The Truth About Traffic Generation


Today I want to share with you a great post that Steven Wagenheim put up, talking about different typesof traffic generation and their effectivness.Read this and learn from it, so you have more ofand understanding about what it takes to drive more trafficto your websiteHere is is:
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The Truth About Traffic Generation

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I'll be rating each method on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being best) for speedand for effectiveness.

Article Marketing
Thanks to Travis Sago's Bum Marketing, this has become very popular among those who don't have a lot of money to spend. I'd been doing article marketing long before Bum Marketing ever became a household word. I'm glad I did, or I'd be having a very hard time today. Article marketing is cheap, no question about it. Hell, it's free. But it's also a slow process. You can't write one article and expect to get thousandsof people to your web site UNLESS you're in a niche that is virtually unknown. But then, if you ARE, how much traffic do you REALLY think you're going to get? If there is that little competition, then more likely than not, there isn't a lot of traffic to begin with. Article marketing requires you to write constantly. Naturally, if you're in a niche that isn't too saturated, your articles will get indexed higher in the search engines. If you're in a competitive niche, not so high. The only views you'll probably get are the ones from people going directly to the article directories themselves. I'll touch on search engines last so don't worry, we'll get there. Article marketing can be very effective in any niche, provided you write good articles and submit to places that get a lot of traffic, like EzineArticles. All my niches, regardless of what they are, get good amounts of traffic from submitting there. So from my experience, it's safe to say that you'll get a good amount of traffic just by doing this. However, you have to write a ton. There is no way around that unless you outsource all your articles. Then, it's no longer cheap.

Effectiveness Rating - 10
Speed Rating - 5

Pay Per Click
This can be the best or the worst form of advertising in the world. The problem with pay per click is two fold.
1. The cost factor, depending on your keywords.
2. The skill factor, depending on how well you can write a 3 line ad.

I'm not going to spend a ton of time on this because there are a zillionbooks written on this subject, but I will briefly touch on the two points above so you understand why pay per click can be such a bitch.
1. The cost factor - Some niches are dirt cheap. You can get a 3rdposition listing for 5 cents with no problem. Have a good landing page, as per Google's "definition" and you can clean up. My friend Juan Walker makes a fortune on his acne product using Adwords because he has the most relevant product for those keywords and has been around a longtime. Look up acne cure and you'll find his product number 1. However, some niches are a fortune. I don't use Adwords for my IM products because the CPC is about a buck. Let's do some math. Let's say your product converts at 2%. That means, in order to make 1 sale, you need 50 clicks. That's $50 at a buck a click. If you're selling a$19 ebook, you better have one hell of a backend that converts like crazy, or you're going to go broke. That is just simple math. There is no way around the law of mathematics. So the cost factor of pay per click can make it so that it's just not feasible to use for your business model.
2. The Skill Factor - In the few niches I am in that are not IM where the CPC isn't so bad, there is still another problem...how well your ads are worded. I split test all my ad groups and you'll be surprised how just ONE word can make the difference between a CTR of 1% and a CTR of 5%. I am no expert on 3 line ads. I have to work very hard at it. Somebody just starting out with no copywriting skills at all is going to get buried by a low CTR. Why? The lower your CTR, the higher your CPC. Is pay per click highly targeted? Yes and no. Yes, it is if your ad exactly matches the page that the prospect is landing on. But if it doesn't, you run a great risk of having that prospect close up your page because it doesn't match what he's looking for. Pay per click is NOT for the feint of heart, regardless of what anybody tells you. There is a ton to making it work just right, which is why there are so many books on the subject. I know very few people who have figured this beast out themselves. My ratings below are based on the AVERAGE PPC user, NOT an expert.

Effectiveness Rating - 5
Speed Rating - 10

Forum Participation
So many people say, "Participate in forums" to promote your product. Well, guess what? This doesn't work in every niche. Some niches don't even have forums. Other niches are so strict that they don't allow signatures at all and even a hint of self promotion and your butt will be thrown out of the place. So forum participation is a very select method of promotion. And even at places where they do allow signatures, you still have to follow the rules. I'm not going to get into rules and etiquette here. I want to focus strictly on the effectiveness and speed of forum marketing. It isn't the magic bullet people think it is, even at forums that allow promotion. When you first arrive at a forum, unless you already have a big name in your field, you're a nobody there. You are unknown. So the first thing you have to do is introduce yourself. Now, don't think that once you've done that, people are going to come flocking to your sig file. They won't. You have to establish a presence there. You have to build trust. This takes time...LOTS OF TIME. You have to constantly add to the community while at the same time, not step on any toes of the long time members. Some may take offense to you coming in and offering your 2 cents on every subject in discussion. So you have to tread lightly and carefully. This is one hell of a balancing act and trust me, I am speaking from painful experience, it is NOT an easy one to do. Point is, while forum participation can eventually make a name for yourself, provided you REALLY have something to offer, it is not an overnight thing. It can take months before you're "accepted" by the community, if you're ever accepted. Sometimes, people just don't like you and there's not a blessed thing you can do about it.

Effectiveness Rating - 10
Speed Rating - 3

Safelists & Traffic Exchanges
Now we run into forms of traffic generation that ONLY work in the make money niche. Forget about trying to get somebody to buy your get out of debt product through safelists. This form as well as the others that follow is just not targeted to anything other than opportunity seekers. But why? The reason is simple. The people who join safelists and traffic exchanges are interested in just one thing...promoting their business. They are NOT your prospective customers in any manner, shape or form UNLESS you have a way for them to improve THEIR business. Otherwise, don't even waste your time. So, if you are in the "make money" niche, the way you reach these people is by giving them free info on how to get more traffic to their site and make more money. Don't try to sell them anything. You're wasting your time. Then, once you have them on your list and have gained their trust, then you can try to sell them. The following ratings apply ONLY if you are in the "make money" niche. I have built some decent sized lists using these methods. The good thing about them is that they are free and used correctly, they do work fairlywell.

Effectiveness Rating - 6
Speed Rating - 10

Video Marketing
This is a relatively new gimmick. Truth is, it can be very effective or it can be a total waste of time depending on your niche and what you have to offer. There is no question that in the right niche and with the right keyword tags for your videos, you'll get indexed at Google damn fast and as you've seen, some videos have hundreds of thousands if not MILLIONS of views. But...in order to have this happen, your video better be something that people are going to talk about and pass around. If your video doesn't get somebody's attention right away, you're dead. Nobody has any patience anymore. They want instant entertainment and excitement and that's what your video has to bring them, otherwise, they won't watch. It's that simple. There are a few good books out there on how to create videos that will make people want to watch. And don't go by my videos. I'm just a tell it like it is guy and my videos are far from entertainment and don't get many views. I do mine strictly for a very select groups of people. Now, there is another problem with video. Even if you get a lot of traffic, you will find, depending on your niche, that a lot of this traffic is worthless. Why? They're just surfers. They're not really looking for any great solution to a problem OR they're looking for a free one. You will find many reports from people saying that their video traffic doesn't convert well, if at all. Bottom line: Video is a crap shoot, even WITH a great video. Depends on your product and what you're offering.

Effectiveness Rating - 2
Speed Rating - 10

Social Bookmarking
I'm not going to go into a long spiel on this because my experience tells me that this is not a quick fix. In order to get any significant results from social bookmarking sites like DIGG, you have to constantly bookmark the articles on your blog, site, whatever, and write constantly. Over time, you'll see some results. But again, just like video marketing, which at least is fast, the traffic is pretty crappy unless you're bookmarking something that is really so incredible that people have to have what you're selling in relation to it.

Effectiveness Rating - 2
Speed Rating - 4

Search Engines
Ultimately, this is what it all comes down to. Bottom Line: Somebody types in "How To Fix My PC" and your site ends up on page X. That's it. That's all that matters. I've been fighting the search engine wars for over 5 years now. With some keywords, you'll find me on page 1. With others, you'll find me nowhere. It all depends on the competition and how much time you want to spend working on: Optimizing your page versus the other guy Getting backlinks Doing link exchanges Off Site SEO And so on. This is the slowest traffic generation method in existence, trying to win the SE wars. Good luck. I don't even bother trying anymore. Instead, I focus on using promotional techniques that get my message in front of my prospect quickly and cheaply. Over time, these methods do build up momentum and do bring me in a nice income. Here is the breakdown, percentage wise, of my monthly income. Article Marketing - 67% Safelists, TEs, FFA Sites, Message Boards - 20% Forum Participation - 13% My monthly advertising expenses - $200 My average monthly income - $10,000 I'm cheap, but my ROI is also ridiculous. Do I work a lot of hours? Yes. If you look at my above analysis of traffic generation methods, you'll see why. Now, I haven't covered everything as far as traffic generation. I've leftout things like buying leads, classified ads, banner exchanges, soloezine ads, and a few others, either because they are insignificant, don't work or are just not cost effective enough. Solo Ezine ads actually can be very good if you know some tricks. I'll cover that in another thread someday because they'll take a whole thread to explain properly. There is an art to solo ezine ads. Anyway, I know this was long (took about an hour to type out) but I hope it was helpful to somebody. As you can see, there is no magic bullet to traffic generation. I doubt that there ever will be.

Hoped you liked this article, Written By Steven Wagenheim This was written by Steven Wagenheim from the Warrior Forum,

So Why Do You Do What You Do?

This topic is a favorite of mine. I'm about to share with you a very, very vital (yet overlooked) technique that never fails. That’s right. NEVER fails. I always stress this technique when I’m coaching new Home Business Owners and Entrepreneurs. Works like a charm.

As a matter of fact, I’m even giving you some homework this weekend because I think the dog days of summer may be getting the best of you and I want to keep you sharp ;)

So let’s dive in…

In today's society we often put a lot of emphasis on HOW things are done. Present a plan with lofty goals to the board of directors of any company and surely they will ask you how you suppose those goals will be met. Apply for a mortgage and you will be asked to demonstrate how you plan to pay it off. Give a professor the correct answer to a complex question and chances are you'll be asked how you arrived at your conclusion.

The HOW is often so predominant that the WHY is sometimes completely forgotten, as if the WHY is of less importance. Nothing could be further from the truth. WHY you want something is infinitely more important than HOW you think you're going to achieve it.

Phew. That was tiring just to write. Did you get all that?

If you’re reading this newsletter today, chances are you’re a Home Business Owner and Entrepreneur and there is a reason WHY? But do you know the reason WHY??

I hope you do…

But if you don’t (and most don’t), then it’s time you found out. If you’re not achieving the results you would like to be achieving in your Home Business enterprise, chances are very good that this is why (no pun intended).

Stay with me now. It’s gut check time…

To find out what you’re WHY is may just be as simple as identifying what it is that you want, right? Everyone knows what they want, right?

Wrong…

It's a bit more challenging than one would think. Ask an adult to write down everything they want on a list with a minimum of 10 items and you will find that for most it turns out to be quite difficult.

Stating that you want a certain amount of money, want to quit working or just want a bigger car than your neighbor can cause people to experience discomfort. After all, it may make them appear greedy or lazy and that's not generally considered positive. So they try to come up with something that's socially acceptable and in doing so, make what they want subject to the opinions of others. Not good.

Here’s the interesting part…

Kids on the other hand have no problem here. They'll come up with 10 items and more in no time, listing things you didn't even know exist. They don't worry about what others may think of it, whether it makes them look greedy, lazy or whatever. All they know is that they want it. Fascinating when you think about.

You see, kids have not yet been brainwashed or conditioned into thinking that they can’t have certain things. They just assume they can have anything they want, right?

And so can you. You just may not realize it yet.

Here’s a very effective exercise for you that will really bring to light exactly what it is that you want in life so you can pin point your WHY.

Chances are you've never done this...

Figure out what it is that you DON’T want first and what you do want will become crystal clear. This is a technique called “clarity through contrast” and it basically states that when you observe what it is that you don’t want in life it then it delivers clarity which makes it clear what you do want.

Easy enough right? Here comes the hard part…

Write it down now. Make a list of the things you DON’T want in life. It will only take you a few minutes and it’s actually a pretty fun exercise because when you actually come to terms with what you DON’T want it becomes clear what you DO want. The peace of mind you will experience by being clear is just, well…you’ll see.

After you’ve identified what it is you want, then you get to your all important WHY.

So why would you want all those things? Again, kids have the upper hand here. They'll be quick to point out why they want it all: mostly the fun they will have and the popularity it will give them. Ask an adult why they want something and you'll enjoy watching the expression on their face. You'll see them searching for an answer.

Why would you want to be rich? Why would you want to quit working to have your own business? What would you do if you no longer had to go to a job every day? You may decide you want a bigger house than anyone in your family before you ever had.

But what does that do for you? Would you sleep better? Would it make your life better? Would it make you happier? Whatever it is, it's critical that you know.

Exactly HOW you plan to achieve your success is far less important, especially early on. Too much focus on the HOW early in the process can have a devastating effect. It could paralyze you. I call it "analysis paralysis."

If your financial situation is so bad that you're actually below broke then achieving financial independence can seem so far fetched that reaching it appears impossible. You might sell yourself on the idea that it's so far out of reach that you couldn't possibly make it happen in this lifetime. As much as that may seem true at the time, it doesn't have to become your reality. Don’t be sold.

However, in order to get there you will probably have to overcome some serious hurdles. And for that to happen, you need a reason to get up and take the necessary action. That reason needs to be strong enough to pull you through the tough times that inevitably will come. That reason is your WHY.

History is packed with unbelievable stories of accomplishment. People facing seemingly insurmountable odds who overcame obstacles you wouldn't believe. Individuals with relentless determination who decided to push on in situations where most people would give up.

Why is that so many people throw in the towel when things don't go their way and only a small number of people seem to persevere?

It's not because they are genetically stronger and it's not because they have been dealt a better hand in life. What sets them apart is their WHY. That's what keeps them in the game. Their WHY is so strong that whatever gets in their way, they will find a way to deal with it. They don't have all the answers, but what they do have is an inner conviction that they can and will find the answers.

...And they are crystal clear about what they want.

Nailing down your WHY is one of the most powerful ways to improve your chances of success with your home business. So make sure that you know what your WHY is. Find it and refine it over and over again. Make it so strong that achieving it becomes an absolute must for you and the HOW will absolutely reveal itself to you over time. Trust me.

Take action.

P.S. Don’t forget your homework assignment. Make a list of the things you DON'T want and you will instantly see what you DO want. Your WHY will appear right before your eyes. Don’t take this assignment lightly. I’ve done this many times and it is quite dramatic what your new found clarity will bring you

Multiple Income Streams- Got Some?
-why you want to make sure you are diversified!

Joseph Demasi

You see it all over the net- Multiple Streams Of Income On Autopilot! What is that autopilot thing all about. I have never seen a business on autopilot and I don't think it exists. There are some things that are close don't get me wrong. There are definitely people out there that have mastered Google Adwords and just run a campaign and the money rolls in, but even that has to be tweeked every now and then. Well that's a bit off topic-


Why is it so important to have multiple income streams online? It is important offline as well, but since we are all online here we will adress online. Review the following scenerio: You have just found that geat biz, the opportrunity that is going to take you to 6 figures a year and beyond. You met the CEO and he is an upstanding guy. The payplan is terrific and no hints of a ponzi scheme or an illegal pyramid. You are set to go. You put everything into it and for 2 years you have concetrated on this one business, you are going great and making $15k a month and more. Unfortunately something goes wrong- your upline is no longer returning your calls, the people at the corporate office are polite but you sense somethin amiss. The very next day you learn that the company is being investigated and all the accounts are frozen. The CEO is nowhere to be found and you are owed 2 months commissions.


You have spent 2 years of hard work and your invaluable time to build a business that dissappears. Can't happen to your company? It can happen to any company! It has happened to many companies throughout the last 50 years and it will happen to others. It may not happen to your company, but you need to protect your income. I have seen it happen to many people- an income that dissapears.

Having multiple income streams will protect you if one of those streams decreases or dissappears.


One of the other reasons I like having multiple programs is the ability to offer a full spectrum to people. You have to agree not every program is for everyone. Some people like programs that payout $2000 per sale- the high ticket programs. Some people are looking for lower cost program, some people-free programs, etc.

I like the fact that I can offer a wide spectrum of things, kind of like, something for everyone. It is important-if you want to make a good 6 figure income online, that you find a way to be able to offer more than 1 thing to your list. Does it make sense to have a store and only stock 1 product?


You may or may not agree, but here is a list of my programs that I am promoting, this will give you an idea of the wide range of offerings:



1. Golden Ticket - this is a mid priced program promotng Shaklee (probably the best Network Marketing Company Going Today) - Excellent for long term residual and a stable company.



2. Abunza - A great high ticket program- paying out 100% on 2 levels - perfect for the person who is looking for high return and getting to 10K per month quickly. FYI - Over 80% of the people making 6 figures online are doing it with high ticket programs.



3. iBuzzPro - A phenomenal prospecting tool that you can also sell to anyone that has a business. A tool that will allow you to call thousands of prospects within hours- and have the serious ones call you back! - Everyone can use this! Imagine prospects calling YOU!



4. ASD and Golden Panda- These are 2 Advertising sites - surf for pay sites that pay 1% per day for surfing other sites. See update blog for info- Sites are not operating right now and are being looked at by the Governement to make sure they are operating within the law.



5. Unselfish Wealth - I have been seeing this all over with their claims of marketing for you and all that. So I thought I would put them to the test. Click the link for the blog to see updates on how this is going- I will update weekly.

Imagine if you were the one that was only promoting ASD or Golden Panda, your income stopped right now and the future was unknown. Worst of all you have nothing to do until the feds finish up. Now ASD and Golden Panda will probably be fine (no I don't know anything), but you are losing valuable time while everything gets sorted out.

Let me know if you have any comments or questions. I would love to help you.