So, you’ve created and published what you believe is engaging and helpful online content. It’s visually appealing, detail-oriented, and addresses your audience’s questions and pain points. You’re hoping these new how-to guides, blog posts, infographics, and videos will increase your online traffic.
But with digital marketing, putting content out there for the world to see doesn’t mean it will. Boosting online traffic may be critical to growing your business, but it’s easier said than done. Besides free strategies, such as SEO and email newsletters, there are paid methods to help drive traffic to your site. Here are four you can start using.
1. Search Engine Ads
Similar to paying for a TV or newspaper ad, you can pay search engines to display your content. Paid search engine ads move your online content to the top of the search engine results pages or SERPs. This strategy works well if you want to boost the visibility of specific landing pages or blog posts.
However, you still need to perform keyword research with search engine ads. You’ll want to know which keywords your audience is searching for and ensure your content is relevant to them. Setting demand generation goals can also help. Yes, you’re trying to increase online traffic, but why? For example, your end game might be to expand your audience reach, or you could be trying to increase sales.
Determining these objectives ahead of time will allow you to craft your content and keyword research around them. You’ll also know which online materials to use for your search engine ads. If increasing conversions is your goal, you’ll probably want a persuasive landing page with a contact form.
2. Social Media Ads
Brands use social media to increase awareness, engage with customers and leads, and share relevant content. While many social media marketing tools include free ways to increase online traffic, they also have a few paid methods. One of those is ads that display in people’s feeds as they scroll through posts.
These ads usually target highly specific audiences. For example, your social media team might choose audiences by age ranges, geographic locations, and interests. This is why advertisements on social platforms can be so effective. In most cases, they’re only getting in front of people who are most likely to click or respond.
The success these ads can have could be driving the increase in social spending. Research projects the annual growth rate will be 11.24% between 2022 and 2027. If forecasts are correct, social ad spending will reach a market volume of $384.9 billion by 2027. The ability to target audiences by demographics and psychographics is a powerful reason to use social media ads. But so is the ability to track real-time results and use ads to boost traffic to all sorts of content.
3. Online Sweepstakes and Contests
Most people will jump at the chance to win something. Whether it’s a gift card, a free month of service, or a complimentary product, they’ll enter a contest to get it. Advertising online giveaways or sweepstakes can drive more traffic to your social media pages, website, and digital content.
However, you do need to decide what you want people to do to enter the contest. That could be making comments on specific social media posts. It might be filling out a survey, signing up for your email newsletter, or posting their content to your page. For example, you could organize a Halloween costume contest. Then, your social media followers must post pictures of themselves in their costumes to enter.
Others may see the fun, join in, and share the content with their followers and friends. This can expand your audience reach, increasing awareness of your brand and its offerings. Simultaneously, you can run online ads that promote the contest or giveaway to attract additional traffic.
4. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a digital strategy that is rising in popularity among brands. It’s easier for companies to convince consumers to buy something if an influencer promotes or recommends it. Research shows that 49% of consumers rely on recommendations from online influencers. Plus, 40% of online shoppers buy a product or service an influencer mentions or recommends on social media.
People, particularly younger target audiences, tend to trust what influencers say versus what a brand says about itself. They may follow influencers out of admiration or because of shared interests and thought leadership. Working with influencers through paid sponsorships can pack a powerful punch for brands that need to increase visibility and authority.
That said, brands must tread the influencer marketing waters carefully. There must be strategic thought behind who you work with and the potential ROI on these partnerships. Influencers with the same target audiences are a solid foundation to build on. But you also want to consider what attention they’ll bring to your brand and how they’ll represent you. You should look elsewhere if their persona or content doesn’t match your values.
Paid Methods for Boosting Online Traffic
Reaching your online traffic goals in a crowded digital content space can be tough. Techniques that don’t cost you anything, such as blog posts, can boost organic traffic over time. Yet, these organic strategies tend to be better at producing long-term results and usually aren’t enough to meet your benchmarks. Paid methods can increase your brand’s visibility and demand for its offerings more quickly and efficiently.
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