Ideas for Getting Traffic To Your Lens

A lot of people have been asking me lately how to get more traffic. That's not an easy question and there's no magic answer. Tagging tricks and social networking sites are one answer but there's more to it. Traffic is not easy, if it was we'd all be instant millionaires.

My husband loves the quote: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." I usually get to hear it when I'm trying to fix my printer by smacking it 4 or 5 times. Why do I smack my printer 4 or 5 times when it's jammed? Habit...my assumption is that way back in the day I smacked my trusty dot matrix and it started working again so that's how I try and fix my cheap All-In-One. Does it work? No. Will I do it again? Probably, I'm just stubborn and impatient so I resort to what I know!

Sound familiar? How often do you try the same old traffic tricks and get the same old results? So what's the answer? I've been thinking about this a lot and I think I've come up with some new ideas.

1) Create a lens that's a little different but still appeals to a mass audience. How to Reuse Toilet-Paper Rolls by a_willow is a great example. Everyone has toilet paper rolls in their house and I'll bet everyone has wondered what to do with those little suckers, I know I have. So think ordinary items, but with a twist like:

• Chewing Gum Art
• Life-size Lego Sculptures
• Unusual Fishing Bait
• Strange Hat Pin Collections
• Picket Fence Art

Feel free to use any of these ideas! Better yet if you use an idea e-mail me your lens at bonnie @ squidoo.com and let me know how your traffic is doing!

2) Experiment with new ideas and styles. It's easy to create the same type of lens over and over again, but if you've got 30 lenses that all have low traffic and no sales it's time for a change. Ask yourself these questions:

• Does my lens serve a purpose?
• Does my lens have unique content?
• Do I know what my audience wants?
• Is my lens too long? or Short?
• Is my lens professional and well written?
• Do I give people a reason to come back?
• Is my lens interactive? Can people participate?

If you've answered "no" to more then two of these questions it might be time to rework your lens.

3) Think Globally, Act Locally. I love this statement and it applies to your lenses too. How many of you are involved with local activities that need a little PR? Do you live in a an area with a lot of Tourist Attractions? Does your town have the best home grown produce ever? Try these ideas to create a local buzz:

• Showcase local artists in your community.
• Create an event calendar for holiday activities.
• Support a local charity.
• Make a family tree of a famous local family.
• Review local restaurants, Theatre or bands.
• Then Click Here to create your own SquidZipper!

Remember, getting a lot of traffic takes work and if you keep trying the same thing over and over again with no results it's time for a change. After all, change is good!