This is something that most people who have websites will have to do as a default. These online communities are where people meet and share information or just chat, all without moving from their chairs. Whether you know it or not, just creating an ID in a community like Facebook or Twitter will ensure that you get some activity to your page. Even if there is nothing there to attract people, there may be people who just find your name appealing and visit your page.
Making sure that you devote time to having a good profile in these communities, and update them as to what is new is a good way of telling people about what you are doing. If you are in real earnest, you can be connected to hundreds or thousands of people whom you hardly know, and if you can coax a portion of them to visit your site, you are once again driving that little more traffic your way.
Get to know the community
Before you start planning on using any community as a marketing tool, first know what they are. These places are just a virtual place where you can network with your friends, but the social etiquette remains. This means that just as you cannot go to your club and then start selling stuff there to your fellow club members; you cannot do that online either. Many people would be shocked to even consider doing something like this at their club, but will not think twice about approaching their network online.
Yet, unlike a club, a networking site online gives you a number of facilities, the least of which is that you can inform your network about anything new in your life. Just as people would not take it badly if you sent out bulk messages that you have gotten married or have a child, you can inform people that you are starting a new venture. If worded properly you will receive replies wishing you the best in your new venture.
Don’t market
This is the last thing that you must do. Many people make this mistake and pay for it by not only not getting any increase in traffic, but by making sure that they have effectively alienated their network because they have just shown themselves to be someone who uses their personal network for business. Your Facebook or Twitter ID is where you post what is happening with you, not a place where you sell products or services; you do that on your website. For example, if you have a website that deals with cooking, and offers recipes, make sure that this is part of your ID. At a later date if you want to bring out a short book of recipes for a price that you hope to sell online as an eBook, just telling your network about it will give you a lot of dividends. Don’t approach them telling them that you hope that they will support your new venture by buying what you are selling, that is the worst thing that you can do.
Instead, treat them as you would your friends. Just keep them informed about what’s happening with your life, and that this is a big thing with you. If you don’t push your product, you will be prompting people to at least visit your site to take a look at what you have to offer. As to whether they buy your book or not depends a lot on other factors the least of them being that the book should have some real stuff that they cannot find for free elsewhere.
But even if your book does not sell, you have done something else, and that is to drive traffic to your site and the bottom line is that even if one income stream, you hoping to make money out of the book, does not click, you will probably make some out of your advertisers because of the increased traffic.
The Newbie Guide to Traffic Generation
- Chapter 1 Increase Traffic to Your Website
- Chapter 2 Web Content
- Chapter 3 Don’t Send Newsletters
- Chapter 4 Become a Community Member
- Chapter 5 Get Experts to Write Articles
- Chapter 6 Use Tracking Software
- Chapter 7 Use of Keyword Tools
- Chapter 8 Copy Others
- Chapter 9 Focus on the Popular Portions of Your Site
- Chapter 10 Give Freebies
- Chapter 11 Advertise!
- Chapter 12 Build a Brand
- Chapter 13 The Right Software is Essential
- Chapter 14 Optimize Content
- Chapter 15 Meta-tags
- Chapter 16 Blog
- Chapter 17 Hold-off on Comments
- Chapter 18 Have a Sitemap
- Chapter 19 High Traffic Days!
- Chapter 20 Use Online Communities
- Chapter 21 Be Patient
- Chapter 22 Be Nice
- Chapter 23 Conclusion
