I’m not going to tell you a website is make or break for your business. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t.
But regardless of how MUCH importance a website has, the simple fact remains that it IS important. It is 2013 and a good sized chunk of your audience is online, researching companies just like yours before making a buying decision.
So if you don’t pop up for the searches that people perform, guess who is missing out? It’s not your competitors.
But getting traffic isn’t exactly a cakewalk. It’s either prohibitively expensive (e.g. Google AdWords) or it’s endlessly time consuming (e.g. social anything). So how do you increase your traffic quickly without paying through the nose or spending all day brainstorming new hashtags?
You use some of the following five minute traffic boosting tips.
1. Make a Short Webcam Video
There’s a good chance your computer has a webcam. If it’s less than two years old, it’s probably a pretty decent one. So plop down in a chair with a nice shirt and a big smile and record a short video.
Talk about your industry. Talk about your business. Talk about your customers.
Whatever you do, be relevant and interesting – the video might not result in huge volumes of instant traffic for your site, but it will start tapping into the funnel that is YouTube, one of the most powerful traffic sources on the planet.
2. Add a Blog Post or Two
This might take more than five minutes, but it IS easy and it won’t cost you a thing. Set aside a few minutes once a week and write 400-600 words about something you KNOW your customers care about.
Make it seasonal. Make it topical. Make it funny and interesting. Hit all the right notes and put it out there.
More importantly, do this as regularly as possible – you WILL start to generate more traffic when you add new content to a blog weekly.
3. Create a Viral Image
Ever see those goofy pictures with blocky white text on Facebook?
They’re funny, often timely, and they get shared like an oversized bag of Skittles. Create one that resonates with your business, or find one that fits your website particularly well and share it.
This is not a sure thing. For every picture that goes viral, a couple hundred sit on a Facebook Page collecting dust, but if you do it consistently, you increase the chances you make it big with one of your images.
4. Get Interviewed
Again, this can take a bit more time, but soliciting interviews doesn’t have to. Set aside five minutes every day to jot off an email or call another website owner.
Ask them if they need expert insight from someone in your position. Offer your expertise for an interview or a guest blog post.
If someone is running a podcast or web series, they NEED people to interview – be that person and you can tap into their traffic.
5. Send An Email to Your Readers
If you don’t yet, create an email list. Entice people to join by offering them something awesome and free. A report. A web series. A coupon. Whatever will get them on the list.
Now send those people an email when you need to spike your traffic.
Whether it’s a sale for your ecommerce store or a new section of your service site you’d like feedback on, each email you send is instant traffic.
6. Use Fiverr Liberally
Spent five minutes on Fiverr and you’ll find dozens of gigs that can drive instant traffic to your site. From funny videos to Facebook and Twitter promotions, there are some fantastic and very creative gigs being run here.
Check feedback before buying and don’t get too carried away (those $5 fees can add up), but use the site wisely and it can be your best friend when driving new traffic to your site.
7. Run a Contest
People LOVE free stuff.
Contests are one of my favorite strategies for boosting numbers on a Facebook or Twitter page for our clients.
They also happen to work wonders to drive traffic to your website, and turn your current followers into eager potential customers who will watch everything you put out.
Just make the contest prize something good and always be sure to read the rules for whatever platform you use to promote the contest.
Traffic isn’t free and it isn’t always easy, but it doesn’t need to eat up your entire day. Sure, web marketing is an increasingly important part of your business, but it’s not the only part, so use the tips above to leverage as many results as possible from the time and money you have and start growing your web presence.
The results will more than pay for themselves.
