES: The information presented herein represents the view of the author as of the date of publication. Because of the rate with which conditions change, the author reserves the right to alter and update his opinion based on the new conditions. The report is for informational purposes only. While every attempt has been made to verify the information provided in this report, neither the author nor his affiliates/partners assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions. Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional. If advice concerning legal or related matters is needed, the services of a fully qualified professional should be sought. This report is not intended for use as a source of legal or accounting advice. You should be aware of any laws which govern business transactions or other business practices in your country and state. Any reference to any person or business whether living or dead is purely coincidental.
- 2. 7 Totally Free Ways To Get More Traffic More Traffic Traffic, traffic, traffic. Web traffic makes the world go ‘round. We all want it. We all need it. So, let’s go and get it! I was chatting with some friends and they asked me… “Mike, what are some more ways to get free traffic? And it can’t be the usual stuff like article marketing or advertising.” I grabbed a notebook and started jotting down ideas. I stopped when I quickly reached 26 ways to get web traffic. And, then I narrowed it down to 7 of my favorites to keep this short and easily digestible. Many of these ideas are not revolutionary new “secrets”, but I also doubt that you’re using all of them, either. (Don’t feel bad. Most people aren’t.) All 7 of the ideas I’ve listed are effective methods of traffic generation that will also help you to be seen as more of an expert in your field. If you’re looking for ways to “game” the search engines… well, several will work for that, too, but that’s not what I’m looking to teach here. This is long-term traffic generation for people who are in it for the long- haul. If that’s you, keep reading. And, be sure to read all the way to the end, as I saved the best for last.
- 3. 1. Blog Contests Contests are nothing new in the online world. Many people have been using contests to get free web traffic for years. However, there is a slightly new twist since the blog revolution that has made running a contest much more effective and fun. The concept is the same. You come up with a prize (or many prizes) that would be appealing to your blog readers. Of course, offering your own product as the prize would be preferable since you can mention it on your blog (so everyone who sees your contest will also see your product link). But, if you don’t have your own product, you can easily ask around and find people who will donate. Once you have your prizes, the fun starts. You have several options for your contest. 1. If your goal is to get people to interact, ask your readers to post a comment to win. 2. If your goal is to get incoming links to your blog, and, if your readers are bloggers themselves, ask your readers to blog about your contest (on their blogs) and then comment to let you know they did it. 3. If your goal is to get to know your readers, ask them to complete a survey to win. 4. Or a combination of the items above. Immediately after you post your contest, send a mailing to each of your ezine lists, letting them know about the contest. You’ll want your loyal readers to have the opportunity to win.
- 4. Next, contact your circle of influence (your friends) and let them know about your contest. Offer to do a blog post swap. If they’ll blog about your contest, you’ll owe them one the next time they have something they want to spread the word about. Then, go and submit your contest to all of the contest websites. Yes, there are sites that list contests and free offers. This is obviously more effective in certain niches than in others, but it is free exposure to your contest. (Search google for “submit contest” & “submit sweepstake”.) Of course, if you really want good mileage for your contest, you can also post on message boards in your niche with the signature pointing to your contest. If your wheels are turning… you’re probably also thinking of the possibilities of offering your product or service as a prize to a popular blog in your niche and asking them to run the contest. ;) Good thinking. It works both ways! 2. Online Radio & Podcast Interviews Imagine being a talk show host for a weekly podcast. What’s the one thing you need every single week? Guests. Lots and lots of expert guests. You think finding content for your website is hard? Trying pinning down guests each week for interviews.
- 5. I recently interviewed Kelly to ask the question “What makes a good guest and what makes you want to invite someone back?” Here are some pointers to increase your odds of getting on a show and being asked back: 1. Actually listen to the show a few times before even thinking of contacting the host as a potential guest. Make sure your concept fits into the market that the show reaches. If the show is about Health, then don’t pitch your candy-making cookbook on there. 2. Do something newsworthy or interesting. Are you having a special event for charity? Have you recently won an award? If your idea is timely, you’ll stand out and the host may contact you sooner rather than later. 3. Have something interesting to say. If you just plan to talk about your products, then don’t ask to be a guest. Buy an ad instead. 4. If you have sample interviews or media exposure, tell the host about it in your inquiry letter. Direct her to your media page where you link to past interviews, if you have them. One Good Turn Deserves Another With the Host or Hostess giving so much to you, what are you expected to do in return? Provide a list of questions in advance. Send a sample of your product to the host before you appear on the show. Tell your newsletter list about the interview and where to find it. Your host will be more likely to have you back if you are willing to publicize your interviews. Blog about your interview.
- 6. Be a gracious guest and be sure to say “Thank you” when the interview is over. (A gift is also nice.) Hot Tip! You may also ask the host for a copy of the interview that you can add to your affiliate center. 3. Become a Featured Expert Columnist. We all know about article marketing. Yes, it’s an effective way of generating traffic to your website over time. However, a much more direct way of getting your website in front of your target market is by doing something a bit more targeted than traditional article marketing. Basically, we’re taking out the middle-man and going directly to the sites we want to have our articles published on. But, with a twist. Now, I’m not knocking EzineArticles.com or Isnare.com. They are both fantastic. However, they are also BEASTS of websites. How do you get noticed in such a crowd? Yes, you can write excellent articles. Yes, you can work on writing the best headlines possible. Yes, you can play with long-tail keywords. But, there is an easier way. In addition to writing and submitting articles to the big sites, hook up with a website that is in your niche and become a columnist for that site. I’ve got to tell you that I have several columnists for my niche websites and it’s actually quite difficult to find people that are willing to do this.
- 7. It’s insane that I have to look so far and wide to find writers who are willing to stick with a schedule and give me articles on time. What do they get out of it? Exposure to their target market forever. (As my site grows, their exposure grows.) Guaranteed publishing on a targeted website for each article. (Assuming it’s a good article, of course.) Exposure on a high traffic website that has some great Search Engine rankings. Exposure in my ezine and possibly autoresponder as new articles are added. Exposure on my blog. What do I get? Fresh, unique, quality content. (This is much better to me than using PLR articles or hiring a ghostwriter, because I’m finding experts who know the topics inside and out.) Of course, the writers may also write and submit other articles to the big directories, but they know that the ones they submit to me are for my sites only. So, if you’re looking to get some serious exposure in front of the exact people who buy your products or services, then I’d say to start searching google for people who are reaching those people already. Once you find a great content site, offer to provide them with regular articles. If they say “no” then keep looking.
- 8. Things to discuss in advance before agreeing to be a Columnist: 1. Where your articles will be published. 2. If you can have a graphic by your articles. (Many newspaper columnists have their photo by their byline.) 3. How often you’ll be writing (weekly, monthly, etc). 4. Length of articles. 5. Your deadlines. 6. How many links you can include in the bio. (Your advertising.) 7. Advertising that will be on the page (other than yours). 8. Copyright. You retain copyright to your own article, even as it’s published on the other site, just as you would with an article directory. 9. If you may use the content in ebooks or reports, but not published as an article on other sites. 10. If you’ll have exposure on other areas of the site, in the ezine, or linked from a related blog as an expert. 11. And you’ll want to make sure that your articles are NOT coded with a “nofollow” tag. (Many website owners use “nofollow” tags. You do not want this on your links.) Remember, when negotiating with the website owner be easy to work with. When coming to an agreement, remember that most article directories (like ezinearticles.com) do have advertising in and around your articles, too. So, work with the publisher and be flexible. I’m sure you can come up with a win-win for both of you. Hot Tip! You may be able to also turn the articles into a pdf report that you can then offer as a tool for your affiliates in your affiliate center.
- 9. 4. Find membership sites and ebooks that are HOT and offer them content. Ride the coat tails of others. Let’s say you are an expert in Raw Food Nutrition. One thing you can easily do is contact every weight loss or fitness membership site you can find and offer to give them either an interview or a report. Each of these membership sites is looking for ongoing value for their members. If you come through with a great interview or a quality report, you can bet they’ll add it to their members’ area, especially if it’s unique to their site. Find one membership site each week and offer them great content. You’ll get your marketing message in front of a lot of very targeted eyeballs who are interested in your topic. Many membership sites archive their content. Be sure to check before you agree to do an exclusive interview to make sure that it’ll be getting exposure for a long, long time. You can make this offer even more appealing by allowing the membership site owners to use their affiliate link for your program in the report or alongside the interview. How do you find these hot membership sites? Easy. Search google.com for the following terms: • “keyword club” (example “dog owners club”) • “keyword month” (example “diabetic month”) • “keyword join” (example “divorce join”) Of course, don’t fret if you find ebooks instead of membership sites. That works, too. Find hot ebooks in your niche that are just a little different than yours, but in the same field, and offer them a bonus for their customers.
- 10. I recommend you search directly in the clickbank.com marketplace for those. Once you set this up, each and every customer who buys the ebook of a competitor will receive a copy of your audio or report. If you set this up properly, you’ll turn your traffic on autopilot. More Google research ideas: “keyword report” (example “fitness report”) “keyword ebook” (example “recipe ebook”) “keyword affiliate” (example “dog affiliate”) 5. Jump into Social Networking. Social Networking comes in many shapes and forms, but the good thing is that it’s easy to dabble in and I’ve, personally, seen great results with little effort. It’s free to try, so there are no excuses. Here’s how it works. You sign up for one or more of the programs below (all are free). StumbleUpon.com Digg.com Reddit.com (You can search google to find hundreds more. This is just for starters.) Next, update your profile on each site you’ve joined, including your URL and photo. Then, the next time you post something of interest on your blog (or see something on a friend’s blog), you just submit it to the sites above.
- 11. Many of these Social Networking sites expect you to be an active participant. You’re expected to rate and comment on other people’s contributions. Just jump in and play with it and watch your stats to see what is and is not working. You’ll see the traffic start to trickle in if you play by the rules and share quality information. (Don’t be afraid to have an opinion and stand out!) Along the same lines (but slightly different) is a Social Networking tool called Twitter.com Basically, Twitter is like a group Instant Messenger Chat. You can add as many friends as you’d like (which is called “following” people). Then, you just chat about what you’re up to. For instance, when I’m done with this report, I’ll turn it into a pdf and load it on my site for my readers to enjoy. Then, I’ll Twitter the link to let my followers know what I’ve been up to today. Whenever I post on my blog, I quickly Twitter it. Not even a minute later, I get a nice little spike in traffic (and some comments) on my blog, on Twitter or on the Social Networking Sites above. That way, instead of getting one visitor to your website, you’re getting a person who can send you additional traffic. You’re tapping into their lists, their connections, and their traffic instead. Pretty smart, isn’t it? Hot Tip! Of course, you can make this even more viral by talking about your affiliate program 6. Create something buzz-worthy. This is a very fun way to get some buzz about your website. Create something fun and buzz-worthy.
- 12. 1. Example of Using Graphics Creatively: www.MarketingComics.com – 15 hilarious comics about Internet Marketing – some may hit a little close to home! ;) 2. Example of Using Video Creatively: www.DinnerTimeVideo.com – a video to promote a family menu planning service. If you’re not a very creative person, then you can certainly hire someone on elance.com to create an item for you. I’ve worked with illustrators on elance.com and I’ve had good luck so far. Just communicate your requirements clearly so there are no misunderstandings. In fact, after I write out my project requirements, I run the wording by two of my assistants and ask them to tell me what it says in their own words before posting it just to make sure it’s clear. Once your project is completed, then spread the word. Blog about it. Tell your lists. If you’ve created a video, submit it to YouTube.com and Video.Google.com and all of the other video sites. Also submit it to Digg.com, Reddit.com, StumbleUpon.com and all of the other hot social networking sites for exposure. Of course, if you have an affiliate program, set it up so your affiliates can link to your creation, as well! 7. Your Own Affiliate Program!
- 13. I promised that I’d save the best for last, and I sure did. I even hinted (not so subtly) throughout this report about my favorite method of traffic generation. Let me lay it on the line here. I told you at the beginning of this report that I quickly came up with 26 methods of generating traffic off the top of my head. I’m sure, if I sat and thought a bit longer I could easily make that 100 or more. Just a few ideas from my list… Squidoo Stumble Upon Digg/Reddit/etc. Article Marketing Ezine Advertising Google Adwords Craigslist Offering Resale Rights Webinars Teleseminars Offline Marketing Twitter Forums Joint Ventures Press Releases Creating Viral Software & Tools PayPerPost Utterz Viral Free Reports Starting your Own Podcast Search Engine Optimization Blogging Are you an expert in each of those things? No? Me, neither. I know quite a bit about each (more about some than others), but I wouldn’t consider myself an expert in every single one of those in any way, shape or form.
- 14. Do I have time to learn about and do each of those things on a regular basis? Not a chance. It would be insane to even try to do each of these things each day – or even every week. This is where an affiliate program comes in handy. My affiliates are experts in these areas. Where there is only one ME with only 24 hours each day, my affiliates are many. My affiliates have created Squidoo lenses to promote my products. They’ve StumbledUpon pages with links to me. They’ve posted about my free reports on Craigslist. They’ve set up Adwords campaigns. They’re blogging about my products. They’re posting on forums with signature links promoting my products. They are making graphics for my free reports, before I can even do it! Heck, I can’t keep up with everything they’re doing, but I know it’s a lot more than I could be doing alone. You can train your affiliates to do more in a day than you can do alone in a month’s time. You’ll get more done, and you’ll stay a lot saner in the process. With a little effort and guidance, any group of affiliates can be turned loose onto the world with the tools to succeed. Wishing you much success Mike