How to Boost Page Views Using Guerrilla Marketing Tactics

If you are like most content producers here at Associated Content you very much enjoy writing, and do not particularly enjoy marketing. It seems most people are either wired for producing, or wired for selling, and very few are wired for both. I am one of those few that enjoy producing things and then finding creative ways to sell them. In my first month at AC I've employed some of these techniques and have managed to collect over 8,000 page views along the way. There are other articles from fellow content producers that do a great job of introducing you to social bookmarking websites, or extolling the benefits of search engine marketing and optimization. What I would like to pass along are a few of the unconventional marketing techniques I've used to help promote my content. While the techniques are based on offline guerilla marketing tactics it is a good idea to incorporate technology where possible to make things more efficient, and less costly.

Bulletin Boards
I'm not talking about online discussion boards here, rather good old-fashioned cork-board bulletin boards hanging in building lobbies. Based on the type of content you write about chances are there is a bulletin board out there that would benefit from advertising some of your content. For example, a content producer who enjoys writing articles on study tips or where to find cheap textbooks would do well to advertise their articles on the bulletin board of a local university. A content producer specializing in articles related to diet and fitness could post a bulletin at their neighborhood gym advertising a link to their AC content page.

The easiest way to deploy such a marketing campaign is to simply print out an attractive flyer on colored paper with the headline, "For Great Study Tips Visit:" and then provide a link to your content producer page. You can establish your own URL off the AC site by navigating to your profile page and entering your pen name under the "Your URL" section. Users navigating to this URL will be taken directly to your content producer page. Use the bottom of the flyer to print your URL as many times as you can across the page and cut slits between the URLs to create tabs. People can tear away the tab with your URL so they can look it up when they are near a computer.

Yahoo Answers
Sign up for a Yahoo account and browse Yahoo Answers. Many times people post a question that they are having difficulty locating the answer for on the web. Browsing Yahoo Answers is beneficial to your work at Associated Content in two ways. First, you can provide a brief answer to a question and include the link to your article for more details. Second, by simply browsing Yahoo Answers you will discover what types of things internet users are looking for and then tailor your research and future articles to addressing those questions. The idea for an article related to my recent rotator cuff surgery was inspired by a question on Yahoo Answers. The user indicated he was having rotator cuff surgery and was having a hard time finding first-hand accounts of the surgery online. I wrote the article and when published posted a link in the answer section for his particular question, along with a personal note wishing the user good luck for his upcoming surgery.

Business Reviews
Business Reviews are a great way to build Associated Content's unique content library. Just imagine if every member reviewed the favorite restaurant in their hometown. What about their favorite dry cleaning service? One way to promote these types of articles once published is to create a simple email marketing campaign. Visit the business' website and look for an email address or email form to provide feedback. Be sure to provide your name and let the owners know you recently visited their establishment and were so impressed that you decided to publish a review of their business. Include the URL to the AC article in your email. Most owners I have talked to were thrilled with the review and forwarded the article on to everyone they knew. Some may even place the link under a "Media" or "Testimonials" section of their business' website increasing the chances others may find your work and boost your page views.