The following three steps are intended for new web sites but they can be just as effectively used for more established sites.
Step One: Set up a Bait.
Think of a bait as an attractive value proposition. One that that appeals to your target audience and is unique enough to stand out. A bait can also take the form of some incentive for the new visitor and should be concurrently intriguing or tempting. The bait should also represent your site in the best possible light.
Your bait should not be a one-off deal as you don’t want visitors disappearing and not coming back. At the very least, you should promote some recurring behavior on their end. This can take the form of a feed or email subscription or an introduction to other products/content/webpages of your website.
Here are some examples of bait you can set up for your website:
* Well written and original article
* Contests or Awards
* On-site web tool or application
* An interview with a notable personality
* An industry-specific ranking list
* Free items and resources
* Free gifts, discount bundles or deals
* Widgets for a community
Step Two: Send traffic towards the bait.
After you’ve set up the bait, you’ll need to promote it extensively. The aim here is to get as many people to view your bait as possible through a variety of marketing methods. The ultimate purpose of this is to spread awareness of your website and achieve your specific goals.
Before you start to generate any traffic to your bait, you’ll need to first decide what you want to gain from the traffic. Do you want to build your email or subscriber list? Or are you primarily looking to build links above everything else? You’ll need to optimize your website so that the traffic you receive will help you achieve your goals.
Here are some ways and sources you can use to send traffic towards your bait:
* Social media websites (networking/voting/news community sites)
* Niche forums and bulletin boards
* Emails to bloggers or webmasters in your niche.
* Payperclick advertising for your website
* Purchasing ads on well-trafficked and relevant websites
* Submission of articles to article directories and industry journals/other blogs
Step Three: Build a Community and Repeat.
After you’ve sufficiently promoted your bait, allocate some time to interact with your audience and produce follow-up content that fits their expectations and needs.
Write specific articles or produce content that is similar to your bait. The goal here is to immediately build a community around your website. It doesn’t matter how small your community is at this initial stage.
Analyze how your audience interacts with your site and responds to your bait. After a period of time, create a new piece of bait and try to target new audiences through the two steps above.