One of the most basic and essential elements of business is the centrality of the customer. The products you sell and the services you offer are important. The brand image you create is crucial. Your promotional efforts are helpful. But in the end, it\u2019s the customers that bring in the money. It\u2019s the customers that make a business profitable.<\/p>\n

Once you understand this truth, you can focus your efforts on that vital goal: to bring in the customer. Otherwise, you\u2019ll have no business at all.<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t already, ask yourself, \u201cWhat am I doing to draw more customers into my business and more visitors to my business site?\u201d You know as well as any that the world of commerce is not made solely with bricks and mortar anymore. A great portion of your target audience (if not all) is found online.<\/p>\n

Driving that audience to your website is certainly a challenge. However, the web traffic trends of 2017 show that even websites with less-established followings can increase their site\u2019s traffic drastically with these proven methods.<\/p>\n

Create a Boss Content Marketing Strategy<\/strong>
\nWe\u2019re not talking here about brainstorming a few mediocre bullet points, scratched onto a sticky note one evening. For considerable traffic each month, you need to increase the quality of content you are creating and improve the plan you have to share that content.<\/p>\n

Notice that quantity of content isn\u2019t necessarily a factor of increased traffic (unless your amount of shareable content is seriously lacking), but your content\u2019s quality is. Content that resonates well with an audience gets more audience engagement, which in turn organically gets that content a higher spot on search engine results. If you\u2019re serious about SEO and increasing traffic from all avenues, make your content worthwhile to your audience.<\/p>\n

Shareable Content that Matters<\/strong>
\nTo start, define the type of content you want associated with your brand. A few questions to consider:<\/p>\n

What kind of content does my audience already consume? What are they looking for when they come upon my content?
\nWhat kind of tone will my content carry? Light and quirky? Professional, informative and succinct? Perhaps a little bit of both?
\nHow can I make my content unique from the competition?
\nRemember, content comes in many forms. To engage the audience you currently have, and to bring in larger crowds, don\u2019t just stick with one medium. Test out what catches your audience\u2019s attention. Are blog posts or short videos more popular with your target audience? What would the engagement be like if you tried both?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking to do more testing, shake up an article by including a survey or a personality quiz. Add more personal stories and short narratives to your content. Include images beyond your simple stock photo. Make your content something your audience wants to share.<\/p>\n

Really, one of the most important questions you can ask yourself is, \u201cDoes my content matter?\u201d Are you just compiling fluff you\u2019ve found from other sites or are you giving your audience something they can sink their teeth into? Give them something with more substance, not just something to fill space.<\/p>\n

Keywords that Convert<\/strong>
\nUnder the umbrella of content creation, remember to consider which keywords will rank your content higher on search engines. Some novice entrepreneurs fall into the trap of including as many of the top-ranking keywords into their posts as they can. But what you need to learn early on is that more is sometimes just more when it comes to keywords.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll need to ask yourself what kind of website traffic are you looking for: traffic that will lead to converting customers, or just traffic for traffic\u2019s sake? For traffic that converts into loyal customers, be more specific with keywords and keyword phrases. Choose phrases that someone who is looking to buy would use, like \u201cwinter coat under $50\u201d rather than simply, \u201ccoat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Become a Social Media Master<\/strong>
\nThe second way to drive traffic to your site is through effective social media campaigns, by meeting your audience where they are at: on social media. If you don\u2019t have the budget for advertising on social media, you can still have a successful campaign by posting the shareable content you\u2019ve already created.<\/p>\n

Each social media platform is different, so optimizing on each of the platforms will require small differences here and there. For instance, Facebook posts can see some good engagement on the weekends, while Instagram sees more engagement Monday through Thursday in the afternoon. You\u2019ll want to schedule out posts during the prime times for each of the platforms you choose to use. But knowing how often to post during these times can be tricky.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t want to come across as spammy, but also shouldn\u2019t only post once in a blue moon. Again, each platform will have a different formula to follow. But one overarching key is consistency. You\u2019ll gain more traffic to your site by reliably posting on a consistent schedule your audience knows they trust.<\/p>\n

What else makes social media campaigns successful?<\/strong>
\nAlong with building your audience\u2019s trust, your efforts on social media should grab their attention. Mixing up that content will help engage long-time followers who don\u2019t want to keep seeing the same ten type of blog posts in rotation. Images, especially, are necessary to getting the viewer\u2019s attention. One study showed that posts shared on Facebook that included an image had 2.3x the engagement compared to posts without any images. The content you share on social media cannot afford to be void of images. Be aware of the image qualifications for each of the platforms. One poorly sized image may cost you more traffic.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind, too, that some content won\u2019t resonate with your audience like other content does. If you post a video on your business\u2019s Facebook page, but see no engagement, don\u2019t try to force that content again on your audience. The response won\u2019t be positive. Test out another video, or try out another form of content. Always be looking for that sweet spot your audience will gravitate to.<\/p>\n

Look Outside Yourself<\/strong>
\nAnd third: look to share your content on even more outlets. Beyond social media, there are many other platforms that could spread your content\u2019s impact further and further. But when you stick only with social media, you miss out on untapped potential elsewhere. We\u2019re talking about increasing your audience to over 10,000 visitors, not just 100 of your close friends and family. You need to reach further outside yourself for real growth.<\/p>\n

One company went from 0 to over 30,000 users in about 5 months, without any paid traffic. What they found most successful to increasing traffic organically was finding like-minded communities to share their content. That\u2019s it. They went outside of Facebook and Twitter to find other online communities that contained their target audience. Because their content was catered to that audience, it was a success.<\/p>\n

Look around you for similar communities of followers waiting to embrace your content. Search for your target audience on Reddit, or answer questions on Quora to let them know that you are a resource they can trust. On whatever platform, your objective should be to (1) find your targeted audience and (2) build a relationship between them and your brand.<\/p>\n

Consider, as well, investing in guest posts, either publishing others\u2019 content on your site or asking to be published on another\u2019s page. Look to the influencers in your industry: who is your audience listening to? Can you get your content in with them? Or offer to host their content on your site? A little collaboration never hurts. Their audience and yours begin to merge, benefiting both parties.<\/p>\n

The same can be done through affiliate marketing, a similar approach where you promote someone else\u2019s product or they yours. Check out how Digital Altitude can give you the tools, tips and tricks to expand your circle of influence and see the traffic start rolling in.<\/p>\n

Above All, Keep it about the Audience<\/strong>
\nIf we were to add a fourth step, it would be this one: keep your focus on your targeted audience. Like was mentioned in the beginning of this article, your audience and subsequent customers are what drive your business forward. If you are not connecting with them, then your methods need to change.<\/p>\n

SEO and marketing expert, Brian Sutter put it this way: \u201cIt\u2019s all about the audience. It\u2019s always been about the audience. From what content formats they prefer, to where they hang out online, to how much (or how little) they trust our marketing. The technology around content marketing\u2013the platforms, the formats, the strategies\u2013exist solely to engage our audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Sutter is tapping into is the nature of organic SEO. Content that reaches a wider audience and sites that have better traffic don\u2019t have to pay for better SEO. They create and share the content that matters. Such content naturally ranks high in SEO because of its high levels of engagement. When you want to drastically increase site visitors, take a look at your content. Take a look at where you\u2019re sharing it and make sure it delivers on what your target audience is looking for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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