Organic traffic from search is still the best source of traffic, but there are many ways a blogger can diversify traffic sources. As more and more platforms become available to different types of users, you have to be in tune with where your target audiences are hanging out online.
Today, you will learn how digital business can effectively diversify traffic sources. This is critical, as we all know that online traffic is the source of any blog’s income.
The ways to diversify traffic sources are:
- Social Media
- Community forums
- Paid Ads
- Influencer Marketing
- Guest Posting
Each has its own advantages and challenges. If you want to improve your traffic, you need to do all of them. To help you understand how each one works, let us dive in and get started.
Social Media
There are several social media platforms that you can take advantage of. All it takes is to post regularly. For bloggers, the two primary social media platforms are Pinterest and facebook.
Overall, the top social media platforms you should be using are:
- YouTube
The effectiveness of each platform depends on your niche. Videos are the best because you can showcase whatever it is that you do. You can convert your blog posts into tutorials, and then post the tutorial videos on YouTube.
With the other platforms, you can capitalize by sharing quotes and images that highlight your blog’s content.
You do not have to use all of them at the same time. The best approach is to choose two for now and then expand your posting activities to other social media platforms.
If you use social media platforms to drive traffic, make sure they are properly branded and that you have call-to-action statements that will lead your leads to your website. If the social media platform allows you to leave links, do it so the leads can click on them.
Make sure you shorten your links to ensure that they do not occupy too much space, especially on Twitter where there is a character limit for every post.
Community Forums
A great example of a community forum is Reddit. This is where people ask questions and get answers. Another example is Quora.
Community forums are places where people who have various interests hang out. People post questions, and other people answer them.
As a blogger, your duty is to provide value, enlightenment, and clarity to the forum users. These people are looking for help, and you are the person who will help because you are an expert.
Answer the questions truthfully, and never spam people with links to your website. Once you establish your authority on these platforms, readers will take the time to view your profile, and then they will click on your profile link, which should lead them to your blog.
One thing that makes people fail at this all the time is that they want traffic right away. As a result of this desire, they drop so many spammy links with their answers. Readers on forum sites hate spam.
If you do this, readers will report you, and the admins will delete or collapse your answer. Keep violating their policies, and they will ban you.
The trick to succeeding in forums is to help, not to market. People can see through marketers, and they are not going to respond kindly to you.
Paid Ads
Paid advertisements, if done right, will yield great traffic results. It is best to use paid ads if you are now in the phase of selling your info products in your blog.
Advertising takes a lot of trial and error. You need to consistently experiment to see what works and how your products resonate with consumers. For one, you may not be advertising at the most optimal strategy, and so your ads may not yield great results.
You can do paid advertising on various platforms. If you are advertising for blog traffic, use Google. For products and services, the best advertising platforms are social media.
Keep your advertising costs to a minimum. You should only advertise to diversify your traffic sources if you want to improve your lead and conversion rates. Do not advertise if you just want traffic, or so that people can read your blog post.
Advertising is effective in driving traffic, but never do this unless you have a clear strategy. Build your funnels and make sure you have a back-up in case a customer does not buy. For example, create a lead magnet so you can at least get the customer’s email address.
Influencer Marketing
Influencers are trusted people in their respective communities. You need them to make your brand credible, as they have an established audience who will respond to their call-outs.
Influencer marketing is a little tricky. You have to choose the right influencer who will market your blog or services. Now, looking for an influencer in your niche is difficult on its own, let alone finding out who is worth your time and money.
To get around these problems, you have to use the services of influencer marketplaces. An example of this is TapInfluence. On this website, you have to register as a marketer. Once the registration is complete, you will have access to thousands of influencers.
The tool has a filter option which allows you to see influencers only in your industry. These influencers have ratings, and you will see their primary social media platforms. As you see each influencer’s name, the tool will also display the influencer’s follower count, engagement rate, and what the influencer charges for endorsing you.
Naturally, influencers who have millions of followers will charge more money. The trick here is not to look for follower count but engagement rate. It is not unusual for someone to buy followers, which means that these followers are disengaged.
Guest Posting
The last and probably the most tedious is guest posting. In this method, you have to reach out to people and ask them if you can post a blog on their website with anchor texts linking back to you.
A lot of bloggers may not respond back to you, but do not get discouraged. The default, reaction of people is that they do not want to send their traffic to another site, most especially so to a competitor.
Whenever you reach out to bloggers for guest posting, make sure you have something to offer such as:
- Money
- A link back
- A guest post swap
There are websites where you can pay to guest post, and it does make sense provided that the blogger maintains your post in his blog in perpetuity. At best, work only with bloggers who will swap links with you or bloggers who want to post on your website as a guest post, too.
Summary
Traffic is the bloodline of our business. You cannot expect your website to be profitable without it. Do not rely on only one traffic source. Diversify traffic sources and see how your traffic grows over time.
The key here is patience. Whenever you start using a new traffic source, you have to wait a few months before it becomes effective.
Be consistent in your publishing activities. More importantly, never forget to add value to your audiences. Traffic only happens if you provide something that people need.
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