Three tools to increase website traffic that take a little extra effort
On a day-to-day basis, I probably use a dozen different tools to do the various tasks I need to complete. As a blogger, I have an entire arsenal of tools. As a social media strategist, I have a whole other set of tools. As an email marketer, that too comes with a boatload of tools I could choose to dive into.
When it comes to increasing website traffic, I’m sure you already know about the basic tools. Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds, SEO etc. However, there are hundreds of little social tools out there that take your traffic-driving efforts even more complex, but also more rewarding.
If you’re looking to give your link-building and traffic-driving efforts 110%, then try these additional methods:
Post everywhere and everything with Ping.fm
Ping.fm allows you to post the same thing to all of your social networks simultaneously. So, if you’ve written a new blog post, you can use this website, or its bookmark, to quickly post the same update in several places.
Additionally, you can hook up your RSS feed to Ping.fm and gain the ability to automatically post your new blogs to Twitter, Facebook and your other social networks at the same time.
Not only is this going to save time in your marketing efforts, but it allows you to use the social networks that you might not think of posting to on a regular basis, or have time to use.
Get inbound links from reputable online publications with HARO
HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is a resource for both bloggers/journalists and regular Internet users. It runs completely on a daily email newsletter that is sent out to bloggers who are looking for sources and to people who want to be a source.
So if you’re a blogger looking for someone who got stuck in Iceland during the volcano eruption, you’d fill out a form saying who you are, what your publication is, and what you’re looking for.
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People on the email list (free) will see your inquiry and say “Hey, I was there” and get in touch with you directly. You could then interview them and get quotes for whatever article you’re writing.
To bring this back to marketing, it’s also very useful if you want to be quoted somewhere (to get an inbound link or be published). In order to get those inbound links or mentions, all you need to do is reply to questions that bloggers need answered. The topics are very broad, and their daily email never has a low supply of journalists looking for sources.
When you do participate in an interview, make sure that you require a link back to your website, so that your efforts aren’t all for nothing.
Guest post on external blogs with Blogger Linkup
Blogger LinkUp is similar to HARO, except that this service connects bloggers with manufacturers and other bloggers. BloggerLinkUp.com promises that “you will get emails once or twice a day, Monday through Friday. These emails will list bloggers looking for expert sources, requests for guest posts, bloggers and web masters offering guest posts, and PR reps and others seeking reviews of products. When you see a request that you can fulfill, just respond directly to the requester.”
If you want your products reviewed, this is a great list to join. More importantly, it’s an excellent way to find guest post opportunities on external blogs where you’ll be able to link back to your website.
The first method of getting guest post opportunities is to submit the topics that you’re available to blog about. Second, you could respond to the inquiries from companies that are looking for guest posts.
If you have any other resources for content marketing, post them in the comments!
