Whether you've just launched your e-commerce store or you've been around for a while, you need to put in some work to drive traffic to your dropshipping store.
No matter how attractive and affordable your product range is, you won't be able to sell anything if you don't get quality traffic for your dropshipping store.
Yes, you read that right. 'Quality over quantity is key here'.
It's better to have 100 visitors with a potential of 10% conversion than 1,000 visitors with a potential of 1% conversion.
Getting free traffic to your online store is great, especially when you don't have a lavish budget to afford paid advertisement campaigns.
Some might say that there's no such thing as free traffic. After all, everything comes with a price.
But this isn’t true in this particular case.
Luckily, there are several ways to get free traffic to your dropshipping store. All you need to have is the right industry knowledge and a feasible plan to help you get started.
In this post, we're going to highlight 12 effective and tried and tested techniques to help you get organic traffic for your dropshipping store.
From social media to SEO and content marketing, these tips will help you market your dropshipping store and skyrocket sales.
1. Search Engine Optimization
Whenever you plan to buy anything online, you either visit your favorite store or search for it on Google or other available search engines.
Have you observed that while doing those searches, you always end up picking the links that are listed on the first page of the search results?
That means your dropshipping store might miss out on an opportunity to attract free traffic if your business isn't listed among those results for specific keywords that you're targeting.
Unfortunately, store optimization is widely forgotten by newly established dropshipping stores, as it is a time-consuming process.
Also, you need to have the right knowledge to make SEO work for your website. SEO is a broad term. It is, therefore, important that you invest some time in understanding the basics of on-page and off-page optimization.
2. Create A Well-Defined Content Marketing Strategy
Online selling isn't like face-to-face selling, in which your only objective is to generate sales. To attract free traffic, you have to provide an overall great user experience to your website visitors so that they visit your store on a regular basis.
Creating a well-defined content strategy is key to driving free traffic to your dropshipping store. Start a blog on your website to show your visitors that you have knowledge inside your niche. Also, it's one of the ways you can keep visitors for longer on your e-commerce store.
The type of content you should create on your blog depends on your target audience and selling goals. For instance, you can create listicles, How-to's, product tutorials, and buying guides to offer value to your site visitors.
Don't forget to share content on social media pages. Also, email your subscribers to let them know you have published fresh content on your dropshipping store.
3. Create An Amazing Sales Campaign
We all appreciate a good deal, aren't we? To get more free traffic for the dropshipping store, you have to offer deals that offer good value for money to your customers.
Create well-thought-out sales campaigns that include discounts, promos, and coupons for your customers.
For instance, you can host a contest and involve visitors by sending them text alerts or email notifications.
BOGO deals are another way to attract visitors. People are more inclined to make a purchase when they know they're getting something for free.
4. Create A YouTube Channel
Creating a YouTube channel for your e-commerce store is a great way to attract free traffic. First and most importantly, people admire visual content. Second, Google considers visual content more valuable than simple text-based posts.
There are many ways you can use YouTube to your advantage. For example, you can ask your previous and current buyers to make testimonial videos, showcasing their buying experience with your brand.
Apart from that, you can also publish review videos. Simply add a link back to your product page in the YouTube description, and get ready to receive tons of free traffic to your dropshipping store.
Want to become a product review blogger? Click here to learn how.
You can also create educational videos to educate people inside your niche.
5. Be Active On Social Media
Social media dominated the online marketplace in 2019.
Guess what?
It's not going anywhere.
Unlike in the past, when social media marketing was confined to just a few channels, today, you have to work really hard to drive free traffic out of your social efforts.
The first step is to create social media profiles on different social networking channels, including Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn.
Post valuable content on a regular basis so that people keep coming back for more. Don't simply publish, but also try to genuinely connect with your audience.
Remember, it takes time and lots of effort to build up your social media profile. So remain patient and don't have unrealistic expectations.
6. Collaborate Online
Another effective way to increase dropshipping store sales is to partner with other people who're working in the same niche as yours.
This strategy will enable you to tap into their networks and reach a new audience. Look for collaborators who already have a strong market standing.
For example, if your store deals with fashion accessories, you can consider collaborating with photographers and media persons to get more exposure.
The last thing you want is to partner with someone who will adversely affect your brand reputation. So it's crucial that you choose your influencers carefully.
7. Proving Expertise On Different Forums
Another proven way to build authority inside your area of expertise is to start answering questions on popular online forums such as Quora and Reddit.
Also, many niches have their dedicated forums online that you can join to prove your expertise within your niche.
The idea is to provide value to the readers before you include any links back to your website. Otherwise, it could harm your brand reputation.
8. Write An E-Book
If you're a pro and have plenty of experience under your belt, then another proven way to attract more free traffic to your dropshipping store is to write an e-book.
Your goal should be to educate the people inside your area of specialization. If you have lots of experience but you're not sure about your technical writing skills, then you can also seek the help of a professional e-book writer to help you out in this process.
Once you have created an e-book, the next thing you must do is to promote it on the right channels.
9. Start Commenting On Other Websites
Another proven tactic to get more traffic to your website is by commenting on other websites inside your niche.
Here, it is crucial that your comment adds value. Instead of writing 'Good post', try to include a detailed comment that depicts your expertise.
Do not spam as it could negatively impact your brand reputation and business.
10. Leverage Email Marketing
Find out ways to have your website visitors subscribe to your email list so that they keep coming to your store.
According to industry experts, email marketing helps dropshipping stores acquire new customers and retain existing ones more than any other form of marketing effort.
In order to ensure that your emails are value-driven, you'll have to pay attention to a few basic things.
First and most importantly, it's crucial to know what goals you're looking to achieve from your email marketing campaign.
Then, choose a platform to create and send email blasts to your target audience. Create emails that are visually appealing, contain valuable text, and have relevant CTAs.
11. Start An Affiliate Program
Starting an affiliate program is a surefire way to encourage other people to market your dropshipping store.
Yes, you may have to pay a commission on the sale they bring in. However, there's no added cost for marketing.
Notably, this strategy can only work if you already have a flow of traffic to your dropshipping store.
12. Network Offline
Luckily, driving traffic to your dropshipping store is not limited to online activities only. You'd be surprised to know that you can achieve a lot of your marketing objectives offline as well.
For instance, you can attend local meetups and industry-specific conferences. Also, you can contribute as a public speaker at industry-related events. You can also sponsor workshops or local events to increase your visibility in front of your target audience.
Get exposed and create awareness of what you have in store for your potential customers.
Conclusion
There you have it! 12 proven ways to get free quality traffic to your website.
Is there anything else you would like to add to this list? Feel free to drop your suggestions and feedback in the comments section below. We would love to hear back.
We wish you all the best with your journey of getting more free traffic to your dropshipping store.
Llouela Asim