How to Grow Your Website Traffic

Let’s imagine that the “online experience” is a super-crowded mega-shopping mall, and Your Website just happens to be one of the many stores in this bustling mall. As a business owner, you want to attract people to your store. After all, once they’re in there, you can get to know them, talk to them about what you offer, and if you’re lucky, begin building a relationship that fosters repeat business for eons to come.

One of the mistakes artists (and small business owners, for that matter) often make is to think they can grow their online audience on social media sites alone. This is akin to following people around in a shopping mall with a briefcase full of imitation Rolexes. People will often feel bothered or intruded upon when you continually try to engage them in such a crowded and distracting space. Or, they will be simply too distracted by other things to even notice you. That’s why it’s so important to connect with people on your own terms, on your own site. When you are lucky enough to have a potential customer’s attention, simply invite them to come in and explore your shop. If you provide things they value, they will undoubtedly be grateful and possibly even buy something.

So you get it, right? The trick is to get people into your store. You want to entice people to leave their crowded social media websites and visit Your Website, where there are less distractions and fewer possibilities.

How do you do this? You create a value proposition. You tell people they will be rewarded by entering your store.

For Example:

“Come in and see our free presentation on the no-pinch watchband ”
“Enter to win our daily drawing”
“Are smart watches the future? Discover inside”
“Preview a video about time travel”

If you’re lucky, one the above messages will resonate with a few folks and they’ll stop in to investigate. That’s the goal. You can do the exact same thing with your website and social media. Instead of posting a funny photo, a cool video, or an engaging article directly on Facebook (or any social media site) post your content directly on your website and then tell people about it on your favorite social networks.

Now before you start reeling in the visitors, make sure your website provides a positive experience. Make sure your website is uncluttered and full of interesting content. It’s also important you offer clear direction so your visitors can take action.

It’s all about the “give and give.”

When a person feels that you have given them something, they are far more likely to give you something. This could mean they are more likely to buy something, or simply recommend your website to friends.

You’ll want to establish a call to action on every page of your website so it’s easy for your visitors to give back to you.

A call to action could be:

Sign up to my email list
Listen to this song
Leave a comment
Fill out this survey
Buy my product

So next time you write a blog post, share a funny picture or video, or give something away on Facebook or Twitter, ask yourself: “Can I post this content on my website and then drive traffic from social media?” The answer is probably yes!

Remember, your website is where you have complete control. Facebook or Twitter may change, or fall out of style, and that’s OK, because they are only tools to drive traffic to where it matters most: your storefront, your home on the web -your WEBSITE.’

What are your thoughts on using social media to drive traffic to your website? Have you had positive or negative experiences?