The question of how to build traffic is something asked more times than we all want to admit. We look at our traffic, sigh deeply, and wonder why nothing has changed since the day before.
We live in an economy where everyone is fighting for consumer attention, and there’s only so much to go around. In order to stand out from the noise we need to have the mindset of “best available” instead of “good enough”.
So what are some of the strategies we can implement if we want to increase traffic in 2016?
1. Linkable assets
“Linkable assets are simply awesome pages on your site that you can leverage for links over and over (and over) again. However, because they have to be phenomenal, they aren’t easy to make.” – Neil Patel, Quick Sprout.
I’m so tired of hearing the phrase “content is king” because it gives businesses the impression that producing mediocre content will make an impact on your traffic, it’ wont!
Brian Dean terms this strategy as the Skyscraper technique. He outlines three simple steps:
- Find link-worthy content
- Make something even better
- Reach out to the right people
Using paid tools we can identify 1) what is being shared (best content), 2) who is sharing it (influencers) and 3) where it’s being shared (links) so we can then promote our content to a proven audience.
2. Syndication
Content syndication is simply publishing content from your site to third party sites, i.e. social media.
I love video for example but I’m the first to admit that I often shy away from it. Video has the ability to be converted into multiple forms of unique content and then syndicated.
For example create a video and then:
- Distribute it video driven platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo & Facebook.
- Broadcast live on platforms such as Periscope and Meerkat during the making.
- Use the audio, as part of a podcast, and add it to Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher.
- Transcribed or modify the audio into written content such your of platforms such as Medium.
- Turn quotes from the audio into inspiration for Instagram and Pinterest
3. PR & Guest Blogging
Guest blogging isn’t new you basically create content for another website, according to guidelines, in return for a link back to your website. What you’re looking for is opportunities to create content for authoritative and relevant websites in your industry.
More recently we’ve seen websites such as SourceBottle launch which is a way of gaining free publicity amongst journalists and bloggers. Using SourceBottle I’ve built high quality relevant backlinks and brand mentions including major Australian news sites such as the Sydney Morning Herald.
4. Outreach & Promotion
It is no secret that we live in an age of information overload. A single Facebook member may be exposed to up to 1,500 pieces of content per day. The “publish and pray” approach to our content marketing efforts will no longer have an impact on our traffic.
We should be developing a content marketing strategy that puts just as much time and effort into promotion as we have to into creating it using a variety of amplification options:
- Broadcast – Social, Email Marketing & Events
- 1:1 – Outreach via email, in person or direct social contact – highly recommended
- Paid amplification – Facebook advertising, remarketing etc.
Outreach in particular can be very time consuming but the return is often very high.
5. Paid Traffic
Paid traffic can be a little like gambling if you don’t approach it with a specific goal in mind. Before you begin advertising understand what you’re trying to gain from it, do you need more leads, brand awareness or greater reach to an already existing audience?
Using remarketing advertising we can target visitors that have visited our website, for less than $10 dollars a day, with additional content allowing us to build brand awareness and trust.
In summary
In 2016 content will continue to be the backbone of traffic building strategies but we need to shift from “good enough” to “best available” and a focus on continuous promotion and amplification.
If content is king then god is the promotion of it.
With best available high value content we have leverage that we can exchange for links, promotion, social shares, brand awareness and most of all gain customer trust. As Rand Fishkin shows it’s often not the 1st click that gets a sale but the trust that’s built from continuous promotion.
Its trust, not clicks, that creates sales.
Byron Trzeciak is the owner of a conversion focused online marketing agency called PixelRush. His passion is for building high performing online businesses through SEO Services, CRO, Content Marketing and Paid Traffic.
About the author:
This article was written by Byron Trzeciak, Founder of PixelRush. PixelRush is a conversion focused online marketing agency based in Melbourne.
