Want a top-notch web sales? Take advice from aviation start-up

The millions of media channels available online mean a fierce competition for online-marketers, forcing them to fight tooth and nail to attract clients and land big advertising deals. Even in niche sectors, boosting web sales is just as difficult. And while there is no magic formula on how to go big overnight, there are a few basic steps to make your media sales go through the roof, as an aviation start-up can prove.

“How big is your audience, is the first thing advertisers look at. So the strategy starts here – how to get traffic on your website,” says Skaiste Knyzaite, the CEO of AviationCV.com, a start-up founded in 2013 that has since not only become the No. 1 website for aviation specialists – with a monthly traffic of 350,000 – but has also signed advertising deals with industry giants like Emirates, Flydubai, Qatar, Aerlingus, Scoot, Tiger Air, among hundreds of others. 

First, focus on content. A steady stream of thorough and relevant posts in a precise sector you know a lot about – that’s where advertisers will reach their specific target audience the best. “The steady stream of interesting content on a daily basis is not just to keep your current users interested,” says S. Knyzaite. “It also allows to reach new users and create a consistent flow for search engines like Google, helping to rank high in search results”.

Indeed, the recently developed Google algorithm Hummingbird changed the search engine optimization game. It prioritizes natural language, which means it looks deeper into the context and content of the website in order to direct users to the most appropriate page. So the more thorough the website content is, the higher Google ranking it achieves. Ranking high in Google search results is essential. Academic research shows that over 90% of traffic from Google goes to first page results. That is where search engine optimization comes in.

Use Google console. “Even at this point in our company, web development department considers the program to be indispensable,” continues S. Knyzaite. “It also gives you an opportunity to integrate significant keywords further increasing the website’s traffic”. 

Optimize your title tag and meta description. “No matter what your website is about, the title tag and meta description is the first thing a potential user sees. It has to reflect why your website is the best for a potential user in a few words. Be concise in the website’s description and use words most related to that specific segment for indexing,” points out the chief of AviationCV.com.

Don’t forget to utilize social media. Another great way to reach your target audience and increase traffic is by engaging your users on social media. “There is a reason why the number of our followers on social media exceeds 160,000. We use online media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and others to not only keep in contact with our users, but to also utilize their feedback so we could see what they think, what could be changed or upgraded,” says S. Knyzaite. 

Always ensure good user experience. Even the best user content and reach is meaningless with a high bounce rate. According to S. Knyzaite, “user interface is essential – there is no point in trying to reach a wider audience if none of your users stay on the website. It has to look professional, be easy to access and use. Be prepared to invest time in maintaining and developing the website to make it appealing to users”.

But the work doesn’t end here – while a large audience is sure to interest advertisers, the key selling point is for your clients to actually reach audience. Every advertising campaign needs a distinctive approach according to the client’s needs, without forgetting what your users are interested in. “Every marketing campaign has to be tailor-made for that particular company. It starts from creating a distinct strategy for each brand, including custom banners, unique designs and original content, without forgetting to adapt or change the media campaign on demand according to the client’s needs,” shares S. Knyzaite.

However, the attention to detail and adaptability should not only extend to bigger clients. The main feature of successful sales is making sure that advertisements on the website are actually valuable to your user base. AviationCV.com advertisers range from airlines, training schools to even luxury brands. “You have to take into account not only why your users visit the page, but what other things interest them. Since most of our users work in aviation and have lucrative careers, advertisements on AviationCV.com are aimed to appeal to our user’s interests,” concludes the CEO.