How Can I Attract More Customers to My Website?
By Michael Kaleikini •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
I have a website that connects buyers of promotional products with companies that offer promotional products. So, essentially, I am a middle man. How can I attract people who work in marketing departments to my website? Aside from the standard pay-per-click and social media routes, where do marketing people hang out online? What are some best practices to targeting these people specifically?
You might need to clarify what you're offering on your website at present. It appears that you're offering business-to-consumer services as an affiliate marketer, and yet you're looking for advertisers.
Once you make your intention more clear, the next question is which site you're trying to get them to? If to your consumer site, does it have the magnets to get a marketer to dig in to see whether or not they'd like to engage you to represent their brand?
Marketers often hang out in different places. If you're looking to get in front of them you'll have to go where they go. It may mean spending more time personalizing your approach on social media. Try finding groups on sites such as LinkedIn and emailing each participant or gaining referrals from them.
Related: LinkedIn Offers More Insight into its Networking Groups
The hard part about LinkedIn -- at least that I've noticed -- is there can be a lot of sales people who say they are in marketing but don't actually make any real decisions. This means you're going to have to navigate the maze if using that platform.
That said, there are plenty of marketing-related groups on LinkedIn. No matter which forum you go to, remember to share valuable information before trying to engage anyone for business. But don't just post something random. Ask questions, take polls and always ask for comments. Send messages to non-marketers asking them about their greatest challenges.
Perhaps getting that insight and sharing it with marketers will get you more attention form the decision makers who might start asking you direct questions and, ideally, offer you the opportunity to present your solution (your website) to their firms.
Related: How to Find Customers on Social Media (Video)
