Five Strategies for Return Traffic
Guest Post by James Martell.
With over a decade’s experience in the online marketing business, I can tell you that things have changed. Just a few years ago, the best way to have success online was to get a high volume of unique visitors on a regular basis. To an extent, this is still important, but the key to success today is to have your visitors come back to your site on a regular basis.
Websites with a devoted following of users are among the most successful today, with a prominent example being daily deal sites such Woot or Groupon.
The significance of return traffic
In a recent interview I did for my Coffee Talk series with Ryan Allis, co-founder and CEO of iContact, a leading provider of email marketing software boasting more than 700,000 users, he told me that you will never see a whopping 70% of your traffic ever again if you don’t get them on your list. In other words, your time and effort would be best spent on getting your visitors to return to your website on a regular basis.
In general, if a product or service is expensive or complicated, a consumer must be exposed time and time again to the product or service before they will truly consider purchasing it. If a visitor to your website never comes back, they will not likely result in a sale or increased advertising revenue for you.
Search engines also play a very large part in this equation. Google and other search engines continue to monitor information about your website’s visitors, including how many times they return. Ranking highly in search engines for topics such as car insurance quotes, lift chairs, inflatable boats, wood routers, or doll houses requires you to get your users to come back.
In this article, I will discuss the five best strategies for creating effective return traffic.
1) Make use of RSS to Email
This is a fantastic piece of email automation software that can inform members on your list about the new content that you post. Best of all, you never have to lift a finger, with many options for automation.
Creating a weekly or monthly newsletter or sending email auto-responders can be incredibly difficult and time-consuming.
Fortunately, RSS to Email allows you to send out newsletters and auto-responders, but in a much simpler and easier way. Their automated service can allow you to notify your list members every single time you add new content to your website. This is a fantastic way to get your readers to return to your website and check out the new content you have posted.
My favorite feature on this program, however, is the scheduling tool. This allows you to send out a regular newsletter automatically with little to no work on your part. The scheduling tool can run as little or as often as you want, and it can crawl a number of websites, effectively combining different pages of content into one handy newsletter. It can even send out a newsletter to your list automatically, but you can also have it send you a preview newsletter so that you can approve its content yourself.
2) Release podcast updates
Considering the amount of people with online businesses today, very few marketers are making use of podcasts. However, they are easily one of the best ways to engage your visitors and have them return to your website.
Currently, I am the host of one of the longest running podcasts about affiliate marketing (The Affiliate Buzz) as well as my own series (Coffee Talk with James Martell). I use these podcasts to pique my visitor’s interest and convert them into devoted followers.
You could put together a 30-minute podcast in under an hour fairly easily. However, shorter podcasts (5 to 10 minutes) are becoming more and more popular. It is also very easy to automate your podcast publishing, allowing you to update your list members with very little work on your part.
3) Comment on your own blog
Users that are involved in your website will return regularly. One of the best ways to get your users involved on your website is to reply to comments on your own blog.
Thousands of visitors might read a post on your blog, but it’s typically quite rare for a reader to get involved and post a comment. For this reason, it’s important to write out thoughtful replies when someone takes the time to write a comment on your blog.
If you’re having trouble keeping track of comments on your blog, I would recommend WordPress plug-in called “Subscribe To Comments“. This plug-in can notify your website’s visitors when someone responds to their comment. It doesn’t cost anything, and it can be a fantastic way to deepen your website’s sense of community and get your visitors involved.
4) Utilize chat forums
Bulletin boards and chat forums have played a large role online since the birth of the internet. However, many online marketers tend to neglect internet forums. However, they remain one of the most effective tools for building a community on your website and getting your visitors invested. They also allow you to communicate with your visitors and have your visitors interact with each other, giving them valid reasons for returning on a regular basis.
My wife Arlene and I have had great success in building online communities with chat forums. Arlene’s website, EpilepsyMoms.com, has thousands of chat forum members that regularly participate in discussions about parenting children with epilepsy. These are the type of invested returning visitors that I consider to be the most valuable type of traffic.
5) Provide useful information
In today’s world, content is king. However, it is important to provide your users with well-written, informative content.
Try to remain open and interested to your community members, and provide useful information to all of your visitors. Through various forms of media, such as video, audio, or simple written articles, you can provide helpful advice, useful information, and fun, interesting content to your users, prompting them to come back on a regular basis.
Keep the visitors you have
If you wish to increase the traffic of your website and rank high in search engines for topics like car insurance quotes, Pride lift chairs, inflatable boats, wood routers, doll houses, and arc welders, it is likely a good idea to shift your focus from new visitors to return traffic.
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James Martell is a successful author, podcaster, and speaker. He’s a leading expert in affiliate marketing and outsourcing as well as a specialist in SEO. James is host of the Affiliate Buzz podcast on WebmasterRadio.FM (the first ever and longest running podcast about the affiliate industry), and creator of the Affiliate Marketers SUPER BootCamp where he teaches others how to make money with affiliate marketing. He lives in White Rock BC, a seaside suburb of Vancouver on west coast of Canada with his wife, Arlene.
Read MoreContest: Win a Gold Pass for Affiliate Summit East 2011!
Just getting into Affiliate Marketing and unsure where to start? You should attend Affiliate Summit East 2011! I haven’t been around much lately, with work and having my wisdom teeth removed, but I’m back for awhile and I have a Gold Pass to give away ASAP! The gold pass will give the winner admission to the Meet Market, Exhibit Hall, Keynotes, Sunday educational sessions; access to all recorded session videos; and PowerPoint presentations. This pass does not include access to Monday and Tuesday sessions in person. However that means that you can still come to my session, The Future of Coupons in Affiliate Marketing, on Sunday from 3:30pm to 4:30 pm in the Grammercy Suite. There are a few ways you can enter this quick contest!
Ways to Enter
(Leave 1 SEPARATE Comment for EACH Entry).
- 1 Entry – Follow TrishaLyn on Twitter.
- (Leave a Comment here with your Twitter name)
- 1 Entry – Follow Affiliate Marketing Fanatics on Twitter & Give us a shout out
- (Leave a Comment here with your Twitter name & a link to your Tweet with @AMF_Podcast in it.)
- 1 Entry – Like Affiliate Marketing Fanatics on Facebook & post what your favorite part of our podcast is.
- (Leave a Comment here with a link to your post)
- 1 Entry – Post on Twitter something like “I’ve entered to win an #ASE11 Gold Pass on TrishaLyn.com & you can too! http://www.linq2.us/ase11pass @TrishaLyn”
- (Leave a Comment here with a link to your Tweet).
If you don’t know how to get the link to your tweet, you can check out BenSpark.com’s handy directions for getting a link to a tweet. I’m taking a page out of Drew’s book and using Random.org to select the winner. You have until midnight Pacific time on July 31, 2011 to enter and the winner will be selected on August 1, 2011. You’ll receive a code to use for registration for Affiliate Summit East 2011. Please spread the word if you don’t need a pass yourself as someone else out there does!
Read MoreThanks, Pro-California Merchants
Seriously, thank you to all the merchants who are based in California that are reaching out to affiliates dropped from other programs to offer their services to get affiliates up & running with their programs. And especially thanks to out-of-state affiliate merchants who are working WITH California affiliates to get through this law and not make the affiliates suffer.
Since I’m keeping a list of merchants dropping California affiliates, I thought it only fair to keep complimentary lists of merchants KEEPING California affiliates. Some of these merchants already have traditional sales tax nexus in California due to physical retail stores. Others have warehouses or corporate offices located within the state. Some, it’s important to note, are services which are not subject to sales tax at all. And still others – in the hardest situations – are choosing to make adjustments internally that will allow them to continue working with their California-based affiliate partners. If you’re a member of these programs, shoot the affiliate manager a hearty thank you for going to bat for their affiliates!
Please let me know if I’m missing any deserving merchants who have reached out to affiliates in California to support them. This list was last updated at 4:25 PM PDT on 8/1/11.
Keeping California Affiliates:
- 4Checks.com
- AC Lens
- AllPosters.com
- Art.com
- Barnes & Noble
- Baseball Rampage
- Best Buy
- Betty Mills
- Biggerbooks.com
- Blurb
- Business Checks
- Buy.com
- BuyCostumes.com
- CampSaver.com
- Carousel Checks
- CCBerries.com
- Checks Unlimited
- Cherry Moon Farms
- Christianbook
- ChristianGear.com
- Clickinks.com
- CPO Outlets
- DeepDiscount.com
- Deluxe
- DesignForYourWine.com
- Drugstore.com
- eBay
- eCampus.com
- eHealth Insurance
- EverythingFuriture.com
- EverythingOfficeFurniture.com
- Expand2Web Small Business WordPress Theme
- Extra Value Checks
- Fanatics
- GearForGoldens.com
- Girly Checks
- GreekGear.com
- GuidoGear.com
- Guitar Center
- Half.com
- Hancock Fabrics
- HappyBidDay
- Homestead
- Inkgrabber
- JoAnn Fabrics
- JustIrishStuff.com
- KelleyFurniture.com
- Kmart
- Knetbooks.com
- KnowEm
- Kodak Gallery
- Koyal Wholesale
- Layla Grayce
- Lot 26
- Loxly Gallery
- Makais.com
- MilitaryGearUSA.com
- MountainReservations.com
- NationalityShop.com
- Netflix
- NewEgg.com
- Office Depot
- Office Max
- Oneida
- PartyBeans
- Personal Creations
- Petco
- PetSmart
- Pets Warehouse
- ProFlowers
- PsPrint
- RavenTools
- RedEnvelope
- Ring Central
- Sears
- SellBackBooks.com
- Shari’s Berries
- Sheet Music Plus
- Shoe Shopping Spree
- Shopping.com
- Softball Rampage
- Spoonful of Comfort
- Surf Fanatics
- Target
- Tax Brain
- Tea Collection
- TheClymb.com
- TheFurnitureParadise.com
- Tiny Prints
- TShirtHub.com
- Viator
- Walmart
- Waxing Poetic
- WicksWorks
- WyzAnt
Thanks for Nothing, Jerry Brown
Gov. Jerry Brown signed the budget today, which included affiliate nexus language. So, there goes a substantial part of the income of 25,000 small business in California. The Performance Marketing Association reported it earlier today. Executive Director Rebecca Madigan is in Sacramento today attempting to do what she can to benefit Affiliates.
Unfortunately one of the bills that was included also included very vague language about even doing business with California based vendors, hosting companies, etc, so effectively this affects not just the affiliate marketing industry in California, but all small businesses.
Way to go, Jerry, shoot California in the foot.
Luckily for me, I do not make the bulk of my income from being an affiliate. My ventures into acting as an affiliate have been mostly for the learning experience and to try to offset the costs of domains and hosting for my various web-based hobbies.
This does impact my husband’s site, RailroadRedux.com, as he has a large Amazon widget recommending different model railroading books, and impacts my site GirlScoutGuide.com as Fabric.com exclusively carries Girl Scout licensed fabric.
Affiliate Programs Dropping CA Affiliates (Updated As Of 12:45 PM PDT 7/26/11)
- 6pm.com
- 1-800-PetMeds
- Adorama
- Amazon.com
- Amerimark
- Backcountry
- Bag.com
- BagsBuy.com
- Bargain Catalog Outlet
- Barware.com
- BedBathStore
- B&H Photo
- Boden
- BookCloseouts.com
- BrickHouse Electronics
- Brylane Home
- BuildDirect.com
- Cabela’s
- Calvin Klein Jeans
- Camp Saver
- Candelabras.com
- CD Universe
- ChristmasCardsDirect.com
- CKU
- Collections Etc.
- Compact Appliance
- Costume Craze
- CreateForLess.com
- CSN Stores
- Cymax
- Dermadoctor
- Dr. Leonard’s
- Endless.com
- Eurosport
- Fabric.com
- Fingerhut
- FootSmart
- GAIAM
- Garden.com
- Gardeners Supply
- Gettington
- HalloweenCostumes.com
- Hayneedle Stores
- Herroom
- Jessica London
- KingSize Direct
- K. Jordan
- Luggage Online
- Maryland Square
- MetroKitchen
- Movies Unlimited
- MyFavorite Shoe Store
- OneStopPlus
- Overstock.com
- Overstock International
- PC Connection
- PhotoCardsDirect.com
- Potpourri Group
- Powells.com
- Roaman’s
- Shindigz
- Shoe.com
- ShoeBacca
- ShoeBuy.com
- ShopBop.com
- ShoppersChoice.com
- Silkpalms.com
- SmartBargains.com
- Spiritline
- StumpParty
- TABcom
- theWineEnthusiast
- ThinkGeek
- TimeForMeCatalog
- Total Gym
- Woman Within
- Woot.com
- Zappos.com
I’ll keep this list up to date, so if you are a CA affiliate and get dropped by a merchant not on this list, please let me know.
Edited to add: when my husband came home and I told him to remove his Amazon widget, he decided to not just remove it, but to replace it with a message to his site’s visitors telling them why his book recommendations were removed and urging people not to shop with Amazon.com in support.
Read MoreDue to recent changes in California law which negatively affect affiliates, and the fact that Amazon dropped all affiliates who reside in California, I will no longer be featuring deals from Amazon.com. I strongly recommend that you no longer use Amazon.com or any of their services due to the poor way they treat the people that advertise for them.
Affiliate Marketing Fanatics 55: Interviewing Erin Cigich
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Affiliate Marketing Fanatics – A couple of hyper-caffeinated affiliate marketers (Mike Buechele) and (Trisha Lyn Fawver) talk about all things Affiliate Marketing. From blogging to branding, social media to search, video and more!
You’ve come to love it – our interviews! This go-round we’re interviewing speakers at the upcoming Affiliate Summit East at the New York Hilton in New York City. Today we’re chatting with Erin Cigich about her origins in affiliate marketing & her presentation “Making Affiliate Marketing a Career”. In in this episode we discuss:
- Erin’s ascent to the top at Clickbooth, her origins in marketing , and SEO.
- Determining your strengths to maximize your longevity and stability in affiliate marketing.
- Clickbooth’s new CPC network & staying flexible with your niches and traffic sources.
- Follow Erin on Twitter: @ErinCigich
- Include Erin’s presentation on your calendar, Sunday August 21st at 3:30pm in Sutton (South & Regent)
- Show some love to today’s co-host Eric Nagel! Blog: EricNagel.com & Twitter: @esnagel
Find us on Twitter: @AMF_Podcast, @MikeBuechele & @TrishaLyn. Like us on Facebook! Be old fashioned and just leave us a comment!
Special thanks to GeekCast.fm for hosting Affiliate Marketing Fanatics!
Read MoreAffiliate Marketing Fanatics 54: Interviewing John Monarch
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Affiliate Marketing Fanatics – A couple of hyper-caffeinated affiliate marketers (Mike Buechele) and (Trisha Lyn Fawver) talk about all things Affiliate Marketing. From blogging to branding, social media to search, video and more!
You’ve come to love it – our interviews! This go-round we’re interviewing speakers at the upcoming Affiliate Summit East 2011 at the New York Hilton in New York, NY. Mike’s a busy beaver and needs a break, so my co-host for this episode is the awesome Eric Nagel! Today we’re chatting with John Monarch about his origins in affiliate marketing & his “Ask the Expert” topic “High Risk Merchanting – Management and Risk Mitigation”. John is the President of Monarch Holdings LLC. In this episode we discuss:
- John’s origins in the Physics world and his transition into affiliate marketing.
- Some fellow former physicists Karen Garcia & Brad Waller.
- Merchants in certain niches need to be aware if their space is considered “high risk” by the banking industry (like smaller travel merchants).
- John’s ready to talk to merchants about their banking and how to avoid charge backs and keep their rates at a reasonable risk level.
- The difference between a charge back and a refund. A charge back, whether won or lost, still counts against a merchant’s charge back number.
- Put John’s discussion on your Affiliate Summit Schedule! Monday August 22nd, 5:00 – 6:00 pm in the Networking Space.
- Follow John on Twitter: @papajohn56
- Show some love to today’s co-host Eric Nagel! Blog: EricNagel.com & Twitter: @esnagel
Find us on Twitter: @AMF_Podcast, @MikeBuechele & @TrishaLyn. Like us on Facebook! Be old fashioned and just leave us a comment!
Special thanks to GeekCast.fm for hosting Affiliate Marketing Fanatics!
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