So you’ve got a great product, but you’re not getting the traffic that you’d like. What can you do about that? It’s a huge dilemma, for sure.
One of the best ideas around is to give something away for free–seriously! News of something F-R-E-E spreads like wildfire online! Social networking has made that more prevalent today than ever before. Let’s think about it…
- In the early days of the Internet…and even up until about 5-6 years ago, you could email news to your friends (those who had email, of course!).
- Then, individuals started having personal websites, but that was really one-way communication…
- Until blogging (can you hear the harps?). Blogging has helped us to communicate in a way we couldn’t imagine. It was interactive–and fun to leave comments and communicate with people around the world! It was a way to express what was inside of you and get feedback from people who you may not even know! (Not to mention cathartic!) It was totally addicting, but the idea of blogging for business didn’t really catch on for several years.
- Now, we have Social Media–networking on steroids! For me, Facebook was the first. One friend was on Facebook and she convinced me to join. She was my only friend for quite a while, but eventually, I found old friends, classmates, and distant family to connect with. I didn’t really “get” Twitter for a long time, but when that lightbulb went on, I was totally hooked! I could go on and on about social networks, but you get the idea.
So, here’s the plan. Use all of the above to your advantage! I’m not talking about in a spammy way, just, in a networking, get-the-word-out way.
- Plan on doing a contest or giveaway on your website. If you’re trying to grow your email list, make signing up a requirement to enter. You can run the contest however you want–it’s YOUR contest! You can even team-up with another person (the formal term is “Joint Venture”) and both of you can receive some benefit from the contest/giveaway. Make sure you’re item is really good and has value–you want people to come back again!
- Tell your friends on your blog, in email, and on whatever social networking sites you frequent. People L-O-V-E to tell others about the potential to win something or get something for free! Many times, your friends will “retweet” or “share” your news with their network of people and your news can grow exponentially! If you have a few close/influential friends who you feel comfortable asking for retweets, etc. in a personal email, that’s okay, too.
- Run a good contest. Send out reminders several times, as deadlines approach for the contest, etc. (example: “Only 2 days left to enter for your chance to win.”)
- Keep up the momentum. Offer a discount or consolation prize to those who don’t win the contest/giveaway. The goodwill of this will leave everyone with a feeling of goodwill toward you and may even bring in future business.
I’m actually at the tail-end of a Joint Venture with Erin from The Mom Buzz for my first contest/giveaway. I am giving away a completely customized, 1-3 column, widget-ready WordPress theme to one lucky winner! You can read all the details in my original blog post or on The Mom Buzz. The great news is, if you are reading this on Monday, August 31, you still have until midnight to enter, as Erin will be drawing the winner on September 1! Don’t forget to get your special bonus while you’re reading the details! Just for signing up for my email newsletter list with the special link, you’ll receive a free copy of the e-book, “Let’s Talk Social Media For Small Business” by John Jantsch from Duct Tape Marketing! How cool is that? Erin wrote an awesome review of Dramatic Design–be sure to check it out!
I am very excited about this contest and can’t wait to see who will win! I’ll write another post later, revealing the winner, along with the design that we come up with!
Have you gotten some ideas about a contest that you could run for your business? I would love to hear about them in the comments! If you’re playing along with the Monday Marketing meme, be sure to sign up below with your blog post, so we can all get some inspiration from your ideas and give you some encouragement as you market your business purposefully this week!