We’re getting the band back together again! đ I’m on my way to my first conference of the year in ATL. Not to speak. Not to promote. Not to relax. It’s a business conference for MY business – where I’m going to be “masterminding” with Lamar Tyler and crew about Traffic, Sales and Profit.Â
Ask nearly anyone who runs an online business what their biggest struggle is, and chances are theyâll say âmore traffic.â
You need traffic to build an email list.
You need traffic to make sales.
You need traffic to sell more books and get speaking gigs.
So the big question is, where do you get all that traffic?
Sure, you could buy ads, but if you arenât careful, you might just fill your list with less-than-ideal audience members and that will do nothing for your sales. You could focus your time and energy on search engine optimization but unless you have years to build your business (and who does?) then SEO should not be your top choice.
Good thing you have other options. Here are some ideas I have for you to chew on now and I’ll have more when I get back from ATL:
 ⥠Be a Guest
Everyone needs content. Itâs the one thing that remains consistent among all content creatorsâthere is never enough. Thatâs where you can help.
By guest posting on other authorsâ or speakers’ blogs, you can âborrowâ some of their traffic.
You canât simply regurgitate old content and send it out in a dozen directions though. To get the best results, youâll want to:
- Create custom content designed with your hostâs unique audience in mind.
- Provide stellar value with actionable ideas and strategies not found everywhere else.
- Inject your personality so those new to you will instantly connect with you.
- Offer a compelling reason to click through to your website or blog for more information.
 ⥠Partner Up
No list? Hereâs a quick way to âborrowâ someone elseâs list to kickstart your own: Schedule a free event with a partner.
Hereâs how it works.
- You (as the one with the small list) create a compelling, free training which leads naturally to a low-cost, no-brainer product.
- Install an affiliate tracking system such as Infusionsoft or Eventbrite.Â
- Offer your best affiliates a higher percentage of profits in exchange for co-hosting your webinar and bringing their traffic along for the ride.
This is a win/win for both of you, as you gain the traffic while your affiliate gets a bigger payday. Just be sure you have a good funnel in place so that your new list members can benefit from all that you have to offer.
⥠Get Interviewed
Want to really show off your expert status and bring traffic back to your site, too? The easiest way is to get on the interview circuit. Just like authors with new books and actors with new movies, coaches and service providers can get in front of new audiences simply by answering questions about what they know.
Of course, youâre probably not going to appear on the Today Show or Oprah (although thatâs not impossible), but there are still plenty of opportunities out there for authors, speakers and consultants in every niche. (My mentoring program shares tons of these).Â
Look for interview and speaking opportunities on:
- Podcasts (I’ll be relaunching mine soon too)
- Other blogs
- YouTube
- Periscope
- Local events
- Industry conferences
- Telesummits
Start by reaching out to your colleagues and to podcast and blog hosts you most admire. Get the word out with your friends and your list that youâre looking for opportunities.
Even if you donât yet have a list of your own, itâs easy (and fun) to kickstart your audience growth simply by making yourself available for these and other opportunities. Each guest post, podcast interview and webinar is another chance to get in front of a whole new market, so take advantage of it!
I’m a collaborator and a connector. I’ve known Lamar Tyler, Lashanda Henry, Deborah Owens, Richelle Shaw, Jai Stone for a long time (since 2007 and we were doing telesummits together in 2011)…. but you can always learn from each other. That’s why I’m excited about this TSP Event with Lamar! I’m always looking for ways to sharpen my saw. How about you? What are you going to do different this year? And who are you going to get to mentor you and hold you accountable to all your bright ideas you have swimming inside of your head?
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