11 Proven Ways To Drive Traffic To Blogs, Websites And Videos WITHOUT Busting The Budget (Updated For 2018)

Every online business needs to drive traffic.

Let me say that again.

Every online business needs to drive traffic.

This is the same as a brick and mortar business bringing people through the door. Without customers, the result is obvious… A business will fail.

Driving traffic to an online business requires a different approach than that of offline businesses. Online business owners still need to get in front of the consumer. But they are doing so in a virtual environment.

Traditionally, driving traffic to a brick and mortar business required a lot of money. Then a lot of time setting up advertising campaigns and waiting for them to work.

To drive traffic to an online business, time and money are also required.

With sufficient time and money, there are two types of traffic that any online business owner can generate. These include:

• Free Traffic
• Investment Traffic

Each of these is effective at driving traffic and each is critical to the success of any marketing campaign.

Let’s take a look at what generating each type of traffic entails…

Free Traffic

Free traffic is exactly that—FREE.

Free traffic comes with a number of benefits. It makes it possible to connect with consumers, provide them with valuable content, and build credibility.

On the flip side, even though money is not required, time is. A LOT of time and effort goes into generating free traffic.

Free traffic is a must for those who have the time. And those who don’t have the time need to apply at least some of the strategies we’re about to discuss. It will pay off over the long-term.

Free traffic can be generated a number of ways. Each of these sources of free traffic is valuable. They provide the potential for a deep connection with the target audience.

Blog Posts

A blog can take advantage of search engine optimization, or SEO (which I’ll get into more below). SEO is a method of using specific keywords to make sure a website or blog ranks high in the top search engines, such as Google or Bing.

Having a blog is an easy way to create valuable content. When posting consistent (high quality) blog content using SEO keywords, traffic to the blog will build over time. This is also a surefire way to build authority, credibility, and trust.

The people who read a blog regularly will view the blogger as an expert.

General Guidelines for Blog Posts:

• Focus on a specific topic
• Choose a title that entices people to read
• Start with a short, eye-catching sentence or question
• Avoid long paragraphs
• Make it visually appealing – Shorter paragraphs, bullet points, pictures, infographics…etc.
• Include a specific system of formula (2 types, 7 steps…etc.)
• Provide a call-to-action (CTA)

Be sure to include an opt-in box somewhere on the website. This way, visitors will start opting in to an email list. As always, offer a free gift in exchange for people’s email addresses to get more people to opt-in (see step 4 in this post for more about free gifts).

And the more traffic that goes to the blog, the higher the number of social media shares. And that will improve the blog’s overall ranking on search engines.

But blogs can be valuable in another way.

Commenting on the blog posts of others can also make an impression. The key is to find the authority blogs. These are the blogs run by the leaders in the industry. They already have a great following and high volumes of traffic.

And it is so simple to take advantage of that following!

Just follow these steps:

1. Type popular industry keywords into Google and find the most prominent blogs.
2. Follow these blogs closely. Subscribe to the RSS feed and newsletter. Keep on top of when posts are made and be one of the first to post a comment. Make sure this comment provides real value.
3. Include a link to the desired opt-in page. This can be included as a sort of signature to the comment.

NOTE: Be careful about linking to your website. Some blog comment sections frown on this.

At the very least, commenting on blog posts gives you an in to write a guest blog post.

Most blogs are hungry for content, so if you approach a blog owner with a post filled with valuable content, oftentimes they will jump on it.

This is a simple way to leverage another blog’s audience to drive traffic to your own site.

For more about driving a lot of traffic from blogging, check out our blog post: How To Drive Massive Amounts of Free Traffic From Blogging

Forums

I once built a list of 5,000 subscribers and made $10,000 in 60 days through participation in a forum!

This is a great example of the power of relationships and credibility.

I was an affiliate marketer and I was promoting some new software. I learned how to use the software so well, that I began to offer free coaching to people on the forum if they used my affiliate link.

But know this. I had been spending 12 hours a day on that forum. People knew me. They trusted me. We had a relationship. That is critical and it takes a lot of TIME.

When using a forum, follow these rules:

• Post a minimum of 10 replies per day.
• Start one new thread per day.
• Never spam or sell. Just provide value.
• Place a promotion message in your signature and include a link. Change the message every 10 days, but keep the link the same.

Over time, people will get to know you and they will be open to clicking on your link.

For more about getting free traffic from forums, check out our blog post: How To Drive Massive Amounts Of Free Traffic From Quora, Reddit And Forums

YouTube Videos

Another way to deliver valuable content to a target audience is via YouTube videos. Close to 5 billion videos are viewed every single day! People like videos!

So, rather than writing about something, record it. SHOW people. Give them a demonstration. And include your link in the video so that viewers are able to opt in.

Make videos consistently and more people will be exposed to the content. Commenting on related popular videos is another way to increase exposure as well.

For more about driving traffic from YouTube, check out our blog post: How To Drive Massive Amounts of Free Traffic From YouTube

Social Media

Participating on social media is much like participating on forums. The key here is to connect with followers and build relationships.

Engage and interact with followers. Like and share their posts. Provide valuable content and post consistently. Like with other forms of free traffic, consistency is the key to success.

Follow others too. Like and share their content. Leave useful comments on popular posts. Remember, there is give and take when it comes to interacting with people on social media.

Place an opt-in link on the profile page. As followers grow and engagement happens, people will opt in.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

As I mentioned before with blogging, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the strategy behind ranking high in search engines like Google or Bing.

Think about it this way. How much free traffic would someone get if they were the first result in Google when someone searched “starting an online business”? A LOT! Right?

And this applies to any keywords that people are actively searching for.

I would go as far to say that SEO is THE BEST option for free traffic.

Here’s why:

• SEO creates lasting traffic – People will search and visit web pages for years to come.
• SEO is a compounding affect – The more SEO strategy implemented, the more traffic that comes. And it multiplies exponentially.
• SEO works for all search engines – It doesn’t entirely rely on one search engine or one platform. So this makes it more stabile than building an audience on Facebook or Twitter.
• SEO gives you traffic on auto-pilot – Once a web page is optimized, the traffic comes to you, with no additional work on your part.
• SEO is simple – Anyone can leverage SEO if they know some simple strategies.

If you’re interested in learning some amazing ninja techniques of free traffic and SEO, check out our Free Traffic Bootcamp by clicking the button below.

Investment Traffic

Investment traffic is also known as paid traffic. And it is critical to driving traffic.

When paying for traffic, it is truly an investment and the return on that investment can be incredibly high.

The greatest benefit of investment traffic is the speed at which results start rolling in. However, it does cost money. Depending on the form of investment traffic, that cost can vary. But it is easy and quick to get started and produces fast results.

Now, before we go into more details about investment traffic, let’s address the issue of which is the better option.

What’s Better?

Yes, a lot more people can be reached a lot more quickly through investment traffic. But free traffic is where relationships, trust, and credibility are built.

Free traffic is how marketers show that there is a real person behind the opt-in page.

Essentially, free traffic compliments investment traffic and vice versa. They work synergistically to produce fantastic results.

Just think about it. Having great content on social media can build credibility when using investment traffic.

Someone might see Facebook ad, click on it, then watch all the videos on the Facebook page and become a fan for life.

And paid traffic can help build an initial following and gain momentum. For instance, traffic can be run to a blog post.

This will provide the benefit of interaction and engagement through the blog. People will comment, share, and become regular followers.

Free traffic and paid traffic work so well together that…

Both options should be used.

Free traffic and investment traffic together make up a complete opt-in campaign. One can be done without the other, but the effect will be diminished.

But know this…

It is vitally important that anyone who is serious about their business use investment traffic.

4 Benefits of Investment Traffic

I’ll admit it. Investment traffic is my favorite method of driving traffic.

Even though free traffic is important in the grand scheme of driving traffic, investment traffic will amplify the results to levels not possible via free traffic. The benefits of investment traffic cannot be overstated.

These benefits are as follows…

1. Faster to Get Started

There is absolutely no match for the speed at which results are obtained with investment traffic. The results are instantaneous! As soon as the message is sent, people are responding, interacting, and providing their email addresses.

A lot of traffic will rapidly flow in. There is no substitute for this. Not even if someone has all day every day to work on getting free traffic.

2. Faster to Scale

Investment traffic is dynamic.

Consider an ad that is placed through the likes of Google or Facebook. Metrics are provided for these ads. This makes it easy to test different ads to see what works and what doesn’t. If an ad is working, it can automatically be scaled to reach more people.

3. Targeting

This might be one of the best benefits of investment traffic—the ability to TARGET ads.

Investment traffic is highly targeted. It is so easy to reach exactly the right people. When placing an investment ad, there are certain criteria that can be used to ensure that ad is seen by the people who need to see it.

This means there is no time wasted with people who aren’t interested. And there is no time wasted hoping the right people will come along.

4. Shows Seriousness

It’s true. Spending money on a business shows real commitment to its success.

If someone is willing to invest money, there is that much more of a commitment. Investment traffic can shift your mindset from amateur to pro.

Every single dollar is an investment. And eventually, the business will reach the point where it is guaranteed that every dollar spent will provide a return on investment that will continue to grow.

Best Sources of Investment Traffic

Since investment traffic is so important, it is critical to understand the potential sources of that traffic. Choosing a source of investment traffic to begin with will depend largely on the budget at hand.

Some of these sources cost very little to get started. Some cost a lot of money right out of the gate. However, most will get anyone started for as little as $100. Think about that! Starting to build a list of contacts for as little as $100 rather than spending thousands with traditional forms of marketing.

There is no comparison!

With that in mind, here are the best sources of investment traffic.

Email Media (Aka Solo Ads)

Email media provides anyone with immediate access to an extensive, targeted email list. The key? Someone else owns the list.

There are so many people in every industry who already have extensive email lists. Many of these people will allow you to promote your offers through their list. This allows instant access to potentially thousands of subscribers while leveraging the credibility of the list owner.

Think of this as renting another person’s list.

There are two ways email media works. The first is the marketer’s message and link is inserted into an email the list owner is sending out.

The second is what is called a “solo ad.” The list owner will send an email that is dedicated solely to the marketer’s content. The marketer can write the email and insert their link and that email will be sent out to the entire list.

This can be expensive. But it is worth it! I highly recommend that anyone with the budget for email media to take advantage of it.

How does email media work? It’s actually really simple.

The list owner generally charges by the click. If it costs 80 cents per click and 2,000 clicks are generated, the cost is $1,600. Even if the opt-in page gets a 50% opt-in rate, that is a $1,600 investment for 1,000 emails. It is possible to recoup this and more within 30-60 days.

Google Adwords

Google AdWords is a pay-per-click (PPC) method of advertising that has been around since 2000. That’s 17 years Google has been bringing PPC advertising to online business owners.

Google AdWords is powerful. It is scalable and it is easy to control and analyze any advertising campaign. It is so targeted that traffic can be driven to any website with ease.

BUT there are a lot of rules. Only those who figure out these rules and follow them will find success.

Because of the complexity of the Google AdWords system, there is a learning curve. Once this learning curve has been conquered, it is free sailing.

However, because Google AdWords can be very expensive, it is best for marketers to wait until their monthly income has reached $10,000 or more per month.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer Marketing might be the most exciting form of digital marketing right now!

There are people on the internet with massive followings. There are people who are considered experts in various niches. And a lot of people value the opinions of these people. These are what we call influencers.

Influencer Marketing is teaming up with influential people to launch a marketing campaign.

It’s the modern version of WORD OF MOUTH.

Word of mouth has always been the best form of advertising. Because people buy from people they trust.

Influencer marketing allows marketers to scale word of mouth. It leverages the credibility that influencer have to promote an offer.

Just look at the amazing statistics of influencer marketing:

• 92% of people trust recommendations from individuals (even if they don’t know them) over brands. (Nielson)
• 93% of pros consider influencer marketing as an effective strategy to build brand awareness. (LaunchMetrics)
• 74% of consumers use social media to make purchase decisions. (Sprout Social)
• 81% of marketers who have used influencer marketing judged it to be effective. (emarketer.com)
• 47% of online customers use ad block technology. The way to reach them is to provide content they want from people they trust. (digitalnewsreport.org)
• 51% of marketers believe they get better customers from influencer marketing. That’s because the relationship began with trust in the influencer. (Tomoson)
• 37% better retention is reported for customer acquired through word-of-mouth advertising. (Brandon Murphy)

Face it, people don’t like being sold to. No one really likes ads. In fact, the best ads don’t even look like ads! That’s why influencer marketing is so effective. It’s much more natural than traditional advertising.

Here are some more advantages of influencer marketing:

• People buy from people they trust – Influencer marketing is modern word of mouth, based on relationships and genuine recommendations.
• Improves content marketing – It’s the ultimate content marketing. Using content and credibility to increase reach and sales.
• Amplifies brand reach on social media
• Creates brand authenticity – Influencer marketing is much more authentic than ads, especially if the influencer genuinely uses the brand.
• Builds credibility – Creates credibility by association
• Avoids ad-blocking – Many people use ad-blocking software. Influencer marketing reaches everyone.

LinkedIn

For B2B traffic, LinkedIn is ideal. It rolls social media, blogs, forums and groups, and advertising into one complete networking package for professionals. This brings many forms of free and investment advertising together in one place.

LinkedIn’s paid advertising is highly targeted and effective. It is based on the attributes users include in their own profiles. This makes the targeting incredibly accurate. Targeting attributes include:

• Industry
• Company
• Title
• Skills
• Groups they belong to

Plus, the size of the target audience can be seen BEFORE an ad is even created.

However, LinkedIn advertising can get very expensive. The minimum cost-per-click is $2 and the minimum per day per campaign is $10. And this form of advertising is not suitable for every niche. Only those that fall into B2B categories will benefit.

YouTube

I discussed YouTube as a source of free traffic before. But it’s also a great form of investment traffic as well.

I am a big fan of video. Video is a great way to promote visual niches and give demonstrations. And YouTube is huge! Nearly 5 billion videos are watched every day.

YouTube advertising allows incredible targeting based on:

• Topic of interest
• Keywords
• Category
• Placement of pages in relation to ad
• Demographics

The cost for YouTube advertising is also minimal. Generally, this runs between 10 cents and 30 cents per view. But if the ad is viewed for 5 seconds or less, there is no charge. This gives users time to click the Skip Ad button.

Having said this, that’s a mere five seconds. It is easy to end up paying a lot for users who don’t watch the entire video, but watch more than 5 seconds. This can get pricy.

Plus, even though there is good targeting, it is somewhat limited. There is no way to choose the specific videos an ad will play before.

Also there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to producing video ads. Creating video ads is generally more difficult than any other kind of ad. They require time, patience and multiple areas of expertise.

Don’t let this scare you away though. You don’t have to have a professionally filmed video to create a great ad. With the right strategy, a simple smartphone video can be highly effective.

Facebook

Facebook advertising is my FAVORITE way to generate investment traffic. This is especially true for anyone just starting out.

It is the ideal place for every new internet marketer to begin. And it should always remain the core of any marketing campaign. Why? There are nearly 2 billion Facebook users!

Think about this. That is an extensive number of people through which any marketer can access highly targeted traffic. In fact, Facebook provides the ability to target by likes, interests, location, demographics, and behaviors.

Facebook advertising works for any type of business, online or offline. Best of all, it is inexpensive. A successful campaign can be run for as little as 10 cents per click (depending on the niche). This makes $100 a reasonable budget to start with.

In addition to affordability, it is easy to create Facebook ads. Just a few clicks of the mouse button and some advertising text and the ad is visible to the right people.

There is no doubt that in the past marketers would have killed for the information Facebook has. Leverage this information! Success depends on it.

If you want to learn how to grow a business using Facebook Ads, definitely sign up for our Free Facebook™ Ads Bootcamp.

Traffic is a Necessity

Traffic is a must for any online business to succeed. Free traffic takes significant time to build, but offers amazing benefits. These benefits include the development of relationships, the development of trust, and the building of credibility and authority.

Investment traffic complements free traffic by building that traffic to incredibly high volumes quickly. There is simply no match for the speed at which investment traffic can be generated.

The three most important things to remember about building traffic are these:

• BOTH types of traffic should be used to ensure a well-rounded campaign.
• Investment traffic is vitally important for anyone serious about business.
• Facebook is the absolute BEST type of investment traffic.

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How To Drive Massive Amounts Of Free Traffic From Quora, Reddit And Forums

It IS possible to generate massive amounts of traffic for FREE.

But it does take time.

Anyone who wants to generate traffic for free can do so through engaging the online community. They can do it by sitting down and actually spending time online. They can do it by interacting with people via a variety of online platforms.

The key is to invest time and effort. When this is done, the free traffic that is generated can be a game-changer.

Plus, when done right, free traffic is more sustainable and long-lasting than paid traffic. Why? Because time and effort has been spent cultivating relationships in a casual online setting. Friendships and trust have developed with no strings and no pressure.

And that is more likely to turn followers into customers in the long-run.

The Secret To Lasting Free Traffic

Like I said above, generating free traffic is all about fostering a relationship with people.

It’s a way to develop rapport and a reputation. This reputation is one of being an expert in the niche, of being personable, and of being honest and trustworthy. It’s about building a name for yourself.

But there is more to it than just rapport and reputation. When generating free traffic, it’s about giving real value to people.

Most often, people think of social media when they think of generating free traffic.

But Community Engagement Platforms are a powerful vehicle to accomplish this goal. Otherwise known as forums, there are so many variations that it is easy to find the right ones to get involved in.

And really, forums have always been a fundamental part of the internet.

Forums & The Rise Of Community Engagement

Human beings are social creatures.

We NEED to engage in community with others. So, when the internet became a mainstay in our society, people began gathering there—in droves. Where did they gather?

The original online gathering places were forums!

For two decades, forums have been incredibly popular platforms for people to meet and talk about common interests online. Users develop relationships and even friendships with each other. Sometimes, these friendships span years.

From the earliest days, these online discussion sites have covered every topic imaginable—think music, fitness, internet marketing, Pokemon, etc. No matter the niche, it is easy to find forums of interest and post messages, ask questions, and participate in discussions.

In fact, forums were once the most active places on the internet.

Not only that, but it was through being active on forums that I first learned about internet marketing. Seriously, the engagement on forums makes it easy to engage people, help people, create a name for yourself and put an offer in front of the ideal customer.

Of course, forums today are not quite like they were. They have evolved…

And I call the new wave of forums Community Engagement Platforms.

The Best Community Engagement Platforms

Community Engagement Platforms come in all shapes and sizes. The traditional forum is still there, but there are other platforms that are very similar and just as effective.

Let’s take a look at each of these…

Forums

The traditional forum is still out there and going strong.

There are forums for every niche and sub-niche known to humanity. And as I mentioned, forums have been a huge part of the internet since its earliest days.

Forums have a very simple structure. In every forum, there are “threads.” These are posts that one user starts and everyone can comment on. These threads exist on every sub-topic in a niche. Members of the forum can start a new thread in order to ask a question, pass on information, or get a stimulating discussion going.

Forums are places where people are passionate and hungry for knowledge on certain topics. Even though many people primarily use social media like Facebook, some forums are still as popular as ever.

To get involved in forums in your niche, do a search. It is easy to find forums to join. For example, if the natural health niche is the target, search for “Natural Health forum.” There are always popular forums to get involved in. Here are some examples:

• com is an active forum in the fitness niche.
• Warrior Forum is a HUGE forum for internet marketing.
• net is one of the top forums in the prepper and survivalist niche.

Just find an active forum and get involved. Do NOT try to sell people. Do NOT come on hard to gain their trust and get their attention. Just enjoy participating, starting discussions and build some credibility. The rest will fall into place.

Quora

Quora is a very unique platform. It is an amazing blend of social media and a forum that really brings people together and provides tremendous value.

Quora is a fantastic place to find answers to any question imaginable.

Essentially, people ask questions on Quora and it is open to be answered by anyone. This is IDEAL for anyone trying to drive traffic.

Any topic can be discussed in detail. This allows user to really drill down and have an in-depth discussion. And getting involved in those discussions can really boost visibility and credibility. A regular user can easily become established as an expert and gain people’s trust.

Plus, using Quora is so easy. Just get on it and search for relevant questions. It’s also wise to follow active people in your niche.

And finding and answering questions related to one of your blog posts or free eBooks or reports is simple and effective. Just answer the question with great information and link to your blog post of free report at the end.

Quora allows you to provide excellent responses while linking to your own relevant content.

Yahoo! Answers

Yes, Quora has improved on the Yahoo! Answers model. But Yahoo! Answers is still incredibly useful. In fact, it is the original question and answer forum. And Yahoo! itself has been around a long time.

Yahoo! Answers has a points system for answers. The better the answer, the more points awarded. Plus, people who give the best answers can be featured in the Yahoo! blog. Talk about great exposure and credibility building!

Again, as with Quora, the idea is to search for questions related to your blog of free offers. Then answer the questions and link to your content. And the best part is, any answers provided on Quora can be copied and pasted right into Yahoo! Answers, saving valuable time.

Reddit

Reddit is very popular. People spend a LOT of time on Reddit.

And Reddit is set up in a unique way. It is a massive forum that is made up of subtopics known as Subreddits. Each Subreddit is connected to a certain niche. And a single niche can have multiple Subreddits.

There are Subreddits on everything imaginable!

Anyone and everyone can find something of interest on Reddit. And this makes it a very valuable forum for internet marketers. Simply find Subreddits in your niche and get active. Create Subreddits.

Just be sure to get a feel for Reddit and any Subreddit you engage in. Each Subreddit has a unique feel. Some can be very sarcastic, witty, and use niche-specific slang. Others can be more proper and structured in their participation.

But beware. Reddit users are smart. They will spot a sales pitch before it is made and they can be especially harsh with spammers. So, tread lightly and simply engage as a fellow user. Only link to relevant content that people in that Subreddit would like.

As long as you share the same mindset and interests as the majority of Reddit users, you can build massive credibility and drive a lot of traffic.

It takes time to build a reputation on Reddit. But it pays off so well when you immerse yourself in the community.

Facebook Groups

Yes, Facebook has forums—in the form of Facebook groups.

That is essentially what Facebook groups are—forums. They offer people with similar interests a platform to get together and talk with each other.

And since people spend so much time on Facebook, this is truly a goldmine. Seriously, Facebook is HUGE. Zephoria reports that there are more the 2 billion Facebook users and that the average user spends 20 minutes a day on Facebook.

When a Facebook user belongs to a group, they get notifications every time a post is made. This means there is greater visibility for anyone posting in a Facebook group. The key is to join niche-related Facebook Groups and get active.

And best of all, anyone can start a Facebook group in any niche they want. This is a great way to build credibility and establish yourself as an expert.

And now, having talked about these great Community Engagement Platforms, it’s important to know this is just the beginning. It’s not enough just to join these communities. There are certain steps that must be taken to ensure tons of traffic is driven through these forums.

Follow these five steps and the traffic WILL begin to flow…

5 Steps To Drive Tons Of Traffic Through Community Forums

Just joining a forum is NOT enough.

It’s only the first step in a journey that has the potential to drive significant traffic. The key to driving traffic through community forums is to genuinely become part of the community. And this can be done by following these steps…

1. Get Active

To drive substantial amounts of traffic from community forums, the key is to be fully active.

And being active on a forum is what it’s all about!

The first step in becoming active is to build a complete profile. This profile needs to be genuine. Include a photo. Write a thoughtful bio that includes relevant skills and experience. Be honest about who you are and what you have to offer the community.

It’s also critical to get a feel for the community.

Learn how other members of the forum interact with each other. Learn the tone of the conversations. Is it more professional or casual? Do people use a lot of humor? Do they chum around with each other or provide very detailed information about topics being discussed?

Once the profile is set up and the feel of the community has been established, it’s time to engage. Read the threads. Comment when there is something relevant and useful to say. Start threads when there is a need.

Over time, the people on the forum will get to know you. This will go a long way to building trust and credibility.

But keep in mind that every post must deliver…

2. Value First

Provide value first and foremost!

Nothing else matters! No one is going to click on any links posted if they don’t feel the information that is posted is valuable. That means that every response and comment, every bit of information shared MUST be of value. It must be relevant. It must be thoughtful. The more value provided, the better.

And above all else—BE YOURSELF!

Be authentic in everything you contribute. Have a unique voice and message that makes it possible to stand out from the crowd. Otherwise, yours will be just another voice lost in a sea of voices.

The more engagement and the more value provided, the more credibility grows.

So, join the community with the aim of being part of it—NOT with the goal of driving traffic. In the end, the traffic WILL come.

3. Be Consistent

I cannot begin to express the importance of consistency when engaging in forums.

Consistency is key!

Post regularly and build on those posts over time. Being active every single day is critical for success. It might seem like a lot of commitment to post every day, but it doesn’t have to take up much time. Spend 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening. Post comments and provide advice. Answer questions and start a thread.

But that commitment is NEEDED for success!

When this is done consistently, after a few months—definitely a year or two—there will be a following of loyal customers. I know this might seem like a long time. But considering these customers were gained at no cost and are incredibly loyal, it’s worth the time and effort.

4. Utilize Links

Links are your best friend on community forums.

Yes, the posts might just contain information. No direct selling is happening. But including a link in your post is a subtle way of pointing people in the right direction.

Use links wherever you can!

Link to your website in your bio, signature (most forums have signatures), and in any relevant posts. Just be sure to know the rules for links with each platform. Some platforms don’t allow affiliate links. Some don’t allow links to Amazon products.

For example, Quora doesn’t allow an answer to be written only to sell something or just for the purpose of linking somewhere. The answer provided must be coherent in order to be approved. This ensures Quora maintains its reputation as a great place to get answers. So, if great information is provided, then it is acceptable to include a relevant link at the end.

Another option for links is to link to a relevant piece of content. Say there is a question that your blog has answered in the past. Provide a short answer, then link to that blog post if the reader wants to find out more.

The whole idea is to use links to get people into your funnel. Never try to sell people on forums. The attempt will come across as sleazy and ruin credibility.

The forum is for engaging and subtly directing—NOT for selling.

5. Guide People Into Your Funnel

I can promise that if someone comes across as spammy on forums, people WILL see right through it.

If this happens, all credibility goes out the window. Period.

Before this journey into the realm of forums even begins, a clear funnel should be established. It is important to know where the funnel begins and where it will end. Then people can be gently guided into that funnel.

Understand that when first joining the forum, the traffic generated will be cold traffic.

This is just like traffic from paid advertising. They don’t know the brand or the person behind it at all. But the more time spent on forums, the more they get to know you. The traffic shifts to warm and then to hot.

And HOT traffic buys.

To get people into the funnel, link to relevant content that provides value. These links will take people out of the forum and into your territory. The best links will go to a blog post or to a free offer—where the person’s email address will be collected.

For instance, there might be a question on Quora about nutrition. Answer the question (providing value) and include a link to a blog post about nutrition. Alternatively, link to a free offer, such as a report on nutrition.

Once people sign up for the email list, it is possible to take them to the next level of the funnel. And at this point, it is possible to sell them. Offer them a book, course, or coaching service. Start small and work them along the funnel over time.

That really is all there is to it. Just remember to always provide value and avoid selling in the forum and a following of loyal customers will grow.

Yes, it takes time and effort to drive traffic through Community Engagement Platforms. It can take many months of daily contributions to multiple forums.

But this time and effort are truly worth it. The following garnered from it will be very loyal as long as value is provided time and time again. The best Community Engagement Platforms include:

• Forums
• Quora
• Yahoo! Answers
• Reddit
• Facebook groups

The traffic that comes from these community forums is already warm or even hot because a relationship has had time to develop. They have come to trust. Credibility has been built. But only if these five steps are followed when posting in these forums:

1. Get Active—Create a profile and get to know the vibe of the forum. Then start posting!
2. Value First—Always provide value in every word posted. NEVER sell.
3. Be Consistent—Post daily to get the best results.
4. Utilize Links—Whenever and wherever links are allowed, use them.
5. Guide People Into The Funnel—The ultimate goal is to get people into the sales funnel. By using relevant links, as discussed above, people can be brought from the forum onto your turf. This eases them into the lowest level of the funnel.

Really, getting onto community forums and chatting with people is easy and natural. The more it is done, the more a part of the community you’ll become. And the more people’s trust and friendship is earned.

The key is to just be yourself and engage as much as possible.

Driving free traffic CAN be done. There are many ways to do it. To learn more about driving traffic from Community Engagement Platforms and other ways to drive free traffic…

Join us at our Free Traffic Bootcamp!

This is the best place to learn more great tips. And all attendees will gain access to tools that make it easier than ever to drive tons of traffic.

This Free Traffic Bootcamp will be run by experts who have years of experience. They want to help as many people as possible succeed.

Anyone who is serious about their online business CANNOT miss this bootcamp!

So, sign up now.

See you soon!

 

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How to Drive Massive Amounts of Free Traffic From Facebook And Twitter

EVERY business needs traffic to survive.

Online businesses have two ways to do this… Paid traffic AND free traffic. And both are necessary for lasting success.

Paid traffic is the traffic brought through things like advertising and purchasing email leads. This type of traffic takes very little time to generate, but it costs money.

On the other hand, free traffic costs—well—NOTHING.

It does take a lot more time and effort to make it happen. But that time and effort is well worth it.

With free traffic, awesome credibility is built over time. Followers get to know the brand and the person behind that brand. This makes the traffic warm and more open to entering the sales funnel.

Obviously, the more FREE traffic that can be generated, the better. And getting free traffic is not only possible—it’s really simple to do!

Plus, the best part is there are so many forms of free traffic to take advantage of. Social media is one great source of free traffic. And two of the very best social media platforms are Facebook and Twitter.

Why Social Media?

Social media—it’s where everyone is!

Anyone who operates any kind of business—online or offline—CANNOT ignore social media. Why? Take a look:

• There are 46 billion social media users—that’s 1/3 of the Earth’s population! (Statista)
• 92% of companies use social media for hiring new employees. (The Muse)
• 34% of social media users use social media to find content. (Global Web Index)
• 27% of social media users use social media to research and find products.
• People are on social media for an average of 135 minutes per day. (Statista)

People LOVE social media. And it makes sense to meet them where they are already spending their time.

This is especially true of Facebook—which is the #1 social media platform.

Facebook

This is the 600-pound gorilla in the room. People spend SO much time on Facebook!

Facebook truly IS the king of social media.

Facebook has more than 2 billion monthly users. That is a HUGE audience base that cannot be ignored! Zephoria.com reports several reasons why:

• 510,000 comments and 293,000 status updates are posted on Facebook every minute.
• Every day, 75 billion pieces of content are shared.
• 50% of people ages 18-24 go on Facebook as soon as they wake up in the morning.
• One out of every five page-views in the U.S. is on Facebook.
• Every second, five new Facebook profiles are created.
• 42% of marketers says Facebook is important to their business.

Facebook is a place where people connect with who they know. It’s where they catch up and share with their friends and family. And people can post and enjoy all kinds of media on Facebook. This includes:

• Text
• Videos
• Pictures
• Links

People can Like and Follow people and pages, create events, comment, and share. Because of this, content can easily go viral.

And the more content goes viral, the more people will find and interact with a brand.

Twitter

So many people dismiss Twitter as useless for anything business-related.

After all, there are only 140 characters available at a time.

But here’s a little secret: Twitter’s 140 character limit is actually advantageous in some ways:

• It takes very little time to write a tweet.
• It takes very little time for someone to read a tweet—think busy people who don’t have time to read long posts.
• 140 characters is all that is needed to post a link, image, or short video.
• It makes it easier for people to click links, because the meat of the content will be on another website.

Twitter is a phenomenal way to make an initial connection with people and generate cold traffic. It makes the perfect first step in a funnel.

And tweets have massive potential to reach millions of people and go viral! Just take a look at these Twitter stats offered by Expanded Ramblings:

• Over 1 billion registered users
• Over 100 million daily active users
• Over 120 million unique visitors per month
• The average number of followers per Twitter user is 208
• Over 550 million accounts have sent at least one tweet
• 9,100 tweets are sent every second
• 34% of active users log on more than once per day
• 83% of world leaders use Twitter
• The US alone has over 67 million Twitter users

There is no way anyone serious about generating free traffic can ignore Twitter OR Facebook. The key is to know how to use these platforms effectively.

How to Drive Massive Amounts of Free Traffic From Facebook And Twitter

There is strategy involved in driving traffic from Facebook and Twitter. Just getting on and making random posts won’t do the job.

After all, millions of other people are doing the same thing.

The key is to leverage Facebook and Twitter to build a following and drive massive amounts of traffic. And there are four factors that are crucial to driving free traffic from social media.

Let’s take a look…

1. Unique Voice

Any brand or business owner MUST have a unique voice to stand out.

The same old, same old won’t draw people’s attention. There are going to be plenty of other people posting in the same niche. The key is to create a unique brand voice, one that speaks to who the person behind the brand truly is.

Seriously, people love authenticity. They love to see someone tackle problems from a unique perspective. This obviously applies to Facebook. But uniqueness is just as important on Twitter.

Twitter makes it possible to use humor, wittiness, quotes, short pieces of wisdom, and concise social commentary—all within that 140-character limit. Using this in a unique way will create a BIG organic buzz.

2. Consistency

Be CONSISTENT!

Post every day on Facebook. One daily post will reach followers and keep them engaged.

Post multiple times a day on Twitter. Twitter is a much faster-moving platform. Tweets are fed into the system so quickly that it’s easy for people to miss them. By posting at least three or four times a day, it is possible to reach and connect with more people.

Consistency is how a brand is built. Consistency helps build relationships and reputation.

And for the best results, consistency needs to be paired with great content.

3. Create Awesome Content

We’ve talked about the importance of consistency in terms of timing—but the type and quality of the content also needs to be consistent.

Know what works best and use that to draw people in.

Videos and images work best on Facebook. Tubular Insights reports that 500 million people watch Facebook videos every single day! This translates into 100 million hours of video watched each day.

When it comes to Twitter, plain text works better than on any other social media platform. People expect short bursts of text in a tweet. Having said that, images and videos also work well on Twitter.

It is critical to use keywords on both Facebook and Twitter.

Include keywords in descriptions, status updates, and tweets. Keywords in social media work just as they do with Google—they make the content more searchable.

On Twitter, keywords can also come in the form of hashtags. Using hashtags will ensure a tweet shows up for anyone searching that hashtag.

Just remember not to overuse keywords or hashtags. You can have too much of a good thing. After all, search engines and followers like there to be substance to what is posted.

And the content created should also be sharable.

This means creating content that gets people excited. They want to comment on it. They want others to see it. And there are so many ways to create shareable content, such as:

• Asking a question
• Asking people to share their experience
• Creating content people will definitely want to share

Comments, shares, and any other type of post interaction helps boost the post in the search algorithms.

But remember—NEVER try to sell on social media.

Have a funnel—but use social media to engage people and bring them into that funnel gently. In fact, social media is the first step in that funnel. It’s the entry point. Here’s an example:

When there is a tweet or Facebook post, it can link to a blog post. Then it goes like this:

Blog post > Email newsletter > Email sequence > Selling an offer.

And finally…

4. Get Engaged

Generating traffic through social media doesn’t only meaning engaging followers.

It’s also about BEING engaged.

Engagement is key for brand growth and building relationships. And being engaged is so easy! Here are some ways to do it:

• Follow people within the niche
• Respond to every question or comment on all profiles (especially when first starting out)
• Be generous with tagging people—Tag similar pages in Facebook posts and tweet at similar profiles in your niche. This gets the brand and the person behind it on people’s radars. And it gets them liking the brand and wanting to reciprocate.
• Share relevant content—Share relevant Facebook posts. Retweet relevant tweets. This enhances your visibility and credibility.
• Comment—Comment on Facebook posts in your niche. Comment in Facebook groups. On Twitter, respond to people’s tweets in your niche.

By engaging in these ways, people will see that it is about more than just your posts and the brand. It’s about getting out there and truly becoming part of the community.

At this point, we have talked about creating great content. And now it’s time to see the types of resources there are to help make that happen.

Resources For Creating Great Content

The written word is absolutely one of the most powerful things on this planet.

But there are two additional resources that can take that social media presence to the next level. These are:

• Images
• Video

These visual elements work well because people tend to be very visually oriented. This means images and video truly appeal to followers.

And because of the visual appeal, images and videos have massive viral potential.

Images

Images work well on any social media platform. Just think about it. Whenever there is an image, the eyes are automatically drawn to it. We just can’t help looking!

Plus, images are extremely shareable, whether on Facebook or Twitter.

It’s easy to find free images to use. In fact, there are resources for stock photos that are royalty-free and are part of creative commons. This means, use of these images doesn’t require permission or the need to cite the source of the photo.

Here are some places to get these free stock photos:

• Pixabay
• Pexels
• Unsplash
• io

As for stock photos that are paid for, Shutterstock is the best source (but it’s expensive).

However, the best images to use are ones you’ve photographed or created yourself. Creating images is simple with the right software. Canva offers an easy DIY option, using your own photos or their stock photos.

It is also possible to have someone else create images. There are plenty of freelancers out there who are highly talented and ready to help for a reasonable fee. Find the best on Upwork, Fiverr, and Guru.

Videos

People LOVE watching videos on social media!

Videos grab the attention in a way not even images can. And like images, videos are sharable and have viral potential on both Facebook and Twitter.

And making a video is so easy. Face-to-camera videos work great for Facebook and Twitter. Just get in front of the camera and talk. You can:

• Introduce yourself
• Introduce an employee
• Do a product review
• Do a demonstration
• Conduct an interview
• Do anything else related to the niche

All that is required for a face-to-camera video is a good webcam, which is inexpensive these days. Or simply get a selfie stick and use a smartphone.

And for those who don’t like being in front of the camera, there are screen capture videos. Just use some great screen-capture software, such as Screencast-O-Matic or Camtasia and record a voiceover.

For even more resources for making videos, see our blog post on driving traffic from YouTube.

And remember, once the images or videos are made, they can be shared across ALL social networks! Make it once and share it as many times as possible.

Social media is a huge piece of the puzzle when it comes to driving free traffic.

And Facebook and Twitter are the best social media platforms to use!

Reach millions—even billions—of users through Facebook and Twitter. Simply apply these four factors to Facebook and Twitter posts to build followers and bring them into the first stage of the sales funnel.

1. Unique Voice
2. Consistency
3. Create Awesome Content
4. Get Engaged

It is critical to engage with the niche community and to engage followers.

Using images and videos makes it possible to raise this level of engagement.

There is so much to know about driving free traffic. This is just the beginning.

To learn more advanced strategies, join us for our Free Traffic Bootcamp.

People attending this bootcamp will learn more great tips on driving free traffic. They will also gain access to tools that make driving free traffic easier than ever.

So, sign up for the Free Traffic Bootcamp now and learn from the experience of experts who have done it successfully.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

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