Free Laser Guided, Targeted Traffic

As a network marketer myself I’m familiar with the trial and error process leading to success. In an attempt to help as many as possible I’ve compiled the ten best free ways that have worked for me to drive steady amounts of traffic to my business site. It’s not an exact science because all markets differ but I’ve noticed that these methods seem to be similar across the board as they can be modified to taste.

It should be no secret that video is proving to be the most effective form of advertisement today. Whether its video on the TV, computer, billboards or even cell phones and mp3 players there’s just something about video that captivates us as humans more than all the other forms of content out there. Perhaps it’s preferred because it appeals to more human senses than any other form of advertisement. In videos our eyes can see life, our ears can hear emotion and all of this interaction gets fed directly to the brain. There’s got to be a reason people are shelling out thousands of dollars for HDTV and surround sound setups and millions of dollars for Super Bowl commercials. Maybe it’s also because humans would rather watch a video that GIVES information as opposed to reading an entry in order to GET information. Whatever the reason is, video is a trend that should be capitalized on because there’s even the chance that a video can go “viral.” This isn’t a bad thing, this is when one person sees a video and then tells someone, who tells someone and so on until you have 1 single video that’s been seen millions of times around the world. We have yet to see a precise formula that would produce a viral video but if you’re lucky enough to ever publish one it could be the pinnacle of your career.

In addition, blogging is also a great way to increase traffic to your site for a number of reasons. First, blogs should be updated often. This works to your advantage because it allows you to keep things fresh which means you can stay up to date for recruiting purposes and still be able to provide for your preexisting traffic. Also, continuously updated, or active, content aids in your SEO efforts which will lead to even more traffic in the long run. The purpose of a blog should not be to sell. A blog should be an extension of yourself as a means to communicate to others with similar interests and provide as many tools as possible. You want people to come to your blog repeatedly for the up to date information that you provide. You don’t want just one hit from each visitor because you turned your blog into a pitch page.

Next, web 2.0 sites have really been earning a reputation for themselves lately. 2.0 sites are basically sites that allow you to share and network within your niche. Similar to myspace and youtube, 2.0 sites allow you to interact with other content and groups of people that are relative to your purpose. They also allow you advertise in many other forms including video. Examples of these sites would be squidoo.com and linkedin.com just to name a couple.

Since the written word, articles have always been a great way to get the message out too. With articles you have people typing specific key words in an attempt to find specific content that they would like to read. For example the key words that you used today brought you to the article you’re reading now and we can tell that this was the desired result because you’ve chosen to read all the way to this point. Once an article is published, it can be submitted to many sites but it doesn’t stop there. Just like a video, an article can become viral as well and can even be featured on other sites, not just talked about. You want to make your articles sincere, as unbiased as possible and your goal should be to help and provide for others with your work.

Ads are of a course another great way to drive targeted traffic to your site. An advertisement can be paid for or free and still result just as favorably. Your ads must be catchy, consistent and to the point fast. An ad is not really supposed to explain a product. It’s just supposed to spark the interest in order to drive traffic to a desired site where you can then explain your product. You’ll want to do lots of trial and error with ads because different themes will work for different markets. You can try humorous, colorful or even subliminal messages but whatever you do, be sure to keep it ethical and relative. You don’t want to advertise “Free Laptops” just to drive traffic to a timeshare website.

The next method of driving traffic would be setting up links. This is not an overnight thing but it will increase your chances of success exponentially. Think of the internet as a funnel. In a funnel, everything gets directed from a large area down a narrow path to a desired destination. We can apply this same concept to the internet. If all you have is a webpage, that’s a great start but this means that the only way people can get to your site is if they actually go to their computer and type in your specific url. The chances of that happening are far less than if you have multiple links or gateways leading to your site from other places. The great thing about setting up links is that they’re free, you can have an unlimited amount which helps with SEO and they can also be applied to all of the above methods. Setting up links should be an ongoing pursuit with an endless goal.

Offering free tools is also an excellent way to drive traffic to your site. By offering free tools you allow people to sample your work without commitment and also you leave an impression as a genuine helper. It’s a very sincere way to get your name out there and develop a trustworthy reputation. Examples of tools would be a list of free advertising websites, software, or an e-book. As mentioned earlier, the goal is to get repeat visitors so be sure to offer helpful tools and be sure to keep fresh offers out as well. Your tools can also become viral especially with the right marketing and a few testimonials so make sure that you brand all of your tools. Also keep in mind that when you’re offering a free tool, sometimes asking for an email address is just the same as asking for payment. If an email is necessary than by all means ask but if it’s a free download just brand it and let it go. They’ll be back for more.

Banner exchanging is another very powerful way to increase the amount of visitors your site gets. This only works well if you’re exchanging banners with people in your niche market. This is a favor-for-a-favor way to create additional links to your site because you’ll be putting links on your page to someone else’s site in exchange for somebody doing the same for you. This should only be done when someone else in your industry is providing something that you don’t and you should always check out the other party’s reputation first before you dive into a relationship with them. If your website only sells camping equipment, you may want to consider creating a partnership with someone who sells fishing equipment. By agreeing to trade banners and pointing people in the right direction, both parties will benefit each other so the relationship can grow into something a lot more lucrative and your perceived as a helper once again, all for free. Plus, the company that you’re promoting may even be willing to pay you a commission on your referrals.

The next method I present can prove to be overwhelming and its word of mouth/joint ventures. This happens casually during just about any conversation all over the world. This is a great way to generate leads and traffic because people trust their friends and people want to help their friends. Sometimes a consumer will feel so strongly about a product that they’ll go out and buy one for themselves and everyone else close to them because they want to share the greatness of that product. Word of mouth travels so fast and its validity is almost second to none because we are all real people who engage in real conversation. We’re not just paid actors who endorse products that we’ve never used before in our life. Word of mouth usually comes with experience and should not be your primary form of generating leads if you’re a beginner.

Finally, universalizing your theme is a great idea. In other words, make it have worldwide appeal instead of just local appeal. Doing this can be as easy as displaying an alternate language option, or converting specs into other units of measurement because inches and gallons only exist in certain areas of the world. Others use centimeters and liters, as well as a different currency, so don’t do yourself the disadvantage of limiting your target market. As a personal note to those of us who live in the U.S., according to Wikipedia the United States population is estimated to be 3rd largest at 304,437,000 while the population for the People’s Republic of China is estimated to be 1,324,592,000. That’s a huge difference of 1,020,155,000 possible leads in just one other region of the world! India alone is the 2nd most populated region with almost one billion more people than the United States as well and don’t forget the other continents. These are huge numbers and can work to your advantage immensely.

Hopefully this article was beneficial in at least one or more aspects of your online business venture. Internet marketing can be frustrating at times however its always good to fall back on what’s been working well in the past. Originality can be great but remember we don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Until next time,

Liam Kalish

Powerful5.com (& .ws) - Online Income Made Easy