Please help, spent a ton of time on developing a website and I'm having trouble getting traffic!

[EcoWest]

Hi I'm new to the forum, i created the website FreeYourFootprint.com which is a niche website focused on people who want to "go green" and offset their carbon footprint for free. I know this is not the kind of site that is usually brought up here but after reading through the forums for days i feel like you guys have the expertise i have been looking for. I have done some offline marketing and some social marketing etc yet after all the money I have spent on the project I am running low on marketing funds so I was hoping a few people could check out my website and recommend a way to start to get decent traffic. I know that there is a huge market for this kind of thing and i have gotten some great feedback and interest (2 local newspapers here in Orlando will be doing a story on it next week) but i need some advice on how to market it through the net. I REALLY appreciate any advice and I'm hoping to do some real good with this project!

[EcoWest]

Also I am about to hire someone for SEO/link building work, is this a good place to start?

[Dennis-White]

Have your tried, article marketing?

[EcoWest]

Not yet, i have been reading a lot about it and i already have some articles written that are posted on my site, but being a noob and reading all these forums about the technicalities and strategies of article marketing Im somewhat confused on where to start and what path to take...

[waken]

Okay, if you're talking about traffic.. then here are some ways (free one) but if your concern is on the profitability, I doubt that it's going to be profitable ..

As mention, Article marketing is great. It's free and yet able to generate targeted traffic that is comparable to that of Adwords. It's just required more effort. The first step to start with article marketing is this Bum Marketing Method - Free Traffic Tips .

Next, go here: All-In-One: All About Article Marketing

2) Video marketing
3) Web 2.0 marketing - All-In-One: Social Marketing Strategies
4) List building
5) Forum marketing
6) JV marketing

Just make a search and you'll find tons of gold on this forum itself about each of these subject.

[Karen Blundell]

my personal favorite thing to get massive traffic is by giving away something free that has your website address on it. It is viral.
My advice to you is this: Create a free report about your niche that you can distribute to thousands of people. Within that report are links to your websites. At every opportunity give out that free report. Use it to get leads too! Make your website visitors optin to get the free report. It is a fairly simple strategy.

[EcoWest]

Originally Posted by Karen Blundell

my personal favorite thing to get massive traffic is by giving away something free that has your website address on it. It is viral. In my case it was easy, I created web templates and themes and joined a few open source communities where I distributed them and the rest is history!
My advice to you is this: Create a free report about your niche that you can distribute to thousands of people. Within that report are links to your websites. At every opportunity give out that free report. Use it to get leads too! Make your website visitors optin to get the free report. It is a fairly simple strategy.

Im already providing a free service (offset your carbon emissions for free), but if i create this report how do i get it out to "thousands of people"?

[DougHughes]

Originally Posted by waken

Okay, if you're talking about traffic.. then here are some ways (free one) but if your concern is on the profitability, I doubt that it's going to be profitable ..

As mention, Article marketing is great. It's free and yet able to generate targeted traffic that is comparable to that of Adwords. It's just required more effort. The first step to start with article marketing is this Bum Marketing Method - Free Traffic Tips .

Next, go here: All-In-One: All About Article Marketing

2) Video marketing
3) Web 2.0 marketing - All-In-One: Social Marketing Strategies
4) List building
5) Forum marketing
6) JV marketing

Just make a search and you'll find tons of gold on this forum itself about each of these subject.

These are all good. I don't know what your budget is but if you have a decent ad budget you can buy media. No other source will bring you as much traffic as media buying.

You can do PPC, PPV, CPM, mail drops, etc... You could buy remnant TV spots which are much cheaper than regular televised ads.

You can advertise on Facebook, Yahoo, ADSDAQ, Pulse360, Microsoft, Google, Azoogle etc...

Get on the ol' telephone and work out a partnership arrangement. I don't know what your product is but I'm sure you can work something out. You just have to figure out what the value is to the other company to promote your site. It could be they look good by supporting "green" whatever and you benefit from them putting a logo with your web address in their corporate literature.

Of course that is only one example. I'm sure if you think for a while and are serious about your business you can come up with something more creative.

[EcoWest]

Yeah i have a few ideas that i am implementing now that deal with offline marketing, yet because my website's income is adsense i can not pay much for PPC advertising because it is not worth the $ right now. Once i get decent traffic i will expand to offering products on my site that will increase my revenue stream but for now i need to work on the viral marketing and other free forms of marketing to increase my user base.

Thanks to all that are replying, all this info is priceless!!!

[Clark]

Start here -> Trees for the Future>Partnerships>Business Partnership Information

Get them to broadcast something out to their mailing list about your quiz/cause.

Benefits from Partnership:

Our partners receive space in the partnership section of our website, and are often mentioned in our monthly e-newsletter as well as our quarterly magazine, The Johnny Ipil-Seed News. We also provide signed certificates documenting the partnership, as well as the number and location of the trees planted.

Then get some more exposure from here (and others like it) -> Causes on Facebook | Trees for the Future - over 10,000 members!

Find, document and participate in some eco-friendly forums/social network sites (like the one above) to spread the word about your site while imparting some of your eco-wisdom to build a following.

Create your own Auto-responder sequence to recycle traffic back to your site as those who are likely to complete the quiz would also be interested in more information about the cause (it appears that your site is just a one-time visit -> not good).

Better idea would be to have them opt-in, complete the quiz, then send them the results via auto-responder along with a gift (free CPA offer/white paper on current global eco-state).

Do ad-swaps with others in your niche.

Get interviewed by the blogging community in your Forest (niche).

Press Release - send one out at every relevant milestone your site reaches.

The long and the short of it is this.....

- You need to completely understand who the raving lunatics are about the subject you chose. Browse through the Facebook page I linked to above with over 10,000 tree huggers and study them until you know how they tick.

- Find out where they like to socialize about their heartfelt cause and then socialize with them. Share your quiz/cause and also, ASK them to share it with their friends.

- Find out where they meet-up for events/rallies/riots and become a sponsor of that cause and/or become the known resource of such collective information.

- Find out what they buy and where they buy (insert your marketing message here). Become an affiliate of those products too.

Track and follow the herd and they will become yours.

Screw Google... leverage online/offline properties where your site can be marketed to those who are the most interested in your subject.

If there is any way you can have software developed that would measure an individual's CO2 footprint on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis along with its impact on "THEIR" environment (as a standalone app or better yet, a membership site) then you'll clear-cut your way through the noise to reach those who want to listen, often.

There's a tonne that you can do on the cheap to attract "traffic"... study the movements/patterns of those most likely to utilize your site and the answers will become very obvious to you.

Again, don't be seduced by Google/SEO as you WANT to see the Forest for the Trees (Ah-thank you)... Big G, Y! and B will find you regardless. ** this is my answer to your question in post #2) ***

Give coupons for Free Firewood - Doh, don't do that
.

[EcoWest]

wow GREAT response!!! Thanks for that info!! Yeah as for it being a one time only visit- we are adding 3 new games this month so hopefully will attract return visitors and i will defiantly look into the techniques you described that i have not tried already, thanks again!