Traffic and visibility go hand in hand. Without traffic, no one finds or sees you content. Without visibility, it’s tough to get consistent traffic to your site. Whether it’s organic, SEO, or social, creating a consistent flow of traffic to your site ensures you get your message in front of the right people who want what you offer. And free traffic is the best kind to get!

And, that’s what Ana Hoffman and I explore on this episode of Adventures in Visibility.

On the show Ana and I discuss:

• The importance of increasing your website traffic
• How to leverage your content for more traffic
• Tips to generate more free traffic
• Why Ana recommends using SlideShare
• Why personal branding is so important to your traffic generation strategy
• Ana’s most memorable adventures

This is a replay of the live broadcast with Denise Wakeman and Ana Hoffman. {click here if you prefer to watch the video on YouTube}

The Big Take-Away about Personal Branding

At minute 08:25, I asked Ana about the difference between personal and business branding and the impact on traffic. This was a big aha for many who were watching the show. As Ana pointed out, “…people need to see your face in your niche, showing your expertise in your niche…”

When you do so, you’re creating a “visibility picture” and creating trust. If you only have a few minutes, I highly recommend you watch this segment and learn why “personal branding is paramount” to building your business.

@AnaTrafficCafe Ana, loved Your Blab With @DeniseWakeman ! Just finished watching it. Most Excellent. What is your Instagram profile?

— Jupiter Jim (@JupiterJimsCLUB) April 15, 2016

Recommended Reading

The Ultimate Blueprint to More Profitable Web Traffic

Slideshare Traffic Case Study • From 0 to 243,000 Views in 30 Days

Repurposing Your Content – 13 Ways to Reach More People

For your convenience, the audio is available as a podcast.

About the Guest

Ana Hoffman runs a no-nonsense Traffic Generation Cafe, where she freely shares advice on getting more web traffic by all free means possible, like SEO traffic, social media traffic, and blog promotion, as well as converting that traffic into email subscribers and paying customers.

Join Me for Future Adventures in Visibility

•  Watch previous Adventures
• Subscribe on YouTube 
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  (if you enjoyed this interview, please rate and review it on iTunes!)

Do you have a question about how to create a more visible presence on the Web? Click here to record your question and I’ll include it along with my answer in an upcoming show!  

The post How to Boost Your Visibility with Free Traffic – Adventures in Visibility with Ana Hoffman appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Do you wonder how you can get more engagement on Twitter? More replies, retweets, and likes?

This is a hot topic in the private group for the Online Visibility Challenge so I look at a lot of Twitter profiles to see how they can be tweaked to get more activity. None of it is rocket science, yet I find that it’s easy to overlook the obvious, especially when you’re busy delivering your business services. 

Twitter isn’t always top of mind, right! 

With the permission of Gato Avocado, who has agreed to let me critique her profile, you’ll learn a few ways you can get better visibility when you optimize your Twitter profile.

Five Ways to Optimize Your Twitter Profile for Better Visibility

1. Keep your cover image up to date.

If you use a Twitter management tool like Hootsuite or Buffer, you may not spend much time on your Twitter profile. It’s easy to forget to change your cover image, especially if it’s seasonal or time-sensitive, promoting an event or program. When I see an out-of-date image, I wonder why the person is not paying attention to their marketing!

At the time of this post’s publication, it is officially Autumn in the United States, so the cover image below is perfect. But what happens on December 21?

TIP: If you post time-sensitive cover images, make a note on your calendar when it’s time to change it, so you don’t forget

2. Design your cover image so important info is not covered by your profile photo.

As you can see on the GatoAvocado cover image above, the profile picture covers some of the copy.

When you create the cover image use a template (I use Canva) that will help you position your copy and images so nothing is covered or illegible.  You can see that using the template shown below, you would position the text closer to the top of the image so it’s not so it’s not covered by the profile photo.  The recommended image size is 1500 x 500 pixels. 

TIP: After you upload your new cover image, check it on desktop, tablet and mobile phone to make sure your followers get your message.

3. Optimize your bio.

You don’t have many characters for your bio – 160 – but you can get creative if you spend a little time working on it.

Consider adding a URL in your bio (in addition to the link below your bio), hashtags and emojis. Emojis can tell a story and use only one character. Including a couple of hashtags tell your followers additional ways to find your tweets. And, adding a URL to a landing page helps you build your list and provide additional value to your followers.

TIP: Don’t squander the URL you post under your bio. Send people to a specific page where they can opt-in for more information, or a “media room” page, a page for your book, or a program you’re promoting. Sending folks to the home page of your site may give the visitor too many options and leave the wondering what to do, or worse, clicking off your site.

4. Get the most out of your pinned tweets.

If you’re going to pin a tweet — and it’s a good idea to do so since they get more visibility and engagement — then make sure it’s optimized.

Upload an image that is created specifically for a Twitter post: 1024 x 512 pixels is optimal. If you post a post with a square or vertical image, most of it will be cut off when viewed on your profile and in the twitter stream. Look at the two examples below. The image on the first one is the cover for an ebook so it’s a vertical image. Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell the story as well as it could so there are missed opportunities for Gato Avocado.

My advice for the tweet below would be to create a horizontal image with the title of the ebook visible. In the tweet itself, I recommend using a popular hashtag like #caturday instead of a branded hashtag. For the call to action, go for something more direct: “Get your free ebook with winter cat care tips.” 

TIP: Like your bio, you can use emojis in your pinned tweets. This also helps tweets stand out in the twitter stream. Additionally, use popular hashtags so the tweet shows up in searches, and make sure the tweet tells the viewer exactly what they’ll get when they click the link in the tweet.

5. Use the best hashtags for your tweet.

In an article on Social Media Examiner that shared 8 Twitter Tips to Improve Twitter Marketing, Hashtagify.me was recommended to find relevant hashtags for your tweets. For Gato Avocado’s tweet, I did a search on #caturday to find related hashtags she could use to get more visibility for her tweet:

Each of these five tips is easy to implement and an easy fix for Gato Avocado. If she asks me, I’d say, it’s time to update the pinned tweet. Create a new one following the tips and track the engagement: likes, retweets, and replies. Does it get more or less that the original pinned tweet? The only way to know what works is to experiment.

The bottom line is to audit your profile every few months and see what can be updated and tweaked for better visibility.

Got a great tip for getting better visibility for your tweets? Please share it in the comments. If you test any of my tips, please let me know how they work for you. If you’d like feedback about your twitter profile and specific tips to optimize if for your business, click here to book an appointment. 

The post 5 Time-Tested Ways to Improve Your Twitter Profile appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

(3:36 min)

Really, are you fully and totally present when you're interacting with your community on and offline? Or, are you going through the motions, fully automated and disconnected?

I ask because I was confronted with that question last week during Brendon Burchard's four day Experts Academy live event. My awesome friend Kathleen Gage invited me to attend the event as her guest and initially I was luke warm about spending four full (12-13 hour days!) at a marketing event. 

I feel like I've "been there, done that". After all, I've been working and marketing on the Web since 1996.

Then, I was confronted with Brendon's outstanding level of energy, focus, attention and complete, never-wavering presence. I set aside my skepticism, sat up and started to really listen and absorb what Brendon was saying about what it takes to be an expert in your niche. He credits much of his success to his abilty to be completely present in every activity and encounter. And, I believe it after seeing him in action.

I realized I haven't been giving you the very best me for some time…I've been phoning it in, to a degree. And that makes me feel awful.

While I've been focused and determined to teach and show you how to build a "presence" on the Web, I don't think I've been 100% present with my passion or enthusiasm for why I think this is so critical for you and the success of your business.

I don't think I've conveyed how much I care that you get your transformational message out to the world.

Brendon Burchard operates at a level of energy that is mind-boggling. While that's not my style, I'm pretty sure I can amp it up and that's what I aim to do in my service to you.

I'm commited to my mission to help you and other entrepreneurs boost your visibility on the web so you can reach more people with your message. My pledge is to give my full attention, passion and focus when I'm mentoring, writing, teaching, and networking. If you feel that I'm phoning it, then I invite you to gently tap me on the shoulder and whisper in my ear "Presence" to bring me back to the moment.

When you assess your presence on the Web, does it convey your passion and energy for your work and your community? If not, let me know how I can help you get there and together, let's amplify our presence so we can serve more people!

I invite you to share your thoughts and rituals around staying present with your clients, colleagues, prospects, and others in your life. I'm curious about how you maintain presence.

The post Are you phoning it in? appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.