Driving traffic to your website is important, but you need a way to measure that traffic. After all, if you’re using several methods to drive traffic, how will you know which one is working if you’re not tracking? How will you know which methods aren’t working without stats to go by?
The good news is that tracking your website traffic is now easier than ever before. You can use a tool like Google Analytics (free) or Clicky (free trial) to see your stats. You’ll want to pay attention to four key metrics…
Look at your most popular content. This gives insight into what content your visitors are consuming and what pages they enjoy the most. It can spark new content ideas and show you which pages on your site could use some sprucing up.
Note your traffic sources. Use this metric to determine where you’re getting the most traffic from.
Are your Facebook Live videos sending a lot of traffic? Are your Instagram posts delivering new visitors to your site daily? Once you know which social media networks give you the most traffic, you can focus most of your marketing energy on them.
You should also look at what other sites are sending you traffic. Are you still getting traffic from that podcast interview you did ages ago? Is your blog post on a friend’s website still sending you plenty of fresh traffic?
Check the tech. Most analytics software can show you what device and which browser visitors used to access your site.
Pay attention to this data. You might be surprised to learn a lot of your traffic is coming from mobile gadgets like tablets and smartphones. With this knowledge in mind, it might be time to make sure your landing pages and blog posts load quickly across various devices.
Peek at search terms. Some analytics software will also show you what keywords users typed into a search engine to find your site. This data helps you see what your visitors are hoping to find when they arrive.
If you see a certain search term repeated frequently, you may even want to consider building some content around it.
For example, if you run a website for new moms and discover that most people are using the keyword ‘how much formula’ then you can create a blog post about how much formula to give a baby as they grow. This is a simple way of giving value back to your users and capitalizing on the traffic you already have.
Traffic is the lifeblood of your website. It’s what allows you to build an amazing online business. But don’t be fooled into thinking that you can only get paid traffic. The truth is there are plenty of legitimate ways to send traffic back to your website for free.
Today is a little different, we’re going to cover another way you can build your list, it’s different only because it’s not online.
We know you’re doing all the behind the scenes marketing work, like blog posts, email marketing, creating your own marketing graphics, recording videos, and connecting on social media. That’s great, we know there are lots of wonderful opportunities doing these things but would you believe that you can also build your list and market your business attending live events and conferences?
Attending live events is a major marketing opportunity that many business owners shy away from for a variety of reasons. But remember that in your overall business plan, you shouldn’t be planning ONLY for the quick sale. Ultimately, you want people to remember you and you should develop relationships with others both online and in real life so they will refer you to their circle of friends. Forming that relationship is also how people will get to know, like, and trust you, which will lead to sales and other referrals.
Yes, you can develop relationships online via social media and videos but why pass up the opportunity to meet people in real life? You never know who you will meet; your next big client may be somebody who lives in your home town. Or maybe you’ll meet your favorite icon at a conference and become inspired to achieve more. Or maybe you’ll meet someone who offers services you can use in your own business. You can never predict who you’ll meet at different events.
Working an online business can also become very lonely, so attending live events is simply a way to get out of the house! Start off easy by attending a business networking meeting or a simple Meet Up in your area. If you enjoyed the experience, you can certainly expand your horizons with a BNI membership or joining a local networking club. Once you start researching, you’ll discover a whole variety of opportunities, from those local events that meet weekly or monthly, to conferences that last for multiple days.
Live events also offer the opportunity to learn new things through classes or workshops held during the event. For example, the Beachpreneurs event is held annually in Florida for 3 days where the women attendees listen to the guest speakers but also break into workshop groups to work through what they’ve learned from the speakers. This also allows the attendees to share their business stories and experiences, which is also perfect for learning how to handle certain tasks or situations that may arise in business.
Another example is the WPPI photography conference held annually. Those four days are crammed with classes in which experts teach different photography techniques. Not only can attendees ask specific questions but they get hands-on practice in class and then can develop the technique to use in their business. Even though you can watch a video tutorial on how to perform these same photography skills, there’s just something magical about being in the same room as the teacher. Live conferences make the instructors more approachable than when you’re watching their video online. At live events, they welcome questions and enjoy engaging in conversations with attendees. You never know what valuable snippet of information you’ll learn from an instructor just by having a private conversation with them.
Which Events Are Right For You
When choosing events that will benefit you and your business, first think about your personality. Are you an extrovert who thrives on big gatherings or an introvert who prefers conversations in smaller groups? While there’s something to be said about stepping out of your comfort zone, how beneficial is it for the introvert to walk into a huge event, alone, on the opposite side of the country? Likewise, will an extrovert get bored at a local event with 100 people or less?
Another crucial task when determining which events are right for you is to set up a budget. How much expendable income do you have for plane fares, event tickets, hotels, food, taxis, entertainment, and babysitters for the kids or pets? Obviously, traveling will be more expensive than going to a local event but you’ll need to weigh the benefits of traveling vs staying local and determine which event will give you more ROI.
Now, let’s explore the pros and cons of each type of event:
Big vs Small
Social Media Marketing World boasts an attendance of 5,000 social media managers, bloggers, podcasters, and industry leaders and is held in San Diego, CA in February. That huge number of attendees means you’ll have plenty of people to network and socialize with but you’ll only meet a small fraction of those attending. Big conferences like these also boast the more well-known guest speakers, names you’ve likely heard before and probably follow online. But…because the speakers are more well-known, and it’s high priority travel season for San Diego, the event ticket prices will also be more expensive.
On the other hand, a smaller event, such as Exposure and Profit, will have a smaller venue, smaller attendance, and the speakers might not be as well-known. However, you still have the opportunity to mingle and network with other attendees and you’ll have a better chance of meeting everyone in attendance. You’ll also have a better chance of meeting the speakers because of having fewer attendees. The event ticket will also be less expensive so it will likely fit into your budget.
Niche vs Broad
A niche conference is one that focuses on one particular group of people or one particular type of business. It’s very specific and will have very specific goals for that niche. One such event is Beachpreneurs. This event caters to female business owners and aims to create a sisterhood or camaraderie among its attendees. A benefit to a niche event is you’ll be among other like-minded people who belong to this niche. While your experiences won’t be identical, though networking and mastermind workshops, you can learn new skills or strategies from the speakers and attendees. At Beachpreneurs the speakers also participate in the mastermind workshops, making themselves very approachable to the other attendees.
The Traffic and Conversion Summit is considered a broad event because under the broad title of “traffic and conversion” there are many different ways to attract traffic to your site and to convert those visitors into buyers. You could probably hold a niche event for each of the topics they will cover at their next summit! A benefit to attending a broad event is you’ll get more of an overview of the subject matter with speakers adding in their more detailed viewpoints but a common downfall to this format is it can be extremely overwhelming to have SO much information thrown at you at once. Knowing how to determine what information you need and how to implement it properly is key to making broad events beneficial to your business.
Local vs Out of Town
For obvious reasons, sticking with local events will be easier on your budget because you won’t have to pay for hotel, cabs, or airplane tickets. All you’ll need to spend money on is your event ticket, food (if not included in the event ticket), parking, and gas money. If you’re in the San Diego area, Traffic and Conversion as well as Social Media Marketing World would be considered local events for you, so don’t equate “local” as meaning “small”.
So far, all these events we’ve mentioned are days-long events but those are not the only types of events to attend. Have you visited a BNI chapter yet? BNI has over 8,000 chapters worldwide and they meet on a weekly basis, usually early morning hours before most businesses open. You have to apply for membership and they usually limit the types of companies they accept so members aren’t competing against each other. Some chapters are large while others are small but the object for all chapters is to learn what the other members do and to refer prospects their way.
Look for other networking events through your local Chamber of Commerce. They usually hold quarterly networking events that include a guest speaker, networking time, and possibly dinner. They also have different committees on which to serve, thus meeting even more local business owners on a regular basis. The biggest benefit to staying local is you meet other business owners in your community, which is great for passing along referrals or asking for sponsorships or gifts for charitable events.
Look on Facebook for other local niche groups, such as professional women networks or other local networks specific to coaching. Most of all, no matter what event you choose to attend, don’t be afraid to interact! If you’re excited about your business, others will be drawn to you.
Today I have a little tip for you about how to improve your relationship marketing.
This SINGLE tool can take a mediocre marketing strategy and make it wildly successful.
First, it’s important to understand what relationship marketing is.
“Relationship marketing is a marketing strategy in which a company seeks to build long-term relationships with its customers by providing consistent satisfaction.”
When you use relationship marketing you are aiming to form a real, loyal, long-term relationship with a customer.
So what is the ONE tool that can turn a mediocre strategy into one that will literally make you money for weeks, months and even years to come?
It’s this: emotion.
Try something with me. Think of a memory from your childhood. Something you remember vividly. Whatever memory comes up, what emotion comes with it? What were you feeling during this memory?
When you are able to remember something from many years ago, it’s because the memory is attached to a powerful emotion.
It’s true, isn’t it? Your most vivid memories are from your most emotional moments. Both negative and positive emotions have the ability to lock something in our memory for decades.
How can we leverage this in our relationship marketing strategy?
Unless you pull your potential customers emotions to the surface (hopefully positive ones) your message just become noise in their life.
To create brilliant marketing strategies that create positive emotions in your audience, I suggest the following:
Know your target audience.Who are you trying to reach with your advertising, and what do they care about? What problems are they likely facing? What trends does their demographic gravitate towards? What will SPEAK to them deeply? Make them sit up and take notice?
Tell their story.This could radically affect the success of your business if done well! Your message should tell the story of your audience. It shouldn’t be about you 90% of the time. And when it is about you, it should be in a way that resonates and relates powerfully with your audience. Talk about them. Represent them. Tell THEIR story.
Speak into their dreams.Tap into the dreams of your target audience. Show them how your product or service can help them live the life they’ve always wanted. Make sure you are genuine and authentic.
Connecting to your readers through creating real emotion (and memories!) has the potential to dramatically impact the success of your business.
Remember, it is imperative to be authentic and genuine when doing so. If you aren’t, people can feel it, and they won’t trust you.
In 2 weeks I will be launching a new, comprehensive workshop on relationship marketing. I will walk you through everything you need to know to get started with your own relationship marketing strategy, so you can build genuine connections and learn how it can be used to transform your business.
Keep an eye on your inbox!
Have a great week.
Robyn
P.S. If you don’t want to wait two weeks, you can sign up for a complimentary one-on-one call with me to discuss your business goals and strategies. Let’s dive deep and figure out what will take you to the next level. Sign up here.
Putting out high-quality content can work wonders for your traffic and list building goals. For one, it builds you as an authority figure. People start to trust you more, which will have them linking to you and talking about you more. It’s also exactly what Google is looking for, which means you’ll quickly see big boosts in search traffic.
So how do you create high quality content that people and search engines love?
Start With an Interesting Title & Concept Your title plays two crucial roles. First, gets people on your website to stop and read. But what many webmasters don’t realize is the role it plays in Google. Your title is what people see in search results – it’s the main piece of information they use to decide if they click on the link and come to your site. It’s your headline in the search engines.
If you’re writing about toddlers needing sleep, a title such as “my sleepy toddler” will not cut it. Instead, use something like “Why toddlers need naps” to grab the attention of both search engines and readers.
Make it Emotionally Engaging People want to have an engaging experience when they’re reading content. Even if their primary goal is educational, it still helps to make your content engaging. Add in personal stories, interesting anecdotes or a dash of personality to help keep people engaged.
Explain Concepts in Easy to Understand Language Avoid using jargons. Use simple language that an 8th grader could understand, even if you’re describing a complex topic. Make sure your readers walk away with several “aha” nuggets of knowledge.
Build Out Evergreen Content Evergreen content refers to content that isn’t seasonal. Instead, it addresses questions and needs that people will have for months and years to come. Use tools like online forums, blog comments and the Google Keyword Tool to find questions that people ask regularly. Address those questions.
Quality Over Quantity The first and most important factor of your website’s success will be the quality of your website’s content. Quantity – how many articles you publish – is secondary to the depth of the information you share.
Publish at least one in-depth, information packed article every month. Naturally, the more often you can publish these types of articles, the better. But don’t sacrifice quality for quantity.
Add Pictures! Web statistics show that users tend to stay on pages with images far longer than plain text pages. Add screenshots and illustrations to demonstrate the concepts you’re talking about. Add photographs of real life events. Or use stock photos to add some pizazz to your content.
If you publish this kind of content regularly, in a few weeks or months you’ll find your website’s traffic growing by leaps and bounds and help you build your email list.
What I suggest is you write a new piece of in-depth content. Spend some time making sure you have both an interesting idea to share, as well as an attention catching title. Ensure it is emotionally engaging and any concepts you describe are easy to understand. Include a picture, screenshot or stock photo when adding it to your website.
Plan a minimum of 3 more pieces to be written throughout the next 30 days.
Is your ideal community driven to reach a measurable goal, such as losing weight before summer, publishing a Kindle book or landing their first client?
If your answer is “yes”, running a time-limited challenge may be the best kick-starting strategy for you to build your list.
Challenges are wonderful because they tend to attract people ready to break past long-term obstacles and take action. Once you understand the psychology of this, you have a captive audience that is not only eager but motivated to succeed.
Make sure that your Challenge benefits and advances your ideal member in a transformative way.
For example:
Helps your challenge member achieve a specific goal or fulfill a dream
Empowers your challenge member with the confidence and/or skills to finally take the next step
Provides her with a knowledgeable community offering support and encouragement
Provides her with validation—from other members, as well as from you
Allows you to share in—and celebrate—her success
Challenges are exciting. They make people feel “in the moment” and alive. Members of your Challenge are drawn together by a common bond and goal—and they all look to you for guidance.
Reasons to use it:
For your own benefit, there is no more powerful testimony than from a person you have directly helped to succeed in attaining a measurable goal or result. As with a Facebook Group, you will also receive priceless feedback in the form of questions, praises and comments.
You will be able to gauge:
What really excites your typical member
What she still struggles with
What major obstacles she finds hard to overcome
What she finds easy
What she still needs
What she desperately wants next
And, of course, you are interactively engaged—with multiple members and potential clients at once.
How to Use it:
Setting up a Challenge can be done in several ways such as via a Facebook Group, through a membership site—whatever works best for you and your ideal audience.
You can set up instant or mini-challenges in contest form. You can use challenges within challenges to keep your members fired up and moving forward: For example, while you are running your Sixty-Day-Finish-your-Novel Challenge, throw in weekly mini-challenges with prizes, such as “Best Title”; or if your paid Challenge includes a deal on software such as eCover Authority, “Best eCover Design”.
Mini-challenges give people small, attainable goals—and there’s no shame in deciding not to participate in optional mini-challenges. They also boost confidence and keep excitement levels high—and let’s not forget that large successes are often built on smaller successes.
That being said, make very sure any Challenge you create is neither too easy nor too hard. It should feel like a “challenge”—but inspire your participant with the feeling that they can do it!
You can also create a free mini-version of your challenge to inspire people, give them a taste of what you’re offering and create momentum. Create milestones, check-in points and those mini-challenges—and decide in advance if people will be permanently eligible for the next time you run the Challenge; if they can put your Challenge “on hold” if some life event throws a wrench in the works, or if they have to pay full (or partial) price to start again.
Challenges create focus for you, as well as for your members. They help you fast-track your members—and your reputation-building and visibility too.
Challenges create a core community of loyal, engaged followers and subscribers.
