11 strategies to drive more traffic to your website
We’ve covered the why. So let’s delve into how you can attract more people to your website.
SEO
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is about improving your website to increase your company’s visibility on Google, Bing, Yahoo or any other search engine. Because the higher your website ranks, the more clicks you’ll receive.
SEO focuses on improving a company’s organic (non-paid) rankings in search engine results. Doing so ensures your content ranks high for specific keywords (terms people type into search engines to find what they are looking for).
How do you influence this? Google uses a complicated algorithm to determine the best results for a query. Thus, a strong SEO strategy can be divided into three components: on-page, off-page and technical SEO. You can quickly build online authority and rank higher on Google by tackling each element.
Public relations
Public relations, or PR, is another powerful method of making people aware and curious about your brand. For example, an interview in a trade magazine or a guest appearance on a podcast encourages leads to learn more about your B2B company and explore your website.
Managing PR efforts can be a full-time job, and, much like sales, it’s about forging relationships with the right people.
Map out the most interesting platforms or magazines to feature your business. Then, contact the editors when you have important company news to share or a collaboration idea. When your name repeatedly pops up, followed by a certain topic, you’ll build authority, become known as an expert and get approached for more media partnerships.
Content marketing
Content marketing is about creating and distributing content which provides value to your target audience. Using blogs, e-books, podcasts or videos, use content to position yourself as the solution to your audience’s problems. Doing so builds brand awareness and authority while organically attracting people to your website. On average, content marketing generates three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less.
When creating content, think about how to distribute it. It’s essential that your target audience sees your helpful content. Use the POE model to guide your content distribution efforts:
- Paid media: The use of paid advertising channels to drive traffic to your content and website.
- Owned media: The media, content and channels your brand owns and manages. For example, your website, LinkedIn page and newsletter.
- Earned media: Mentions, content and articles on someone else’s channels. For example, a guest blog or LinkedIn post about your company.
Having a good website with strong content is not enough. Combine these three strategies to extend your reach and drive leads to your website.
Social media
Although social media is a part of your content strategy, you can use social channels for other purposes than simply sharing content.
Harness social media to establish your company as a social entity. Don’t limit yourself to broadcasting information. Instead, ask your followers questions (which also enables you to learn more), engage in meaningful conversations and respond to other people’s posts. Doing so increases your brand awareness.
Another possibility is to leverage social media advertising options. Companies that run paid social media ads benefit from increased brand exposure, engagement, and conversions. Take advantage of the detailed targeting options at your disposal and direct people towards specific content or a landing page.
Advertising
Social media is one of many places you can create targeted ads to attract website visitors. In fact, there are many online and offline advertising options available:
- Pay-Per-Click advertising (PPC),
- Banner & Display Ads,
- Video Ads,
- TV, radio & print ads,
- Out Of Home (OOH).
The right option for your B2B company depends on your marketing budget, the channels and offline content your audience consumes, and how targeted you want your ads to be.
For example, a TV commercial is a costly strategy which will be shown to many people. However, a TV commercial will not yield results if your target audience is tech-savvy Millennials who consume most of their video content via YouTube.
Influencer marketing
The beauty of influencer marketing is you work with someone your audience already knows and trusts. And this person knows how to create compelling content that attracts new followers while resonating with their base. But how does it work?
Influencer marketing is a collaboration between your B2B brand and an online influencer to market your product or services. They might use your brand, talk about your company or link to your website. It depends on what you agreed upon. And each of these aspects will drive traffic towards your website.
Companies are often quick to think and try to work with top industry influencers with many followers. However, micro-influencers are a great solution to reach a niche audience. These people will have a tight-knit relationship with their audience and might cost less to work with.
Another option is to explore the social media channels of your employees. You may have a micro-influencer working for you.
Email marketing
Email marketing, whether newsletters, promotional emails, welcome emails, event reminders, or follow-up emails, is a persuasive method of encouraging leads to return to your website regularly. It’s a way of passively nurturing leads until they are ready to buy.
Think about it. Periodically, your company name appears in a lead’s inbox with relevant and helpful content. Making this person happy and leaving them feeling empowered. Thus placing your B2B business top of mind while further strengthening your relationship. That is the beauty and power of repetition.
To create a compelling newsletter using email newsletter software, you must know your target audience. We know; we’ve repeated this point several times now. But, by understanding your customers well, you can provide new leads with the most helpful content.
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is when an online publisher earns a fee (also known as a kickback fee) or sales percentage in exchange for promoting your product or service. A publisher will often place a link to your website on their page. Thus driving more traffic to your site.
In the software industry, affiliate marketing is commonly used because a new client costs little to nothing. The product and infrastructure are already present. At most, new client data takes up extra CRM or server spice. So giving away a small percentage of sales for additional growth is a deal many software brands take advantage of.
When launching an affiliate strategy, brainstorm who could be a strong partner, what you expect from them, and what they will get in return. It has to be a win-win situation for both parties involved. Otherwise, you won’t be able to form an agreement. Use affiliate marketing automation tools to automate mundane tasks and track your progress.
Event marketing
At first glance, you might be confused about how events attract companies to your website. However, imagine all of the logistical details involved in marketing an event. Whether online or digital, you’ll most likely create a landing page, embed a signup form, collect email addresses and broadcast your upcoming event to the world.
Also, by hosting an event, you position your company as an expert on a specific topic, which increases your brand awareness and authority.
When presenting an event, your company aims to convey value while guiding attendees through your sales funnel. You begin by introducing yourself and providing guests with accessible information. This builds trust. Then you generate interest and, at the end, mention your product or service. You can even offer a temporary promotional price for all attendees to create a sense of urgency.
Engage in online communities
Besides social media, email and Google, your B2B brand can join relevant online communities, such as Facebook or Reddit communities, to participate in authentic conversations and drive traffic to your site.
Online communities are groups of people with similar interests who connect and communicate with each other via the internet. Therefore, internet communities are not about selling. Instead, listen to common challenges your target audience faces and answer questions or provide resources when possible. And you don’t always have to link back to your website. Simply providing value will pay off in the long run.
Take this idea to the next level and build your own community. Start by asking yourself what your target audience is passionate about. What would they like to learn more about? For instance, do you sell software meant to improve Human Resources processes? Then set up a community where experts share ideas to boost employee engagement. As your community grows, more leads will join, and these people will automatically check out your website.
Word of mouth and online reviews
Word of mouth is an age-old tactic. Why? Because we trust our friends. A recommendation from someone we know is worth a lot. And this is why online reviews are also vital. They are the equivalent of real-life recommendations. Word of mouth and online reviews are among the most powerful ways of attracting new people to your website.
But how do you influence people’s conversations and recommendations? Start by exceeding expectations via your product, service and support. This entails:
- Managing customer expectations, so they are not too high. Don’t make a promise your company can’t keep.
- Always going above and beyond and consistently surpassing client expectations.
Additionally, you can ask happy customers to leave you online reviews on Google or G2, for example. If this is difficult, try enticing people with a gift card.
