Promoting yourself with Web 2.0. Where’s the traffic switch?
Getting started in a business online is tricky and promoting your product, opportunity, service or whatever, by just slapping up a website, sticking your web address on your business card and ” crossing your fingers”, just won’t cut it these days.
It’s exciting getting started with your first website and if you have ever been in that boat, you’ll be familiar with the process of checking your web stats pensively to see who has been visiting your site in the couple of minutes since you last checked them. Also exciting looking at those same stats first thing in the morning to see how hard your site has worked for you overnight, occasionally finding 20, or even 30 visits, only to discover that it was your friend, being a good friend, and checking your site a few times to give you some ‘traffic’. ;)
So, where IS the REAL traffic switch located on this thing? On most ‘things’ it’s often hidden. So you need to get a boost from other sources:
- Youtube - supposedly a traffic firehose, but sitting down and promoting your product in front of a camera, may not be for everyone.
- Twitter/Plurk - post brief messages to the world about what you are doing ‘right now’, but attracting ‘followers’ can be tricky.
- MySpace - add some friends and hope for some interest.
- Facebook - same.
- Blog about stuff - talk about subjects related to your product and interact with potential customers.
- Forums - join, develop a signature file and participate. Offer value.
- Social Bookmarking sites - get your site submitted to Digg/Reddit and hope you hit the home page
- Commenting - leave constructive comments on other people’s blogs. There’s often an opportunity to link back to your site in the comment form.
- Google - set up an AdWords campaign
These are just a few of the “2.0″ methods most people use to promote a business venture in 2008
So…what do YOU do?
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
“checking your web stats pensively to see who has been visiting your site in the couple of minutes since you last checked them”.
:) True. It feels so good to see your site has actually made some real traffic and comments.
I just started a community for budding bloggers who would like to help, promote and encourage each other. Its here http://buddingbloggers.ning.com