It’s time to build traffic and start selling!

No matter if you’ve gotten a website through Blue Zoo Creative, some other company, or done one yourself, you’ve basically just built a business on a dead-end road without any signs.

But don’t despair!

To begin to build traffic to your website, we can take some lessons from traditional brick-and-mortar businesses and how they market and advertise. There are some twists to ensure you take advantage of the tools of the Internet, current technology, and your own ingenuity.

1) SHOUT IT!

That’s right. Simply tell EVERYONE you’ve ever known that you have a website. And, more specifically, what your website can do to help them.

You should come up with 100 people you can contact. From high school, old jobs, the health club you may go to, the coffee shop you visit in the morning, the restaurant where you have lunch. Basically, anyone you know on a first name basis and even those you may only refer to as “Mr.” or “Ms.” from a formal encounter.

Your goal here isn’t to ask for their business when you contact them. You are simply announcing your new endeavor.

Just begin the conversation or email with something along the lines of “Hey Bob! Hope you are doing well. I’m really excited about something and wanted to share. I launched a website that offers X, Y, and Z. Who do you know that could use these services?”

Most of the time when you talk with someone in person, they will ask questions to learn more. And since you didn’t specifically ask them for business, there is less pressure on them to say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’

Because you didn’t ask if THEY needed your services, they may say, “Well, I could use a service like that.” Or even, “You know, my friend Mike was just mentioning he needed something like this yesterday.”

Do your best to reach out and reconnect with people by phone or in person. They are a ‘warm’ market from which to start. And even if they aren’t interested, or can’t think of anyone, never take that as a rejection. They simply may not need what you are offering. Move on to the next person.

While some of you may say, “Ugh! I HATE selling!” Remember, a ‘warm’ call is simply a person who already knows you and by using the approach above, you’re not ‘selling,’ you’re just talking about what you are doing.

“Success is dependent on effort.” ~ Sophocles

Now, get out there and start shouting!

Eric

Coming up next….

Part 2) Power Networking
Part 3) Social Saturation
Part 4) Free Factoids
Part 5) Target Practice