Increase web traffic by not being so pushy

The problem is that - in the rush to get traffic - a lot of companies are failing to recognise the value of pushing people away. That's right, there's a value in pushing people away from your services. Why would you want to do this? For starters, there are many prospects who aren't really your ideal customers. You don't need these people, and they would likely make for poor customers. Secondly, pushing people away is a huge credibility-builder. You don't need, nor do you want, everyone who fogs a mirror to be your customer.

Here's how to increase your web traffic by not being so pushy:

Don't beat your products and services over others' heads

When you're on Facebook or Twitter, do you sound like a used car salesman? Are you constantly pushing your products and services onto your legion of fans and followers? This is probably a mistake. Most businesses do understand the value of Facebook. They want to help their users, but they also spend a lot of time pitching products and services.

Usually, this is a huge mistake. Nobody logs onto Facebook saying "gee, I wonder what all of those businesses I "liked" are selling today. Maybe I can buy one of their wonderful products." You have to constantly reach out to your fan base with solutions to problems that they're having. Maybe they "liked" your page because you promised news and industry updates. Maybe they "liked" your page because you promised them some free report or something. Maybe they just came for the free coupon for "liking" your page.

How do you turn your fans away from the freebies and non-sales goals they initially "liked" you for? That's tough. It requires a very subtle shift. You have to figure out a way to incorporate the free stuff you initially offered into your paid services or products. For example let's say you have a product or service that deals with men's button-up shirts. People initially "liked" your Facebook page because you promised them 10 percent off on your site. Now what?

You need to approach your fans with a new "angle." Why do men buy shirts? There are millions of reasons why. What makes your company's shirts better than everyone else's? That's the angle you need to latch on to. Maybe you have better stitching, or maybe you don't have better stitching but you have the best stitching available at the price point you offer your shirts at.

Maybe you sell super 120 thread count that feels like silk - it's unlike any other super 120 that your customer has ever felt before. Why would they want something like this? Because it'll stand up to the washing machine better than the stuff they buy at Target. Every once in a while, you might post a picture of a shirt with holes in it that went through the washer. Maybe you reach out and ask your fans about how they like their dry cleaning bill - is it driving them nuts yet?

These kinds of things are a subtle reminder that you exist. When you do these "soft" approaches, drop a link to an article on your site about why washers are destroying your fans' favourite shirts or why dry cleaning is usually a rip-off. This sells your product without beating your fans over the head with a sales pitch.

Ask questions and answer them

Asking questions is underrated. Most businesses storm onto the scene with a solution to a problem that no one cares about. When you're answering questions on sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networking sites (yes, Yahoo! Answers too), be helpful. Actually give something of value away for free. Tell visitors how to accomplish some task or tell them where they can get a shortcut solution to their problems. If you've managed to do this right, you should be able to drop a link, and be obvious about it, to your website without anyone blinking an eye. You should also see some clickthrough traffic. For sites like LinkedIn, you will also notice some benefit in your rankings since some posts and pages on that site are indexed by Google.

Provide quizzes, free webinars, and teleconferences

One strategy that's underutilised is interactivity with members on your site, and on sites you don't own or control. Positioning an advertisement on an ad network that promises a free webinar, teleseminar, or allowing users to take a quiz that results in immediate feedback can really boost traffic to your site. You're not asking for a large commitment up front. Instead, you're asking for people to watch a video, answer a few questions, or just listen on the telephone to what you have to say (without being prompted to chime in or participate in any way). In other words, you're asking for very small commitments. This tactic is used by some pretty savvy marketers, like Jack Born, to not only increase traffic but to increase conversion rates.

Create blog posts that solve problems

Guest blog posts are not dead, but they've been abused in the past. If you approach guest blogging properly, you can exchange posts with other like-minded bloggers and get click-through traffic to your blog. Not only that, most bloggers allow you to put a couple of links in your footer - helping you out with Google.

What a lot of companies don't do, however, is structure posts so that they're helpful to users by solving problems. For example, let's say you run an e-commerce site that sells a lot of cleaning products. What can you write about? Pick a really good cleaner and write an article about unique ways to use the cleaner that aren't obvious or advertised on the bottle. Think about the many varied uses for baking soda. Everyone knows that it's used in baking, but many people also use it as a deodoriser, all-purpose cleanser, and some people even use it as toothpaste. Lots of products are like this, actually. What you need to do is come up with a unique angle for your product and then tell people how it solves a problem they might be having. Then, pitch the post to other bloggers in your niche.

What will score you a guest post, and more traffic to your blog, is the unique angle you take on an otherwise boring topic.