Wouldn’t you like to have your advertising dollars spent on a single 30 second Super Bowl commercial? Think about what it could do for your business. Well, since most of us are trying to run a business on a budget, the Super Bowl campaign may need to be put on the back burner for now.
Below are some creative ways I have found to generate traffic and maybe you will.
Let us begin…
1) Yahoo Groups – Surely you have heard this before and perhaps you have wondered does it really work? I’m here to tell you yes. It will require time and commitment on your part along with creative ad copy. The key is to join groups that fit whatever it is you’re trying to market. Then use these groups to network and connect with prospects or prospects. Let your signature line be your announcement as you join the conversations. Also, join groups that offer publicity days to share your products, services and opportunities. Be sure to follow the group’s advertising guidelines; otherwise, you could be barred from further participation.
Yahoo Groups has a nice feature where you can set up a list. Create a list for the days when advertising is allowed in groups. Example: Monday announcements, Tuesday announcements, Thursday announcements, daily announcements, etc. Next, add the group’s email address to the appropriate announcement list. For example: [email protected] allows advertising on Mondays and Thursdays. I would add the group email to your Monday and Thursday announcement list. This way you can send an email which is then copied and sent to all the Yahoo groups on that list. Remember, you must first join and be a member of the group before your post will be accepted.
There are also MSN, AOL and Google groups; however, I have found the most success within Yahoo Groups.
Important note: Use a separate email account when marketing online, such as Yahoo or Gmail. Unfortunately, it won’t be long before your marketing email accounts are filled with spam.
2) Message boards – Forums can be quite good for business and are worth it. However, they will be the most time consuming. Join each board and create a signature profile. Then join in the discussions and start some of your own. Many boards have forums specifically for the promotion, so you’ll want to post to that section often. Repetition and frequency is the key. Set aside time weekly to post on message boards and join the conversations.
Also, I suggest you create a spreadsheet to list your favorite boards along with your username and password for each one. It’s an easy way to keep track of where you’ve been, plus your login details.
3) Social networks – Social networking sites are definitely all the rage right now. Some well-known social communities are MySpace.com, Squidoo.com, and LinkedIn.com. Of course there are many others that are growing in popularity and number. The key is to join an online community, set up your page, and start networking. Time is the key here again. Set aside time each week to invite others to visit your page, join your lens, form a group, etc. Social networks can and are worth it. Stick with it and make it work for you.
4) blogging – Blogging continues to be a popular way to get yourself known and noticed. You can create a free blog at http://www.Blogger.com or http://www.Wordpress.com. Your blog can be about anything that interests you. Usually,
people share a comment or news item on a particular topic. In addition, you can add images and links of interest. Another popular feature is giving readers the ability to leave comments on a related topic.
Ping your blog using http://www.Pingoat.com. Basically, Pingoat is a free service that pings (notifies) a number of services that publish and crawl weblogs. It’s a great way to get your blog crawled sooner.
Well, I hope this article has given you some direction on how to start driving traffic to your website. Of course, there are many more options and creative ways to increase the visibility and popularity of your website. As with anything, you have to start somewhere and I wish you much success with these free methods.