Get Traffic Quickly and Cheaply: 6 Tips	Visited: 3922 2.0/5.0 (3 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
by Jonathan Gray September 15, 2003

I'm embarrassed.

I tried three "sure" ways to get traffic to my site. And failed each time.

Firstly, I placed free classified ads.

A newbie, short on cash, I spent hours writing short, catchy ads. Submitted them. And waited for the money to pour in!

A week later, I rang my webmaster. "How did it go?" I asked excitedly.

"Pitiful," he replied.

Then I saw an ad promising "10,000 Visitors Guaranteed!" So I grabbed the offer... waited... and fizzled.

After that I tried a mass mailing to "safe lists". And would you believe, I flopped again!

What was wrong? Well, finally I learned this secret: I needed to TARGET my market. Focus on the small market niche who would be interested in my product.

And suddenly it worked... like magic!

Here are six methods that got results:

1. Pay-per-click search engines

These CAN get you visitors and sales. But remember this:
(a) Target your keywords carefully;
(b) Make your headline as specific as possible. For example, "$19.95 e-book shows how to..." etc, will ward off non-buyers, attract buyers - and thus minimise your costs.

2. Your own affiliate programme

Should you have one? Definitely. But first you need to:
(a) have a proven sales letter;
(b) set strict guidelines for your associates;
(c) be sure you can handle up to 100 orders in a short time;
(d) automate tracking of orders and commissions. This will save you BIG headaches.

3. Joint ventures

Here is a winner. Why not find other sites and ezines that serve your target market? You have the product. They have the list. Offer to split with them 50/50 if they send a letter of endorsement to their customer list. Believe me, this is powerful!

4. Ezine ads

Also, ezine ads are still very effective, because you reach a targeted audience. An ad at the top of an ezine might cost up to $275, but can produce a response rate of 3 to 5%.

5. Writing ezine articles

Did you know that the most published articles are "tips" to help readers? Also in high demand are "How to" articles of 300 to 500 words.

Are you feeling STUCK? Feel like you can't write? Just try a simple conversational style. Small words! It works!

Tell your own experience. Maybe you've learned how to deal with spam... or how to choose a web host... or to build a better site. Share your tips!

6. News releases

I know a guy who got 12,000 new ezine subscribers in just one week. How? He used this service: http://www.xpresspress.com

First he jumped onto a current news item. Backed it with a convincing fact from a credible source. Quoted himself - which allowed him to sneak in his company and product. Then he gave tips to solve the problem - plus his website for additional tips.