Far too many website owners sing the chorus of "More traffic pleeeasssee!!!"
The marketing is out there by very crafty service providers that promise more traffic, lots of customers and increased revenue. However with direct response marketing a ton of traffic does not always equal income! If the people coming to your website are not your ideal client they are doing nothing for your business.
If you have paid a search engine service to process your website to thousands of search engines at a time it's about time you stop being so easily impressed. If your search is for 2-3 new customers per month you really are not running a business. But to find 100 new unique visitors who are targeted strategically for your product or service is another story.
Traffic is not king.
Here's an example for you- If I market a special hot straightening iron that has a new spray feature to soften the hair this would be very profitable online considering the enormous demand for such items. But if I paid a search engine or marketing firm to get me more 'traffic' and they put their advertisements on hunting websites and car repair forums I will NOT end up with a slew of ideal clients to my website. Actually it will be miraculous if I get any traffic from this kind of situation.
Another example. You have a product for executive working women. This product is for very successful 7 figure earning executive working women.
Let's say you hire someone who claims to have access to thousands of working women. So you role out a campaign, you pay them, you're excited and can't hardly wait to see the results! ( CLUE- not normal for an aggressive business owner, more on that)
The ad is written, looks great, attention is given to the color, the font and the layout. You approve the ad. You can't sleep!
The ad is then marketed to working moms, executive moms and working women at a variety of websites online. Sounds good so far, right?
Well don't get all excited yet.
If your product is geered specifically for women who run 7-figure businesses and are familiar with the challenges of a Stage 2 business from $ 1 million- $10 million dollars in profits how will it pull on these websites?
There is no way to know unless the appropriate work has been done. Here are a few clues:
- What is the Alexa ranking of the website
- What are the current demographics
- What websites link into this page regularly
- How long has the website been in business
Alexa Ranking:
If the Alexa ranking is higher than 900,000 I typically would not waste my money. That website is probably seeing 3000-4000 visitors per month, about 50% might be unique ( new clients and visitors). Steer your way to a popular website with a LOWER Alexa ranking. The lower the better!
Demographics:
The demographics will tell you a lot. If the working women who come to the website work at home, have little children, are part time workers, who earn less than $ 50,000 per year and typically only spend $ 250 per year on products at the website it is far too small for your goals. Be sure to ask for the demographics of the website and be sure that they align with the product or service you are offering.
More info on demographics and psychographics:
Not all working women can relate to a $ 10 million dollar company. Many have been raised with the notion that $ 1 million dollars is something they'll never see, never earn, could never do and still have a family. CLUE- wrong website.
Websites linking in:
What websites are linking in to this website- this will show you a lot about who their clients are, what they know and a more indepth review of the demographics. Look for a psychographic report as well of these clients and customers.
Age of business:
The age of the website you might seek to advertise on is also very important. This will give you a lot of clues as to how professional they are, whether the tech team behind the website is up to speed, what the current experience is. Age doesn't always mean a good website because there are websites out there that have been around for a long time but are still using old school marketing methods. Always partner with experienced website owners and businesses who are up to speed on the current market.
With this information in mind it becomes easy to see that a service meant for executive women might not be valued by a stay at home mom struggling to earn $1000 per month. Equally a product for moms who want to supplement their income would not necessarily be received well by an executive type mom who typically works with a 7 and 8 figure budgets.
Targeted traffic that is aligned with your message is the goal.
Direct response marketing is built around this premiss: Give a client or customer what they are already saying they want.
Find a website that is catered to clients who are seeking a resolve to the specific problem your product or service solves. 10 targeted perfectly aligned new prospects could lead to 100,000 amazing long term paying buyers. But beware because 100,000 poorly targeted prospects could cost your business. It could get you listed as a Spammer, a bother and someone to avoid.
Clue: big business owners are not emotionally attached to their advertising and marketing and they are not impressed by big claims. Big business owners are impressed by one thing- results. Cash. A ton of traffic does not guarantee a lot of cash.
Get the right traffic and then convert it to sales!
