16 ways to drive qualified Web site traffic (pt. 2 of 2)

Last article we looked at the first half of 16 ways to drive qualified traffic to your Web site. Remember, always optimize for conversions prior to heavy traffic building investments. Driving more traffic to a Web site lacking the ability to convert visitors only results in more missed opportunities.Again, each method below is marked with one to five dollar signs. Five "$" signifies a large investment, one "$" represents no cost or a nominal fee.Back to the grind...9. Free Gifts ($$$)Advertise free gifts that are relevant to your target market's needs and buying qualifications. Appropriate gifts can be information (reports, articles, consultations, etc.), giveaways, or simple services offerings.Fore example, someone interested in a free home appraisal is either in the market to refinance or sell. Needless to say, if that's your line of business, every free gift taker becomes a qualified sales lead.Mouse pads, pens, and T-shirts are great for mind share and gesture, but rarely qualify the recipient's intent to purchase your product or service. It can be done, but requires a bit of strategy to be effective.10. Email signature link with selling proposition ($)Include your company's unique selling proposition (USP) in all outbound company email. Couple the proposition with your Web site link and a reason for visiting.For example, a dental office's proposition might read:"ACME Dentistry: The safe and painless road to healthy teethVisit www.acme-dentistry.com for your free dental exam."[5 points if you identified the combo between #9 and #10]11. eZines and Newsletters ($)Create an electronic newsletter and encourage clicks to your Web site. Include content and reasons to visit relevant to your target market's needs and interest.For example, a Web design and marketing company might publish thought leadership material on traffic building, converting visitors into sales/leads, and other best practice information.[25 points if you identified the self-promotion]12. Market to your existing contacts and customers ($)Customers and contacts are more likely to respond to your offer vs. complete strangers. Concentrate on your house list and encourage recipients to take action. Obviously, that action should be a click through to a product page or a trip to your home page.To belabor an important point, give them a compelling reason. Remember the free dental exam?Segment your list by areas of interest, customer type (customer vs. prospect), and/or purchase history. Tailor your message and incentive accordingly to produce maximum click-through effectiveness.13. Specialty mailing lists and news groups ($)Promote your Web site in specialty mailing lists and news groups. Email based discussion forums and news groups are great channels for indirect promotion and driving Web site traffic.Don't over hype your products and services. Get involved with the conversation by providing tips and helpful insight as it pertains to thread. Let your email signature (see #10 above) do the selling.Yahoo and Google Groups are great starting points.14. Hold a contest ($$$)Hold a contest and announce it in areas (both online and off) your target market dwells. Encourage participants to read details and register on your Web site. The reward must be relevant to your market's needs and used as a tool to qualify purchase intent.For example, raffling off a free pet grooming or obedience session is a great way to qualify pet owners who care for pets. More specific, dog grooming qualifies dog owners.Be sure to create a sense of urgency with the contest and encourage participants to act quickly. Expiration dates and first-come-first-serve tactics work well.15. Encourage Web site bookmarks ($)Encourage Web site visitors to bookmark key pages of your Web site and make it easy to accomplish. Icons and intuitively named links work best. Visitors who do so qualify themselves for having interest in your site's content, product, or service.Use the no referrer metric found in your statistic reports to track visitors entering through bookmarks and other comparable modes.16. Ad exchanges ($)Swap ads with complimentary, non-competing businesses. Gaining popularity in the small business community, ad swapping appears to be a viable marketing channel for driving qualified traffic.Businesses continue to exchange email signature ads, Web site ads, banners, links, etc., newsletter ads, house list bound email endorsements, and other promotional material with one another.The trick is to identify the synergy strength and leverage the existing relationship.For example, a veterinarian office and an animal shelter could benefit from each other's contacts.That's all for now. Next article we'll look at the remaining 8 ways to drive qualified Web site traffic.