When Traffic is a Good Thing

Normally, when I think of "traffic," I think "bad!" Like, stuck in a traffic jam or having to navigate through the cars parked on both sides of the street for the neighborhood church's festival to get out of my neighborhood last weekend. Yes, in those cases -- traffic is bad.

But there is "good" traffic too -- as in traffic = visitors to your website.

Website traffic is -- for many business models -- the key to profits. The more traffic you have, the bigger your bottom line. This is particularly true for resume writing businesses that work with a national clientele. Whether you're launching a new product (perhaps a workbook touting "10 Top Interview Secrets") or just want a quick influx of cash (booked appointments!), sometimes you need tons of traffic quickly.

Here are five fast solutions to drive traffic to your resume writing business website.

1. Social media. Social media works quickly -- and if you have a large following on any of the social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), you can generate a ton of traffic to your website quickly. The key is to create attention-grabbing posts that arouse curiosity, make people laugh, or stir up a controversy. You want to generate click-throughs to your website.

Make the most of your social networking tactics and use technology to get the job done. For example, one StumbleUpon post can be integrated with both Facebook and Twitter profiles so you're making waves on all three social sites at once.

2. Blogging. Post on your own blog or be a guest blogger on a blog with a large number of subscribers. Like social networking, if you offer an informative, controversial, or entertaining post, you'll have people clicking through to your website like mad. Of course, if you also promote this wonderful blog post via social media, you can double your traffic results. (See tip #1.)

3. Article marketing. Article marketing works well when you concentrate your efforts on quality article marketing sites with large audiences. One well-written, informative article -- rewritten a few times, and submitted to a handful of directories -- can generate the traffic you're looking for. Be sure to include a bio box that includes a call to action and a link to your website to motivate click-throughs.

4. Video content. Video is one of the top traffic-driving sources online nowadays. It's amazing how quickly a video can go viral. Like print content, videos that entertain, stir up a bit of controversy, or offer tremendous value cause a buzz. They're forwarded to friends and downloaded on laptops and mobile devices around the globe. A good video can generate all the traffic you need. Again, integrate a bit of social media to promote your video, blog about it too, and you can multiply your traffic results. (The ability to do video is built into lots of tools nowadays. My favorite is the FlipCam -- which is no longer being made -- but I just discovered that my $150 Nikon Coolpix camera has built-in video ... it's not professional quality, but it would work for an online video -- especially one that you post on your blog.)

5. Partnerships. This strategy takes a little bit more work than the first four tips, but can yield significant traffic to your site. Partnering with a relevant or compatible business (career coaches, mental health counselors, real estate agents) can work quite well to generate traffic fast. The key is to come up with a mutually beneficial agreement. Find people in your industry that are willing to work with you and help each other drive traffic. A partnership may include guest blogging on each other's sites, swapping advertisements, or even promoting one another in your ezine. (If you are a generalist resume writer, partner with a resume specialist -- for example, someone who works with federal resumes or finance candidates, or IT specialists -- and swap content and traffic.)

For example, earlier this month, I partnered with Wendy Terwelp, who was promoting a "Rock Your Network®!" teleseminar training program for careers industry professionals. I contacted Wendy to see if she'd be interested in putting together a free preview call for resume writers. We launched the call about 10 days after I initially contacted her, and the 45-minute call was chock-full of great information about how to use social media in your careers industry business (both for yourself as well as for your clients). Wendy was able to reach 50+ careers industry professionals who listened to the call live (or the recording), and I was able to promote Resume Writers' Digest through her social media channels (her Facebook group and Twitter profile). It was a great partnership.

It is possible to drive a ton of traffic to your website fast. The trick is to have a plan in place, know your audience and your goals, and take action.

Guest Post: Five Tips to Build Your Business & Your Network Using Social Media

By Wendy Terwelp

1. Remember it’s about quality, not quantity. The goal of social media is truly about engagement. Creating real and helpful relationships leads to business growth. 
2. Social media is where the work is going. According to Chris Brogan, social media expert and entrepreneur, “Here’s how to get more leads, to nurture your prospects, to educate your buyers, to service your customers.” 
3. People buy from people they know, like, and trust. Social media helps people build trust by demonstrating their thought leadership, expertise, and personal brand.
4. “Remember you are dealing with people. Let your organization's real personality shine… work on creating remarkable experiences for your customers,” said Robbin Phillips, BrainsOnFire.com, in a tweet. Social media enables you to do just that.
5. Keep in mind “The Mom & Boss Test.” If your mom would be mortified or your boss would fire you, don’t post it! This is especially relevant advice for our job-seeker clients.

© 2011 ● Wendy Terwelp ● All rights reserved. ● Learn how to Rock Your Network® Online is Wendy’s upcoming class, starting June 9th! This class is designed especially for career industry professionals like you. Dubbed “LinkedIn Guru” by The Washington Post, Wendy is a recognized expert on networking both online and off. She is frequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Fast Company, The Philadelphia Inquirer, More Magazine, Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, ABC, NBC, radio shows and more.

New Issue of Resume Writers' Digest Available (Fall 2008)

The new issue of Resume Writers' Digest is now available. The cover story, by Wendy Terwelp, is about how to use social networking websites to grow your business -- and help your clients.

Wendy is also offering a special offer to readers if they purchase her "Rock Your Network® Online" social networking course. If you are one of the first 10 people who respond by Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, you will receive a free 15-minute laser coaching session with Wendy to crank up your online network.

The issue also features an article on how to "Turn a Good Customer Into a Loyal Customer in Just Six Steps," Robert Middleton's Action Plan Marketing article on "Nine Key Marketing Lessons," a Resume Writer's University article on using DISC profiles ("Resume Writing is DISC Easy," and an article on how to get publicity using New Year's Resolutions as a hook in your news release.

You can receive the newsletter for free if you are a subscriber (use the form at the top right-hand column of this blog). Or you can purchase this issue for just $3.

I'm on Facebook. Are You? Are Your Clients?

Well, I bit the bullet this week and joined Facebook. Once upon a time, I created a MySpace page (but never used it), and twice I've joined LinkedIn (resulting in two inactive profiles that only highlight my ongoing "identity crisis" caused by having a 15-year professional career in my maiden name, and my attempt for the past four years to "marry" my maiden name with my established personal brand developed with my often-mispronounced "old" name).

But I'm REALLY liking Facebook so far. Unfortunately, it's quite addictive too.

I was inspired to write this post by an e-mail from Jobsearch.about.com talking about online reputation management. The article noted, "There has been a significant increase in Facebook users over 25, with ComScore reporting an 181% increase in users in the 25-34 year old demographic and a 98% increase from those 35 years and older."

I'm not sure which demographic I appear in now, since I joined Facebook last week (just before I turned 35 on Sunday). In any case, I'm trying to persuade my husband to set up a profile (I've got several of my immediate family members in my network already, and almost all of his!). [By the way, he created my avatar, which I'm using as my current profile picture, above.]

I'll write in the future about online reputation management ideas (Wendy Terwelp has a great new program, Rock Your Network Online! that I'm excited to share more about soon), but I just wanted to show off my new profile picture.