There are many different ways to increase your traffic on the web. Just as there are get rich quick schemes, there are get traffic quick schemes. These can backfire on you just like any other shortcut to results.
As part of your overall strategy, it is possible to create a plan that will get your steadily increasing traffic, increasing visibility and results. The more employees you have that use a computer the better.
Here are the key elements to getting your employees to create some Internet Buzz for you.
# 1 – Prepare
The first key is to create a clear document on what your employees can and cannot say about the company. What is the vision that you want to make public? What is unique about the organization? What stories can they tell? Collect examples of good and bad posts from employees in other companies.
#2 - Coach
Once this is done, have a meeting and explain that if everyone spends a short amount of time each week participating on the web, they can significantly increase the visibility of the organization and all its employees. Clearly state if this is to be done on the clock or outside of business hours.
Explain that this is not sales. Each employee should participate in online communications and add something of value to wherever they are posting information, and work in where they work if they can. Links are the best, but do not force it.
#3 – Set Minimum Goals
Ask each employee to commit to doing a minimum amount of online buzz each week. Some examples of online buzz are:
- Post comments on other people’s Blog
- Create or maintain your own Website or Blog
- Email a friend and tell them something interesting on your organization’s website
- Write an article for another website, with a bio and link back to the organization’s website.
- Set up a profile on a social networking site and participate in discussions
- Email an author or writer that you have read and introduce yourself, and let them know you like their work.
#4 – Collect & Reward Efforts
Have employees email you or record their buzz in a central place. (Buzzoodle does this.) Have someone review each buzz effort and recognize excellent buzz creation. Talk about how buzz effects search engine ranking and traffic. Give rewards to those top buzz creators and publicly thank them for their effort.
#5 – Review and Renew
Periodically give your employees new talking points about the company. It might be an exciting new product line coming up, it could be a great customer service story to work into a forum post, but keep giving them fresh new things to talk about.
If you give employees exciting new buzz-worthy stories they can repeat plus stress the value of their participation, you will find you have more inbound links and internet buzz than any SEO firm could have generated for you in a legitimate way. And it was basically free.
