How Content Marketing Drives Direct Targeted Traffic, by Brian Newmark

Looking for more traffic?

Is the targeting not accurate enough?

Sure you got the niche correct and the audience is very much interested too, but unfortunately you do not ship to that particular location. Or perhaps you were looking for the other gender?

Gone are those days when you had to buy an ad on a TV show and expect that some people watching your ad might end up buying your product. Even with the earlier options of online ads such as the banners etc. where targeted so horribly that expecting anything targeted from them was a waste of optimism.

Times have changed and online traffic has provided demographics info. Getting targeted traffic is not difficult anymore.

Here, in this article, we will discuss the various ways by which content marketing can drive direct targeted traffic.

1) Targeted content

Content marketing starts with creating content. This content is often termed as king because content is the base for all marketing strategies.

However, if proper planning is done, the content itself can play a major role in driving targeted traffic.

When you build your content, one thing that you should keep on top of your priority list is its targeting. Target the content very sharply towards your business or niche on which you want your traffic to come. If you are targeting women, make sure to have your content inclined to the specific gender. Similarly, if you are targeting a specific niche, or region, make sure to research that particular area so that you’re content targets it well.

2) Promote it on the social media

Social traffic is always considered a bit lower than the PPC as far as the conversion goes. After search, it is the PPC that converts best. However, when it comes to demographics – social media provides a far better targeting than organic or PPC traffic.

Social has the details that search can never have. Sites like facebook, twitter, linkedin, pinterest etc. has all the details of its users. Details that even the user himself can forget but the social site will keep it forever on their servers so that when an ad campaign comes up, the user will get the most targeted ads.

Once you start promoting your valuable content for free on these social platforms, it will start to snowball like wild fire. Very soon you will build a userbase around your content which will further promote your content marketing efforts.

3) Build an email list

Emails are the best marketing tool when it comes to reaching someone’s inbox and doing it regularly.

You already know the details of your users in your email list. If you have analyzed it carefully, you know what part of your email list is converting and to which products.

Email marketing is a useful form of promotion that can send direct targeted traffic on a regular basis.

4) Build evergreen flagship content

Flagship content is usually referred to the content that is really great and highly informative. It is something that you feature as your best content.

Use such content to hook your readers, especially the new ones. Let them taste your best content so that they become your loyal followers.

Repeat users are the best source of direct traffic. They are loyal, so they do not leave you in a hurry and they are always excited about new things that you do. So they keep coming from time to time.

This fan base can be build in a number of places like your email list, your blog’s feed subscribers, your social channels or simply your direct blog readers. Anywhere you host good content; you will have a following in the making.

5) Hook your readers

There are a number of ways to build an audience on a platform and keep them hooked. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Though, they still remain loyal to the platform they are on. For example, you can build a following on twitter and get plenty of loyal fans. But the fact still remain that those users belong to twitter.

It is best to have a following on your own domain. This is where direct traffic comes handy. Hook your readers by your amazing content and make them a huge fan. Have them remember your URL, get them to bookmark your site. Make sure they reach you every time they get online.

Be that go to site they always make sure to visit.

This is where targeting comes in handy. There are people out there who want to do a specific thing online, say learning guitar for example or building a terrace garden. Look what comes closest to your niche and build a following with those requirements in mind.

If you are successful, your targeted audience won’t just bookmark you. They will set you as the first page of their browser – no longer will Google open as their default page or about-blank for that matter, it will be your domain which will be their default website.

“Image courtesy of [Master isolated images] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net“