14 Categories of Traffic
Here is a list of 14 Categories of Traffic I listed out. So every single traffic tactic should fit within one of these categories.
What do you think? Please comment below:
1) Do you disagree with any of these as categories? If so, why?
2) Are there any categories that you believe should be added? If so, why?
3) What all unique tactics can you think of that should be listed under each each category? (I’ll compile and publish a final report for all who contribute something)
1) Keyword Research & Selection
Ok, this is actually a mission critical pre-requisite requirement to success with any traffic tactic.
2) SEO
3) Link Building
for direct traffic not for SEO
4) Paid Media
5) Social Media
6) Article Marketing
7) Affiliate Marketing
Your own affiliate program
8 ) Mobile Marketing
9) Email Marketing
10) Video Marketing
11) Joint Ventures
12) Offline Marketing
13) Viral Marketing
14) Content Publishing/Distribution
Please comment below:
1) Do you disagree with any of these as categories? If so, why?
2) Are there any categories that you believe should be added? If so, why?
3) What all unique tactics can you think of that should be listed under each each category? (I’ll compile and publish a final report for all who contribute something)
Contest powered by: ContestBurner.
Great stuff. Along the lines of offline marketing I would add PR, Radio , TV, and Print media such as magazine and newspaper interviews.
I also like how you mentioned often overlooked linking for traffic and not SEO. A good example is I did a project where over the course of six months added close to 147 articles “quality” on EzineArticles and wound up getting over 1000 unique visitors a day just from that particular channel.
Thanks Rob. Appreciate your insights and experience. I will definitely add your tactics such as PR, Radio, and TV, etc under the Offline category. I agree with you that linkbuilding for direct traffic is a fundamental yet overlooked tactic that can bring in great results when done right. Continued success my man, and…keep an eye in the mail for my clase azul carrying case (with shoulder strap).
That’s a useful list.
It’s really helpful to have ways to categorize information and ways of doing things (helps with planning and organizing).
I’m particularly interested in off-line marketing right now.
In addition to what Rob Burns said in his comment, you can add these to off-line marketing methods: platform speaking, talking to people one on one in person, business cards, passing out flyers like the way they do in Times Square and Vegas, flyers on cars, door hangers, etc., postcards, direct mail, billboards, park bench ads, offline word of mouth, and so on…
There are probably lots of other off-line marketing methods that I don’t know about considering that off-line marketing is a lot older than online marketing.
Right on Aaron! Thanks for the input. Good additionso the offline traffic generation tactics. I’m a little surprised, but glad, to see all the interest in offline traffic generation. This is a massively (MASSIVELY) under-utilized category of traffic.
I’ll throw in some more in that category as well:
Direct response marketing using:
call centers
IVR
direct mail
TV,
radio
SRDS lists
display ads
newspapers
classifieds
magazines
yellow pages
ads on everything offline (on gas pump handles shopping carts, etc),
public speaking
business cards
it’s hugeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
I agree with this fine list. I would say under paid media there’s media buys, email media buys, banner buys, text link buys, CPA network buys.
For offline, I would also include postcards & voice broadcasting… yep, people still do that too!
Thanks Fabricio – and appreciate the additional tactics. I know that you are doing all of these successfully, and would love to pick your brain on them for the Trafficology readers soon. 11
Under paid media you could add CPV/PPV advertising. I’ve done pretty well with that.
And of course… Contests! There’s this pretty cool tool out there that can help you run a contest spanning over at least 6 of those categories :p
Thanks Bill – hey do you think that Contest Marketing should have it’s own category?
Does anybody else agree?
Does anybody disagree?
Let’s put it to the test.
And definitely will include PPV in the paid media tactics list.
Much appreciated.
- MG
I’d say you missed the best type of marketing there is … Integration Marketing
That would cover traditional Integration Marketing and stuff like “ad swaps” probably (although, that could go under “email marketing” or “affiliate marketing”).
I also find it funny to see “Offline Marketing” as if it’s “one thing”. I mean – that’s everything from handing out flyers, putting your message on a billboard, to television ads, ya know?
So — I’d definitely add Integration Marketing.
And I’d consider breaking Offline down to a few more categories as well.
Peace,
Harris
I guess what I’m proposing can go under the Joint Ventures section.
Basically, if you have an offer of your own, or a freebie that you’re giving out, there’s always “Thank You Page” traffic.
For those who are new to this concept, you can work out promotional or reciprocation deals with other product merchants, where in exchange for something you do for them, they can post your product banner on their Thank You page. This banner can lead directly to your main sales offer, or it can lead directly to your squeeze page.
Or, like Harris Fellman said above, this could be under Integration Marketing.
One more item under Offline Marketing could be the use of Drop Cards. Some of you may be familiar with the hundred dollar bills that you find lying on the floor of an elevator or by the door of your vehicle in a public parking lot. You pick it up because it actually looks like a folded up bill, only to discover that there’s an offer inside waiting to catch your attention a 2nd time. Pretty cool stuff….I’ve tried it and it works.
Best,
Huey
Harris, to clarify on the issue you brought up of Offline Marketing being able to be broken down int many different individual tactics… Indeed, 100% agreed. This list is meant to be categories only, of which, each category could be broken down into multiple traffic tactics that fit within that category.
Offline Marketing is indeed “one thing” in the sense that it is a major classification of traffic.
Sorry I wasn’t very clear in defining my objective to pinpoint the major categories vs individual tactics.
Would love to get your further participation in laying out all the individual tactics for this and other categories though.
- MG
Harris, thanks for recommending a new traffic category of: Integration Marketing
Can you describe/define “Integration Marketing” and make a case for it being it’s own category?
Does anybody else have a recommendation for this one?
Or a case against it?
My initial quick research looks like this is actually a trademarked term? Is that right?
If so, is there a generic name for this proposed category like the rest of the categories?
Killer stuff man. I don’t know where you’d put Webinars, but it’s been great for us for building an email list that’s for sure.
You da Home Run King brother!
viral: this can be broken down into subcategories – viral software, viral scripts (contest/reward/action scripts), viral pdf’s – I say this as they all generate traffic differently.
late…have to think some more and swing back tomorrow
Hey Matt:
I think you have done a good job of outlining most of the top level categories. Others have already posted some good comments and feedback.
More and more I have been focusing on taking online marketing to the offline world. I particularly like the JV model where we do what we do best, i.e. online marketing, and they provide what they know best…the products, the market, and their list.
All of the traffic sources you mention can play a part in any given JV partnership. Here is the one (besides the obvious email marketing, etc.)that I personally have been using to get maximum traction:
Webinars: While webinars are fairly common knowledge to many of us in the online world, they are fairly novel to bricks-n-mortar businesses. It is easy to take any type of business that uses live events to sell their products and convert those into webinars. Also, there are many businesses that we can help by building a classic product funnel and then use webinars to get people into those funnels.
So, I guess I sort of tied together the Offline Category, JVs, and webinars more into a particular strategy. Not sure if that is what you were looking for exactly but that is what came to my mind.
Hope that was useful.
I’d say to add tablet traffic. ipad and other tablet devices have a different browsing mode than computer and mobile for sure, and it’s only going to grow moving forward. There are offers that might work online that would also work on an ipad, but not on a phone.
Great list Matt, wish I’d been here sooner to add my 2 cents. Most of the remarks have covered what came to mind. There are so many ways to get traffic to a site.
I personally like to use contests with more offline promotion than online. Thanks for the great list and love to read everyone’s input.
Nancy
Great job Matt – and everyone else for adding!
For unique tactics I’d suggest this one:
Interviews – but instead of doing just a straight one-on-one, have a co-host also get involved. Basically gets another person to promote the interview because they’ve got a stake in the game.
And of course, not unique – but outsource everything possible – including the interview tactic I just mentioned!
Great list matt – Always good to have more lists!
I was going to add Outsourcing but it has been said in the comments!
Keep up the good work
Simon
Matt,
It’s great to see this discussion happening with some great traction.
As you know I went mostly toward Offline Marketing in 2007, and was basically told by my peers that I was insane to spend money marketing offline when using online techniques is “free or cheap”.
They stopped laughing when a simple 2-step direct mail campaign to 2419 people pulled in well over $100k of in less than a month. Then my peers started asking me how to do what I was doing. Of course.
To me it comes down to this:
Online Marketing = efficient
Offline Marketing = effective
As an example, 2 days ago I received an actual real live FAX order from a promotion I did for a $2000 product in November 2007. Yes, I got an order 3 YEARS and 2 MONTHS later from that very first OFFLINE promotion.
Try that with email. It won’t happen.
My recommendation – to have a truly effective REAL business you honestly have to do both online and offline marketing. It’s the basis of Hybrid Marketing™ and it’s the most effective and efficient way to market ANY product or service.
Great discussion and I’m happy to see it happening!
Rock on,
Lee Collins
Wow, this is really tough…
Categorizing different traffic methods is no joke.
The hardest thing is that many of the methods above fall under other categories.
Content publishing and link building could fall under SEO.
Podcasting could be a category of its own, yet falls under content distribution ,too.
Web directories could fall under link building or SEO, yet listings like Yahoo.com or Business.com could fall under their own category.
The only thing I could see adding is Software as a category. I’ve used it and it works really well.