grassrootsy

Drawing Traffic to your Website – Part 1

There are so many ways to draw traffic to your website(s)…and they all work.  The basic rule is to update your website as often as you want people to visit. Don’t expect people to visit your site regularly if there’s nothing new to keep them engaged.

DEFAULT IMAGE
Change your default image (facebook) regularly. Weekly. Bi-weekly. Monthly.  Just more often than you do now.  A different default image than you had last week leads people to believe that you’ve updated your page since last week. I usually changed my image around 12 midnight on Sunday.  Mondays (and the early half of the week) are when my Facebook gets the most traffic.

LAYOUT
Simple things, like changing the layout of your website, keep people coming back. If you’re still using MySpace (and yes, some people are), check out Thomas Myspace Editor because it’s extremely straightforward.  When you background image starts to get stale, put a new one up. Change the colors. Do small small things that catch the eye. I’m told Myspace has a simpler html editor these days.

REMIND PEOPLE YOU EXIST
People are lazy and they forget everything. This is why I love e-newsletters.  Newsletters are the single most important part of everything I do and constantly remind people that I exist. Every single email address matters.  At shows, make sure you have a visible sign-up form.  Pass it around if you have to. Send out regular emails to subscribers. Let them know what’s up – new updates, new blogs on your site, new anything!  If weekly emails are too much for you, send them every two weeks or once a month. Also, emphasize how important it is for fans to print clearly on your newsletter form!

Great newsletter service providers include Fanbridge and Your Mailing List Provider.  There are plenty of others and most are free depending on how many subscribers your have. I use YMLP b/c their layout is very clean. Feel free to check out my weekly newsletter.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF SUGGESTION
Put your business cards on tables throughout the venue before your show. Some people are too lazy to walk 10 feet over to your merch table.  If you suggest that people take your card home with them, find you online, and follow you, you will dramatically increase your fanbase. Nothing stinks more than driving 2 hours to a gig, playing a show for a room of interested people, and leaving without giving them any means to stay connected. Here’s what my business cards currently looks like. I  change up the design every year or whenever a set of 1000 runs out.

BE VERBAL
I think in this internet age, we have a tendancy to promote really well when behind our computers, but we forget what promotion looks like out in the open. Don’t be obnoxious but definitely represent yourself in the real, non-cyber world. At least once during your set, mention your web and social networking site. Let people know you have an Album they can purchase.  The power of suggestion is usually what makes me money at the end of night…whether people buy my music at the show, later on iTunes, or pass an opportunity my way since they have my contact info handy.