by Ana Hoffman 65 comments

3 Common Web Traffic Strategies Uncommonly Used



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web traffic strategies

Men in suits - nothing new. Men in tutus - can't help but look.

There’s nothing new in traffic generation.

Maybe this should become the new TGC motto…

It’s true though. If you are looking for some amazing undiscovered traffic generation techniques, I suggest you stop right now, and instead look at what you already have at your disposal and figure out how to USE IT BETTER.

That’s exactly why I made the following 3 short videos: to show you how to turn a very common and tired way of getting traffic into something that very few people use and thus generate much better results.

These videos were originally recorded for The Surviving the Blog Contest at WeBlogBetter.com – my hat goes off to Kiesha Easley for such a creative idea for a blogging contest! (Once again, thinking outside the box and putting a fresh spin on the old idea)

It is my pleasure today to announce the winner of the last week’s challenge, which was all about… what else, generating more traffic!

But before I do that, here are the videos that I created for the contestants to give them some quick actionable tips on how to start bringing more traffic to their blog today.

My Top 3 Tips on Getting More Traffic TODAY

Strategy #1: (Not your “same old”) Twitter Traffic

Blog post mentioned:

Strategy #2: (Not your “same old”) Blog Commenting

Blog post mentioned:

I’ve already seen one of the contestants, Ntathu Allen, successfully use this strategy right here, at Traffic Generation Cafe.

Results?

I now know who she is (she certainly stood out of the crowd by implementing this simple method), as well as many other TGC readers, I read her latest blog post at TheNextGoal.com, left her a comment, and now I am mentioning about her in this post.

Strategy #3: (Not your “same old”) Article Marketing Traffic

Blog post mentioned:

I definitely need to pay more attention to the current news…

Results for Week 7:  Insane Traffic Generation

On to the fun stuff.

It’s my pleasure to announce that the winner of last week’s traffic generation challenge is…

Holly 1154
Larry 772
Neeraj 426
Ntathu 268 

Congratulations, Holly, on winning this week’s immunity!

Now on to the sad part.

I had to call in a Tie-Breaker vote from one of our judges:  Ileane Smith.  So with 3/5 votes, we must say goodbye to Larry.

Larry Lourcey @larryphoto

“I am a Texas-based portrait artist who operates a blog and YouTube channel with two goals:  education and inspiration.  A couple of years ago, I turned 40 and celebrated by creating a series of 40 self-portraits – one per week for forty weeks.  By combining two things that people hate- turning 40 and having your picture taken- I created the ultimate challenge to push my creative skills.
Now I am ready to take my blogging prowess to the next level.  I’m a portrait artist, digital painter, photographer and dad extraordinaire!”
Sorry to see you go, Larry!
If you’d like to read more about Larry, check out this interview at Brilliant Bloggers.

Marketing Takeaway

Out with the old, in with the new.

The new way of looking at the old ideas that is.

Before you run off to implement the tips from the videos above, please remember to share this post by pressing any of the Google+ buttons around here!

 

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traffic generation cafe comment below

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{ 65 comments }

Robert Morris December 22, 2011 at 7:42 am

Hey Ana,

Great content on your blog. Last night was my first time here and I have to say, I am very much looking forward to coming back. Content is exactly what I need right now.

Quick question: What Plug-in are you using for Google Analytics?

Ana Hoffman December 22, 2011 at 6:48 pm

Welcome, Robert, and thank you.

Not sure what you mean by “plugin for GA” though. I know there are some plugins to help you implement it on your site, but it’s too easy to do it yourself (just insert their code in the header) to use a plugin.

Johann December 12, 2011 at 2:20 am

Hi Anna – am steadily reading through your pages…. As an artist and not a web expert I look around for items on your site for inspiration and tips for techniques that will work for me. Getting there with persistence and consistence – you know the story :-)

Ana Hoffman December 12, 2011 at 11:49 am

That’s the only way to get there, Johann, as far as I am concerned.

Keep digging and let me know if you have any questions.

Kenny Fabre December 8, 2011 at 11:12 am

Ana,
I grasp the commenting technique very well, and I see you have proven it effective so I will be implementing it.

Ana Hoffman December 8, 2011 at 8:43 am

I like this one.

Miguel Araujo - Trafico Web December 8, 2011 at 6:49 am

Hi Ana very good article is the first time I comment on your blog I liked the second strategy of the comments as well mention a realción forms and also can help this person and attract traffic and that’s great thanks for these three tips greetings

Ana Hoffman December 8, 2011 at 8:46 am

You are very welcome, Miguel.

Steven Davis December 7, 2011 at 11:11 pm

Ana -

I really liked the first two strategies. I remember your nice note on Twitter (actually, all of your notes have a wonderfully personal touch!).

The second strategy shows real insight into human behavior – I wonder how many other behavioral visibility strategies are hiding in plain sight!?!?

I will say that I think the last strategy is pretty weak. As you noted, it has to be on the right topic and the “article directory” scheme seems to be … a bit of a scheme and vulnerable to Google changes.

The others are “evergreen” and useful for pretty much anyone for any site.

Thank you for your great material, as always!

Steve

Ana Hoffman December 8, 2011 at 8:12 pm

I see your point about article marketing, Steve.

However, I think this is something I am willing to take a shot at given the right circumstances.

Jon December 7, 2011 at 7:50 am

Thank you thank you thank you (that’s three) for the videos! Short and to the point and helpful just the same. I am with you 100% on your comment regarding the current news. Lots of potential and timing is everything.

Ana Hoffman December 7, 2011 at 11:03 am

You are welcome (X3), Jon!

Donna December 6, 2011 at 8:12 pm

Loved getting to see and hear you, Ana. Now I really feel like I know you. Great videos!

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 9:23 pm

Very kind of you, Donna. :)

Mitz December 6, 2011 at 6:54 pm

Hi Ana
Love your videos!! And of course fantastic tips… I am not big on Social media but you have given some great tips here for me..Thanks..

Also I would love some people to drop into my blog and and answer some comments.. I am certainly getting too many comments for me to handle..!! :)

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 9:20 pm

I strongly dislike social media as well, Mitz – just do enough of it to drive traffic and not a minute longer.

Rob Calhoun December 6, 2011 at 4:16 pm

Hi Ana!
I’m a bit new here but I’ve enjoyed your newsletter for a while. I just started a new website with a wordpress blog. So when your newsletter on comment luv came to my attention, the timing was perfect. I “luved” it so much I got to work setting it up with the Aweber integration.

I like the contest. It’s a great way to get people wanting to actively contribute.

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 9:02 pm

So glad you stuck with me and my advice, Rob. CL is definitely a keeper!

Chris R. Keller from Profitworks December 6, 2011 at 4:04 pm

Great tips.

Still need to find a way to get commentluv to create a plugin for Joomla!

James December 6, 2011 at 3:15 pm

Hey Ana, awesome tips and videos. I had a problem with the Twitter DM thing myself, but maybe I should try it again with the whole “promote yourself” spin that you put on that one. I have been doing the comment thing already. Surprised more people weren’t already doing that.

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 9:18 pm

I know your feelings about DMs, James; I don’t really like them either.

However, there are plenty of bloggers out there who do read them and become my readers as a result. Something definitely worth trying.

Tiffiney Cowan December 6, 2011 at 2:57 pm

Hi Ana,

Although I’ve been ghostwriting for nearly five years, I’m new to the IM thing – just 3 months in. I love all of your tips and have already implemented some. I keep coming back to your blog to learn more. Thanks for the great info!

Also, a BIG congrats on being #25 on the list of Top 50 Marketing Blogs to Watch in 2012! http://www.evancarmichael.com/blog/2011/11/29/top-50-marketing-blogs-to-watch-in-2012/

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 9:00 pm

I look forward to seeing you around, Tiffiney.

And… thank you!

satrap December 6, 2011 at 2:33 pm

Hey Ana,
To me the amazing thing is that we all know the tried and true traffic generation methods, yet so many of us struggle with getting traffic. I think the reason is that dont take action. They dont work on these methods. As you mentioned you have to do it, you have to apply what you knwo and learned, other wise, all the traffic generation in the world wouldn’t bring even one visitor to your site. Thanks.

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 8:52 pm

Precisely, Satrap.

So many people ask me how I built such a popular blog so quickly, and my answer is always “I took action!” No secrets here, just old-fashioned hard work…

DiTesco December 6, 2011 at 9:27 am

Sometimes simple things is what makes a difference and like you said in your video, we just have to make it work for us and “use it wisely”. Tried and proven methods IMO are here to stay and although they could loose their significance in the future, the idea is to use what is at our disposal and take advantage of those “today” :)

Sorry to hear Larry parting away from Kiesha’s contest. He’s done a great job over there.. Anyway, for those who still in the “game” good luck..

Steve December 6, 2011 at 9:24 am

All great tips here Ana.

For me the biggest may be the simplest and the first one. (Since I take shots at the other two already)

I have not been a fan of DMs since they often seem spammy and don’t usually even look at them. But the effecitveness of MMS for adding that traffic cannot be denied, and I think I will take the time to try to make some sort of a useful DM and rethink my philosophy on that.

James December 6, 2011 at 3:06 pm

hey Steve, I agree with you on the automated DM side of things. I turned mine off. I guess it all comes down to what kind of page you are sending them to, but for me it didn’t really work out that well.

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 8:40 pm

I don’t read mine either, but other people do, and that’s all we care about.

Aanchal December 6, 2011 at 12:47 am

Hi Ana,

Agreed with your viewpoints, I think we’re know almost every good way to generate traffic but the only thing we need to do is take action. We can’t get traffic by reading many blogs. We’ve to decide best ways to get traffic according to our niche and of course audience. and yes Congratulations to the lucky winners!!!

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 6:21 am

No question about it, Aanchal – only doers ever succeed.

James December 6, 2011 at 3:08 pm

That is so true. i think I spend about 80% of my time trying to drive traffic to my blogs. I really don’t spend nearly as much time actually on my blog itself. That part is actually really easy.

I guess that’s why I never understood all the “autopilot” income that so many people spew about. I work hard to maintain my small traffic, and I don’t see any of that autopilot “set it and forget it” action that people talk about so much.

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 8:39 pm

Same here, James; very few things can truly run on autopilot!

The era of easy money online has come and gone.

Daniel December 8, 2011 at 3:13 pm

So true, James.

When I first looked into setting up a Blog, I was constantly bumping into sites offering the set and forget ” Traffic on autopilot” ” Money on autopilot” not to mention the earn $10’000 a month type set ups.

Sadly, there are some well known sites, that are using methods that are quite dubious. On one particular well known site, some commenter took the webmaster to task over this.
A large number of sites use falsified stats as a way to lure others into becoming regulars on their sites, and to get them to buy their products(Usually by showing recent earnings graphs, daily, monthly).
These earnings graphs, and I think traffic stats also, can be falsified(People can edit the stats to show whatever they want(I have seen it done already).
Then they just throw those stats up in a you tube video or an onsite video or image(graph).
Thankfully, there are many genuine sites out there, that offer “none baloney” as far as what is being achieved on their sites.

Ana Hoffman December 8, 2011 at 8:02 pm

Sure, it’s easy to falsify that kind of info, Daniel; however, it’s also against the law. Only really ignorant or dumb people would do it these days!

Jean December 6, 2011 at 12:26 am

Thanks a lot for taking time to make these videos, Ana. Very informative. Learning more every day and I love it. And also congrats to Holly and tough luck Larry but you definitely had a strong run!

-Jean

Eugene December 5, 2011 at 10:04 pm

Useful videos, Ana! You’re very right – instead of creating some new (and not necessarily useful) techniques of getting traffic, it’s better to master the existing ones an d make them work better for you.

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 6:21 am

Definitely so, Eugene.

Joshua Zamora December 5, 2011 at 8:43 pm

Great techniques Ana! 2 of your 3 work for me. I have tried twitter a ton and it doesn’t pull much traffic for me.

I will have to set up a similar page like yours. I landed on it when I hit “follow” so it does work :)

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 8:35 pm

Yes, it does work, Joshua – like a charm!

Sylviane Nuccio December 5, 2011 at 5:57 pm

Those are very easy to apply traffic tips.

Yes, Indeed, Kyle from WA is a master of using actual events from the news in his article marketing and reap tons of traffic from it. He had done the same thing few months before with Charlie Sheen. It sure works great!

Congratulations to Holly! Sorry to see Larry leave, though :(

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 8:23 pm

I know, I need to stay on top of these things better – I am usually the last one to know! LOL

Richard December 5, 2011 at 5:27 pm

Hey Ana,
Thanks for the video tips. I haven’t had a chance to watch all of them as I’m at work and not supposed to be watching online videos, but you did make a point that I like. That is that there are no real new tips, just more efficient ways to use the tips we all already know about.

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 8:16 pm

LOL, Richard – get back to work!

Wasim Ismail December 5, 2011 at 4:43 pm

Ana, the Twitter Tip I must say works well, I started using it when you wrote an article about it couple of months back, This was a good refresher. It’s all about building that stronger connection with your readers and followes.

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 8:15 pm

Exactly, Wasim.

Also, my goal on Twitter is always to get my followers back to my blog where I can build stronger relationships with them and this way works very well.

ntathu allen December 5, 2011 at 1:46 pm

Ana, thanks for the blog, write up and for the mention:) That tip was so doable and easy to do and it was fun being at the top of a long list!! Take care and may all your family and personal goals come true. Busy week ahead..takes for everything. OM

Ana Hoffman December 6, 2011 at 8:14 pm

It IS very easy, Ntathu – surprised more people haven’t figured it out.

You absolutely deserve it; thanks for taking my advice!

Sunil l Wealth Building December 5, 2011 at 10:11 am

E xcellent refresher and new perspectives on old dog techniques. Amazed by the simple article marketing strategy bringing in 19k hits!

Ana Hoffman December 5, 2011 at 12:45 pm

I know you are big on article marketing, Sunil – new approach for both of us!

Larry Lourcey December 5, 2011 at 8:50 am

Ouch!!!!

Neeraj Sachdeva December 5, 2011 at 8:56 am

Sorry to see ya go mate! But as someone once said ‘At the end of a game of chess, the king and pawn go back into the same box!’

Larry Lourcey December 5, 2011 at 9:34 am

Thanks buddy- best of luck. You three have a tough couple of weeks ahead!

Ana Hoffman December 5, 2011 at 9:57 am

You had a good run, Larry, and look at the bright side: now you’ll have much more free time!

Larry Lourcey December 5, 2011 at 10:06 am

That’s true. May as well look at the bright side. That is certainly what we would recommend on TheNextGoal!!

ntathu allen December 5, 2011 at 1:43 pm

Neeraj..I love that saying..a new one to me but so true.

Holly Jahangiri December 5, 2011 at 5:28 pm

Larry, I’m sorry to see you go. Of course, I am sorry to see everyone go, but that doesn’t keep me from hoping I’m not next to get eliminated!

You were so close on my heels all week, I’m surprised – and a bit baffled that it didn’t come down to points. Well, hone your portrait skills – your NEXT goal, if I win, is to get the whole family together for a long overdue family photo – and your job is to get them all smiling AT THE SAME TIME. You think the last seven weeks was a challenge – wait till you see what I can cook up for you in 2012!

Sylviane Nuccio December 5, 2011 at 6:01 pm

Congratulations, Holly :)

Sylviane Nuccio December 5, 2011 at 5:59 pm

Sorry to see you leave, Larry. You guys did such a great job!!!

Larry Lourcey December 6, 2011 at 7:48 am

Thanks Sylviane!

Randy@Web Go To Guy December 5, 2011 at 8:16 am

Ana – great stuff, but when I tweeted this post and wanted to give you attribution, Twitter tells me the @webtrafficcafe account has been supsended :( What’s up with that? Sounds worthy of a follow up blog post.

Randy

Ana Hoffman December 5, 2011 at 9:40 am

Tell me about it, Randy – I have no idea why and I am tired of writing them…

It’s on my to-do list for today; again!

Herbert December 6, 2011 at 1:42 am

Same with me the other day. I tried to tweet this today and it was tweeted but upon checking it on twitter site, Ana’s account dont exist :( Hope you will get back your account Ana..by the way, awesome video presentation. I will definitely be trying those things one of this days :D

Leo Saraceni December 5, 2011 at 7:34 am

Found your post via @the_gman on twitter. He’s in my SEO twitter list, I may just place you there as well. That makes you quite the VIP. You’re welcome to feel honored.

Ana Hoffman December 5, 2011 at 9:41 am

Ha-ha – indeed I do, Leo!

Thanks for coming by.

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