Three Ways to Offer Free Services or Gifts to Promote Increase
Website Traffic
Copyright 2006 Anton Cheranev
Not all online marketing tactics work the same for all the
different websites, but in order to increase the traffic to your
website, you may have to offer free services or other
promotional gifts. Offering free services or promotional gifts
to the visitors of your website can mean all the difference in
the world when converting a visitor into a customer. People like
freebies, whether it is free shipping, a freebie, or buy one get
one free offer. People like to know they are getting a great
deal and they will often flock to the source to see what is
available. Best of all, people always remember where they got
their freebie from, especially if it is an item that can be used
often.
There are literally thousands of ways to promote your website
and to increase the traffic, but it is up to you to find the way
that works best for your website. Here are the top three ways to
offer free services or promotional gifts to increase your
website traffic and to convert your mere visitors into loyal
customers.
1. Contests
People love to enter and win contests. The thrill of competing
with others for a grand prize or for numerous other prizes can
be exhilarating. Contests work several ways: by the entrant
deciding to opt-in for your website's newsletter, completing a
survey, or a number of other ways. Prizes could range from
iPods, vehicles, DVDs, vacations and stereo systems to products
and gift certificates from your website. The bigger the prize(s)
or even the more prizes, the more entries will be received. You
can choose from one entry per person or unlimited entries. You
may also choose one entry per person plus one extra entry per
referral. This option could generate more potential customers,
which can lead to more sales and profits. Be sure you are
following your state's law regarding contests before posting the
contest on your website and any rules and regulations.
2. Banner Advertising
This can work two ways. You can pay to have your website's
banner advertised on various other websites, directories and
search engines or you can use banner exchanges. A banner
exchange is agreeing to advertise other banner ads on your
website free of charge while the website you are advertising for
is posting your banner ad on their site, free of charge as well.
Hence the term banner exchanges. Buying banner ads can be a
great advantage and done at an affordable price. If you choose
to exchange banners, it is often at no cost, but you will have
to remember that the more banner exchanges you do, that is more
advertisements that appear on your website. Keep in mind that
you do not want to clutter your website with other business
advertisement banners. Select the sites you will be advertising
on carefully. They should be in the general area of your
business. For instance, if you are in business with selling dog
toys, you will want to advertise with animal websites such as
veterinarians, kennels and other related sites. You would not
want to advertise dog toys on a construction equipment website.
3. Discounts
People love bargains. A great way to convert a visitor into a
customer is by offering them special discounts and deals. Free
shipping on the first order or on an order over $50 is sure to
attract the attention of those bargain seekers. Buy one get one
free or buy one, get one half off is a popular lure to entice
customers to buy more products or services. You can also offer
10-20% off the second order, or a special discount when they
refer you to a friend who makes a purchase. People flock to the
twelve hours sales, especially around the holidays. The
possibilities are endless. You want to make your customers think
they are getting a great deal. Even a freebie with every order
can be a great incentive to buy from your website.
Find your target audience and send them offers they cannot
refuse. Free services and promotional gifts will not only
increase the traffic to your website, it will practically
guarantee loyal and repeating customers as well as an increase
in sales and profits, which are just the right ingredients for
running a successful website business.