Social Marketing Traffic

Learning the skills to research and leverage the social media space is a very important part of setting up your traffic system. With Social media, you are able to use microblogging platforms like Twitter as well as online communities like Squidoo and Facebook to grow your outreach and target your targeted markets quickly and easily.

While you are a marketer first, friend second, you want to form a personal connection with your target audience. Here are some of the best social communities to get involved with: Twitter: Friend Feed: Facebook: Stumble Upon: Del.icio.us: MySpace.

Article Marketing Traffic

The concept of article marketing is a very simple one: You write high quality content and distribute it amongst popular article databases and directories online, generating tons of traffic from the back links in the attached resource box. It really is as simple as that.

Think about it, writing a 1,000 articles that don’t convert, versus 12 that do, which one would you choose. If you rush your articles without conducting some keyword research and coming up with articles that consist of a solid headline, fluid content and no call to action, not allowing the reader to click the links within your resource boxes, leaving the article directory itself to find out, you are literally throwing money away.

If these readers fail to follow through, your article was for nothing. You should think of your resource box as a 20 second commercial. What is the strongest message that you can use to motivate your readers to click on your link?
If you are not sure what you can offer within your resource box, here are a few things I have used successfully for over a year now:

- A Free Report
- Subscription to your newsletter
- A free eBook
- A free sample of your product
- A Free Membership
- A Free Video Guide
- A audio transcript or call

Forum Marketing: Quick Back Link Strategy

Forum marketing is probably the easiest ways to generate quality back links to your website (higher ranking in the search engines), as well as potential subscribers and customers. .Don’t burst onto the scene, spamming all the threads “me, too!” responses, because before long your find yourself banned or simply ignored. start off helpful, share tips, resources and information, approach forum marketing as you would approach social networking, by offering help and building your brand.

Viral Marketing: Spread It Like Wild Fire

You’ve most likely heard of Viral Marketing, but might not really know how to set up a Viral marketing campaign that is likely to go viral, basically being carried from person to person, eager and willing to share your website link with friends, family and online acquaintances. Creating a viral marketing campaign is nowhere near as difficult as most people believe, and can yield an impressive return on investment if you do it correctly. Here are a few simple ideas to help you set up a viral marketing campaign of your own:

#1: Offer Incentives Viral marketing always works best when a valuable product or service (including tangible items) are offered.

#2: Be Incredibly Different If you want to generate a buzz around your website.

#3: Run A Contest Or Challenge One of the easiest ways to create a viral campaign.

#4: Save People Time & Money
Consider creating a package that you can give away with resell rights.

Squidoo, HubPages, Blogs – Instant Traffic

There are three tools that I use to instantly generate traffic to my website, at absolutely no cost, and they are: Hub Pages: Squidoo Lens: Blogs: & Blogger.

Here are a few tips to help you create your first
Hub:

#1: Use ORIGINAL content only!

#2: Add modules to your HubPages for additional revenue.

#3: Add links with your keywords within your hub page content, leading to your websites, blogs and landing pages. Add at least two text capsules.

#4: Do NOT post affiliate links within your HubPages

#5: Add fans to your hub and be active within the community and its sub groups.

#6: Encourage RSS subscriptions to build a following and expand your outreach.

Press Releases: Quick Traffic Bursts

Press Releases are one of the easiest ways of getting your message in front of thousands of prospects in your target market very quickly, as well as picking up affiliates and potential JV partners. You want to make sure your press release appears to be news, rather than an advert. The back links that a press release creates is phenomenal, I have seen a huge surge of traffic literally within minutes of the press release being published, and months later, I was still receiving traffic from the circulation of that press release. What you do need to be careful of is that you model your press release so that it provokes an emotional response in your viewers. Your press release title should be no longer than 150 characters in length.

In today’s business world, online marketing isn’t just effective; it’s essential

At one time, business essentials were limited to business cards, yellow page ads and brochures. Newspapers, radio and television were used by cutting-edge businesses of yore and still reap huge rewards for big-businesses today. Mass media are generally just not cost-effective for most local businesses. In the 21st Century, it’s clear that the impact of these tools is diminished by the world wide web. We search for products and services online from our desktops, laptops and cell phones. Yet most local business owners don’t take advantage of the affordability and profits available through online marketing.

Like a business plan and a budget, an Internet marketing strategy is essential for modern-day small business success. While a website provides a good starting point, online marketing requires more than a couple of static web pages. Instead, a successful internet approach requires a dynamic and well-rounded web presence that builds relationships in addition to sales, fans in addition to customers.

A comprehensive Internet marketing strategy replaces newspaper ads with banner ads, yellow pages with search engines, snail mail with e-mail, town squares with social networks and sales letters with custom content. The technology is as evolutionary as it is revolutionary, and smart businesses are taking advantage of current environment to trounce their competition.

Tools and technology aside, there are dozens of reasons to engage actively and often in Internet marketing. Here are a few of the most persuasive:

1. When they need information, modern-day consumers go online; your successful internet marketing program will make sure they find you when they are shopping for your product or service.
2. Online marketing has tremendous research potential; if nothing else, companies should engage in online marketing research in order to collect data about their customers, prospects and competitors.
3. By marketing on the internet, companies can reach a highly targeted audience; what’s more, they can reach it quickly, intimately and more cost-effectively online than traditional marketing approaches.
4. Online marketing lends itself to instant conversions. Customers can quickly and easily find what they want and immediately click through to purchase it.
5. Compared with many traditional marketing vehicles, Internet marketing services are both more affordable and more effective.
6. Internet marketing provides marketing power to local business owners; by marketing online, your company can enjoy big-business marketing exposure on a local marketing budget.

Action Steps. Some contacts and resources to help you get started with your online marketing:

Search engine marketing strengthens your online marketing strategy.
Once you have a website, Internet marketing via search engines will help your customers find it. Consider search engine optimization, which will improve your search engine rankings, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, which markets your company via relevant, targeted search engine queries.
ACTION: Before you build a web site, use Wordtracker’s free keyword suggestion tool to choose keywords; use those keywords in your descriptions and meta-tags, PPC advertising via Google AdWords and Yahoo! Sponsored Search in order to build search engine traffic.

Select appropriate display advertising and leverage online marketing tools
Display advertising, including banner ads, is a basic form of online marketing. Because you’ll pay for impressions – banner ads are usually priced using CPM, or cost per thousand impressions – make sure you place ads only on websites that your target markets visit.
ACTION: Yahoo! Advertising provides Internet marketing services to design, purchase and place your Internet advertisements

Public relations promotes your online marketing image
Marketing on the internet includes more than advertising; it’s also about public relations. Generate publicity online and continually monitor, build and maintain your online reputation.
ACTION: Include Google Alerts in your online marketing strategy. Use them to keep tabs on mentions of your name, your company and your products online; search Technorati for mentions in blogs and social media. And, when you write press releases, distribute them via a newswire service like PRWeb, which allows you to tag your release for exposure on social bookmarking sites like Digg and Del.iciou.us.

Engage e-mail marketing to reach your online market
Promotional e-mails, including targeted messages and periodic e-mail newsletters, are effective, opt-in tools for one-to-one marketing. Send news or send coupons, but whatever you do, don’t spam.
ACTION: VerticalResponse is a popular e-mail marketing vendor that can help you develop and execute a one-on-one marketing strategy; browse its resources page for e-mail marketing research, tips and advice.

Pursue affiliate marketing to leverage online marketing relationships
A collaborative approach to Internet marketing, affiliate marketing consists of advertisements on other people’s websites. When a customer clicks on the ads and visits your website, your affiliate gets a small commission. You can also reverse the process and get profits from promoting other vendors’ products
ACTION: LinkShare and ClickBank are examples of companies that provide affiliate-focused internet marketing services, AffiliateScout.com and AffiliatePrograms.com are directories where you can search for affiliate networks based on location, industry, etc.

Make blogging an integral piece of your internet marketing strategy
Blogs offer business owners an affordable and personable way to connect online with customers. Blogging about your business, your industry and your life positions you as an expert, an advocate and most importantly, a real person.
ACTION: For a low monthly fee, you can publish your own blog via sites like TypePad and Movable Type; Blogger and WordPress, meanwhile, are free. Don’t forget to market your blog via RSS feeds; while most blogging software will create RSS feeds for you, online marketing companies like SimpleFeed can help, too.

Get involved in social networks to broaden your online reach
Social networks are the networking component to your modern-day online marketing strategy; giving your company a presence on popular social networks especially engages younger consumers and turns them into brand evangelists.
ACTION: While MySpace, Friendster and Facebook tend to be the most attractive social networks for companies who are marketing on the Internet, other sites, such as Second Life and Twitter, are becoming major players. Still other sites, like LinkedIn, are proving themselves important stomping grounds for B2B marketers.

Photos and video provide impact to your online marketing
Use pictures of your business, staff and customers everywhere you can. Images touch us emotionally and convey messages quickly. Remember that surfers have short attention-spans.
ACTION: Start taking pictures of your business’ world right now, poast them to your website and social sites, like your Facebook page.

Release viral marketing to spread your online marketing message
Whether you send a viral e-mail, produce a viral video or build a viral website, Internet marketing of the viral variety spreads far and fast, allowing you to start small and finish big.
ACTION: Consider uploading branded media to sites like YouTube, Revver or Flickr. A video or photo that goes viral can attract heaps of new business.

Generate online word of mouth with consumer-driven Internet marketing efforts
Internet marketing is about interactivity. Give your customers a platform for expressing-and sharing-their opinions online in order to build buzz and goodwill.
ACTION: Customer reviews provide credibility for companies that give consumers the power to do their Internet marketing for them; while many shopping cart solutions, such as Zoovy, now include built-in customer review functions, companies like PowerReviews specialize in them.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Online Marketing Guide
o More than advertising for your website, Internet marketing should provide you with an entire online brand. Your Internet marketing strategy should go beyond just making sales and toward building an engaging online web presence.
o Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. When you’re marketing online, reserve a portion of your budget for offline advertising, such as direct mail, which you can use to push traffic to your website.
o Keep in mind that not all online advertising can be bought; a big part of Internet marketing is building relationships and earning reputations.
o Whether off-line or online, marketing requires a clear and comprehensive understanding of your target customers. Find out who your best customers are and where you can find them online, then go after them.
o Internet marketing is about usefulness. It’s not enough to build a pretty website; you must also build one that’s engaging and easy to use. If you focus your Internet marketing strategy on creating a positive user experience, it will eventually be profitable to you.