The IRONY of Traffic and Lead Generation: DON’T Focus On Getting MORE
LANGUAGE WARNING: I realise that the mention of “the B word” – for many people these days – is like hearing nails screech down a blackboard.
But – even though some people might be offended – brace yourself, because I’m going to use “the B word” anyway…
“Bible”.
Back from my churchgoing days, my favourite passage in the Bible was the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30).
I loved the wisdom of it. And – as someone who’s a pretty lucky guy – it’s a reminder to use what I have well.
To summarise the parable, it essentially says:
“If you’re faithful in what you’re entrusted with – and use it well – more of it will come to you. But if you use it poorly, it will be taken away from you.”
This is true in marketing too.
I Want More Website Traffic and More Leads!
When I ask business owners what they want, they typically tell me:
I want to grow my business and make more money
By making more sales…
So I’ll need more leads…
So I need more traffic to my website…
Yes, more traffic and leads will probably result in more sales…
But what about the traffic and leads you already have?
The Internet REWARDS The OUTSTANDING, PUNISHES the LAZY!
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking at Facebook Advertising, Google Adwords, or Search Engine Optimisation for Google Rankings…
All popular online traffic sources have a “marketplace philosophy” behind them that rewards good action, and punishes poor action.
Facebook, Google Adwords (as well as search engine rankings in Google and Search Engine Optimisation are all “marketplaces”.
And their “philosophy” is essentially:
If you’re the best website, you should sit in the top and most visible spot – where you’ll get more traffic than any of your competitors or peers.
But being the “best” website essentially means being the “best at selling”.
If your website is the best at selling and makes more profit than your peers – you’ll be able to afford to pay more per click on Facebook or Adwords… So you’ll rise to the top in these advertising platforms, and attract the lion’s share of the traffic in your niche.
If your website is the best at selling, makes more profit than your peers – and can afford to invest more in quality content, outreach, and user experience… Then you’ll rise to the top of search engine rankings, and attract the lion’s share of search engine visitors.
So – intentionally or not – Facebook, Google Adwords, and Google Search all reward outstanding sellers, and punish sites that sell poorly.
It’s Not How Much You Have – It’s What You Do With It That Counts…
The lesson here is (just as in the Parable of the Talents) if you’re faithful to the existing traffic and leads you’re entrusted with – more traffic and leads will come to you.
If you focus your efforts on getting more leads – you’ll quickly run into problems: lead quality as you’re attracting the “dregs” that your peers left behind; pricing as you can’t outbid your peers; and you’ll struggle to get traffic and leads.
But if you focus your effort on first maximising the value of each visitor and lead you to get to your website – and be a faithful steward of your existing traffic – you’ll be able to bid more for ads and get all the high-quality website visitors and leads you want.
This is the huge irony of traffic and lead generation…
…If your focus is MORE traffic and leads, you’ll get less.
…But if your focus is being a FAITHFUL STEWARD of your existing traffic and leads, and using them to the fullest value possible, then you’ll be able to tap into an abundance of traffic.
If you’re interested in increasing your influence (as a leader, marketer, or salesperson) using quality, make sure you’re subscribed to receive the next part of this series: