Here’s one sure way to build up a great following fast: do something just a little crazy.
If you’ve ever watched a reality TV show such as Married at First Sight or Survivor, then you know what a draw it can be to attempt something just a little crazy. Millions of people tune in every week to see what new catastrophes would befall the cast of Survivor, or what new battle would break out on someone’s wedding day on Married at First Sight.
Now imagine if you could generate that kind of traffic to your blog or website, just by attempting something off the wall.
The fact is, this is a tried-and-true marketing plan that companies have been doing for more than a century, and you can easily do something similar in your business.
Write a Book…Or 20
When Kristen Joy of TheBookNinja.com needed a boost in traffic, she turned to the medium she knows best: Kindle publishing. Accepting a challenge from her business coach, she agreed to write and publish a new Kindle book each week for 20 weeks.
As the word spread about Kristen’s plan, her traffic grew (and grew, and grew). Why? Some people no doubt wanted to see her fail—after all, that’s the real reason we watched Survivor, isn’t it? But most people rightly thought that Kristen must have something important to say if she had committed to such a large project.
Nicole Dean pulled off a similar plan with her Blog World Tour. During the summer of 2009, she visited 15 blogs in 15 weeks, guest posting on the target blog for 5 straight days before moving on to the next. Did it work? Absolutely! Just like Kristen’s crazy book-writing spree, Nicole’s blog world tour gained her lots of traffic and thousands of new fans.
Stretch Yourself A Little
Now, you don’t have to write a book a week for 20 weeks, or even spend the summer guest blogging. But there are plenty of things you can do to build some buzz and drive some traffic to your site. The key is to find something that would make most people say, “I could never do that.” And then do it.
- Post to your blog every day for a year with original photos.
- Get personal and host a no-holds-barred Q&A every day at noon for 30 days – no question is off limits.
- Post a new video to your YouTube channel every day for 90 days.
- Guest vlog with a different YouTuber every day for three months.
- Commit to a giveaway with surprise prizes daily from your Instagram account and make them varied and, at times, surprising.
- Learn a new skill each week, selected by votes, and host a video at the end of the week to display what crazy thing your followers forced you to learn.
- Speak at or attend one conference each month for a year.
Whatever “stunt” you decide to pull off, it must have two components to be successful:
Firstly, it must be outside what most people would consider their comfort zone. If you announce that you’re going to tweet three times a day for 90 days, no one will care. That’s normal. You need to announce something that people will find difficult or even off-putting.
Secondly, you must commit to it publicly and frequently. You need to talk about it almost constantly. Tell your list, your social media followers, your blog readers, your Facebook groups, your clients, everyone. Make sure as many people know about your potential upcoming public failure as possible. Don’t forget to ask your followers to share your challenge with their friends and family. People are more inclined to spread information when requested.
A challenge of this sort must have one other component as well—your absolute conviction to finish. The last thing you want is to publicly declare your intention, then quietly fade out midway to your goal.
What If You Fail The Challenge?
Remember, this challenge isn’t about whether you succeed or not. That’s simply what your social media followers will think. This is a brand-building (with you as the brand) endeavor. If you fail, turn that around and make the best of it. Release a video discussing your failure, why you believe it happened, what you learned from the experience and that you still feel good knowing you tried your best and, at least, completed it. Then, tease the fact that you’re going to retry the same challenge next year.
If you’re looking for a fun, innovative way to drive a lot of traffic to your website, and to get more eyes on your content, consider setting a big, outrageous goal for yourself. You’ll be surprised how many people turn up to watch and cheer you on, and you’ll have fun along the way.
Not only that, but at the end, you’ll have lots of content you can repurpose again and again, and you will have learned a thing or two about your audience and yourself, too.
