In an effort to drive website traffic, most radio and TV programmers run promos that say “check out our website.” Or, they believe that the more times you say the web address on the air, the more you’ll get traffic.

Unless there is a specific reason to go to your site, viewers and listeners will never make it a point to go there. This week in connected, three ways to naturally drive traffic to your website by getting smarter about integrating “traffic drivers” into your programming.

1. Always include your website in content teases.
We live in an instant gratification world, and people want “it” now. The reality is that when you do a great tease for a news story or topical, you are likely only giving your audience keywords to search themselves. In fact, if you didn’t inspire the audience to go look up the punchline right away, your tease probably could have been better.

If you are teasing a story about a song, artist, or news story, take the opportunity to drive web traffic.

Examples:

“A nice surprise… gas prices are lower in one suburb today. Details right now at NewsRadio1100 dot com or in five minutes on AM1100.”

-or-

“If you are trying to shape up for summer, killing your cravings could be the key to losing weight. You’ll get three tips for taming your food cravings NOW at 1065radio dot com or in ten minutes after Lady GaGa on 106.5FM.”

2. Every personality should have a “show outside the show.”

The show is never over, it just moves from on-air to online. In 2011, no personality should end a show with “I’m outta here, see you tomorrow.” Instead, take the opportunity to sell the “show outside the show.” One morning show I work with says, “we’re moving over now to our FM101 dot com studios. Go to FM101 dot com and click the morning show button for video of our interview with our guest today, and two things we couldn’t get to today, including…”

Promote the show outside the show. Remember that the show continues 24/7 online, but you have to keep the content fresh every day.

NBC has done an exceptional job of making its content work for them around the clock at nbc.com. Notice how many of their shows have replays and bonus content available on their site.

3. Give the visual online.
If you are painting a word picture of a news story, offering video footage and photos of your story online is powerful. After you describe the scene, tell the audience to see it for themselves now on your site.

And a bonus… Give your audience a voice in the programming. When they participate, they become shareholders with a vested interest in experiencing your brand.

Two years ago, we started LDR-Listener Driven Radio (listenerdrivenradio.com), software that turns broadcasts into crowdcasts by letting listeners control a radio broadcast from the station’s website and/or mobile app. With LDR, we have been able to affect the time spent listening and tune-in occasions on stations in a variety of formats by giving the audience the power to influence a station’s playlist in real time. Of course, this is done strategically by tying directly into a Program Director’s music scheduling software and automation system, so the audience is driving the programming down a road “guard-railed” by the PD.

Whether it’s LDR or a morning show poll, are you giving your audience an opportunity to participate?

When you give people a reason to go to your site within the context of your programming, you’ll see significant improvements to your website traffic. How are you creatively directing viewers or listeners to spend time on your website? Share your ideas with me at connected@radio-info.com.

Disclosure: The author of this weekly newsletter, Daniel Anstandig, is also President of Listener Driven Radio.