Bring those visitors back for
more, applauding you and saying
BRAVO! They will create a buzz about your great site,
bookmark it, and send you many new visitors. These visitors
are
your personal marketing force. Give them reasons to return!
Like myself, you other non-techies may not have heard of
what a
"sticky" Web site is (it is the stuff that lures
visitors back
again and again). We know we want that!
Forget getting to the top of the search engines. Let your
Webmaster do that. Instead, try out some of these low-
maintenance ways to bring 'em back to your Web site for
more.
1.Upload new, original, and useful
content often.
Your
Web site
is not a brochure. Blatant ads such as banners turn visitors
off.
Give them information they can't find anywhere else-and
give it
free. People want and need how to's. Always think benefits
when you post some new article. Helping your visitors get
what
they want will bring you respect and trust as an expert,
and
eventually, profit, from your book and other products.
2. Update your Web site content
regularly and often, perhaps daily or weekly.
If someone visits your site and finds nothing
new, they will disappear into cyberspace and spend their
time on
other sites. If you don't want to write articles, place
other
people's articles up from ezines or Web sites, a list, or
a short
tip. Keep the pieces under 800 words. Common lengths are
anywhere from 75-400 words, which could be excerpts from
your book.
3. Publish your own ezine.
Target it to your specific audience.
Make it short and sweet. Start with a monthly, then see
if you
can do it bi-weekly. If you don't stay in regular touch
with your
possible buyers, they will forget you and your book's message.
People want to know you better, so they can trust you and
think
of you as a savvy friend in their corner.
Your free information, tips and resources will keep them
as
subscribers. If they like your eMag, they will recommend
it to
others. The opt-in eNewsletter tops all other ways to drive
traffic
to your site, and it can be mass mailed free, too. Check
out
http://www.bookcoaching.com/products.shtml.
4. Include a recommending service
on your site.
Your repeat
visitors create new traffic. Check out www.Recommend-It.com.
It's free, fast, and versatile. Each time someone recommends
your site, they are entered in a contest to win a Palm V
reading
device.
5. Host a forum on your site where
people can interact fully and you can share your knowledge
and offer suggestions.
It's a
great way to help others and get these people visiting your
site
often because they want to know you as a real person.
Without a chance to interact with you people lose interest.
Allow
your visitors to post a message or reply to other messages.
They
will check back every few days for new messages or replies.
To
find these services, do a search on "free webmaster
resources."
Two specific ones: http://www.delphi.com and
http://www.everyone.net. Check out this discussion group
http://www.ablake.net/forum/
6. Remind your visitors to bookmark
your site.
Tell them
you
update information daily or weekly. Put reminders on all
of your
pages. If you omit this, you pass up a great opportunity
to lure
repeat, loyal visitors. You want more visitors, and you
want them
to spend more time on your site. The more time they spend
on
your site, the more likely they will check out your products
or
services pages
7. Serialize some of your content.
If visitors get it all
in one
visit, what's to keep them coming back? Put one part of
an
article, home study course, special report, or excerpt from
your
book on your site each week or so. Let people know this
through your eMagazine.
8. Post a monthly special only for
your Web visitors.
Call
it
"Discount of the month," or "Special Offers."
Without
incentives your audience will go elsewhere. Feature this
opportunity in your ezine and provide a live link straight
to it.
9. Enjoy the journey.
Each day, you can learn something
that
will make your Web site more real, more YOU. Avoid being
stiff-let your passion show! Add some personal information
such
as the personal column. 'The Coach's Corner' in the ezine,
"The
Book Coach Says," mentions personal writing and marketing
set
backs, boo boos, along with a tip or so. Put a personal
message
on your site too.
10. Put "useful links"
as a navigational bar on your home page.
People like the convenience of shopping for services and
products all on one Web site-yours!
Maintenance is not as sexy as creating a new site, but
it is your
responsibility to make your site jazzy enough to keep people
coming back. If you are not inspired or don't want to spend
the
time on your site, but still want to maintain it, delegate
it to a
professional or techie intern. |