Nick's Traffic Tricks » make money

Traffic is not enough (You need to make money!)

Nick — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:00:57 +0000

For 99% of people reading my blog, traffic is not an end goal but rather a means to an end. At the end of the day you want traffic that will make you money, right?

Today I am sharing a few resources that will help you grow your business and make you money.

Pick a product

Make a plan

Writing Tools

Spread the word & get Traffic

Want The “Right” Kind Of Traffic? Answer These 5 Questions

Nick — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:17:13 +0000

You don’t want just any traffic; you want traffic that clicks on your ads, buys your products, and signs up for your email list.

You want traffic that converts.

So, how do you get traffic that converts??

5 Most Important Questions

These questions are at the core of every successful online business, and if you can answer them then you can get traffic that converts.

What exactly am I selling?
You cannot make money without a product/service to sell. Subway sells sandwiches, the New York Times sells advertising space, and I challenge you to find a successful business that doesn’t have something to sell.
Who desperately wants what I am selling?
99.9% of people have no interest in what you’re selling. So who DOES want it? Who desperately wants it and will actually pay for it?
Where can I find lots of these people?
Where do they get together online/offline?
Where do they live?
What forums, blogs, newspapers, magazines do they read?
What groups or social organizations do they belong to?
What other products do these people buy?
Where do they shop?
How will I connect those people with the product I am selling?
How can I leverage the forums, blogs, newspapers, magazines they read and get targeted traffic?
How can I bundle my product with a product these people are already selling?
People who buy my product will likely know other people that want my product. Should I invite customers to be affiliates?

So, do you know exactly what you’re selling?

If you cannot answer this with a definite “Yes” then you don’t have a business and a lack of traffic is not your real problem.

Before you do keyword research, seo, build backlinks, etc you must know precisely what you are selling!

But Nick, I really want to get traffic first and then figure out what I’m selling.

You want traffic that converts into sales and that means knowing exactly what you’re selling and precisely who will buy it (and 99.9% of people do NOT want to buy it).

Wouldn’t it be a shame if you spent hundreds of hours building a website and thousands of dollars with an SEO company, only to find that your top Google ranking drove tons of traffic to your website but the traffic never bought anything?

Case Study: My Famous Quotes

One of my first domains was myfamousquotes.com and I thought “I’ll get traffic first and then figure out what to sell later.”

Years later it gets consistent traffic but struggles to make more than a couple dollars a day because I cannot find anything that visitors to the site desperately want.

Want More Traffic? [click here]

Biggest Absolute Failure

In 2008 I did an experiment to see how fast I could rank for the low competition keyword phrase: Biggest Absolute Failure.

As I recall, it only took a couple hours and 3 years later I am still #1 in Google.

But guess how much traffic that #1 ranking generates. It’s 1 visitor per week.

And even if it were generating loads of traffic, what would I sell to people searching Google for Biggest Absolute Failure? I have no idea!

But Nick, what if no one will buy my product?

Then you have learned something important. If no one wants your product then stop wasting time with it and find something else to sell.

But Nick, How do I find a product that people will spend money on?

Excellent question. You have to notice the people around you and what they regularly spend money on.

Also notice what causes them pain or discomfort and makes them say, “I’d pay $100 if someone would help me fix/remove/cure x.”

Another route is to look at what products are currently selling well and sell those. I have a few videos that cover how to do this:

So, do you know what you’re selling?

Seriously, do you?

5 Strategies for a Cash-Converting Blog Posts

Nick — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:00:08 +0000

Photo by stevoarnold

Some people think that just because blogs are known for brevity, it means they don’t have to put any meat into their content. Actually, the exact opposite is true – you have a very short span of time to create value for your readers.

Here’s what you need to do if you want your blog to build your subscriber list, convert sales and brand you as an expert in your niche:

1. Less is more.

Blog posts aren’t meant to be scrolling on for 24 pages like a sales pitch does. People want quick tidbits of information they can put into action immediately. Stick to 250-400 words per post Max.

2. Create your headlines and content with both search engines and human visitors in mind.

Yes, you want to use keywords in your blog posts, to attract SE spiders so their users can find you! But you also want to write for your human audience, so make sure your headlines are appealing and your content isn’t so stuffed with keywords that it’s awkward to get through.

3. Use bullet points or numbered lists so your visitors can quickly scan your blog for good information.

Just like a sales letter, bullet lists are what readers quickly turn to when they want to know whether or not your site is worth reading in-depth. Magazines use the sale technique, so emulate their style.

4. Don’t be all over the map.

Have a plan in place for your blog posts and be consistent with your voice. If you outsource to freelance writers, then make sure you edit the post so it matches your voice before you make it public.

5. Use your blog as a pre-sell hot spot.

This is your platform to voice your opinion and warm up your audience. Nothing will excite your readers more than your passion for the product, so make sure it comes through – and don’t forget to add your links!

If you employ the five fundamental blog post techniques, you’ll be catering to the needs of your target audience. Brevity and bullet points help them save time while still getting value.

Crafty headlines with just enough keyword-laden content will serve as perfect attractors for the search engine bots and your visitors will see your enthusiasm shine through so that your links keep the sales funnel flowing.

We’ve entered an era where peer socialization and personal recommendations trump hard hitting sales copy, so you have to take care to ensure that your blog follows the perfect formula for success.

What I wish I had known when I first started in Internet Marketing

Nick — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:00:55 +0000

Photo by woodleywonderworks

What I wish I had known when I first started in Internet Marketing…

At the core of making money online is 2 things: traffic & conversions.

Without traffic to your sites you’ll never make money.

And all the traffic in the world will do no good if it never converts.

Learn all you can about these 2 things. Become a jedi master at these.

Build an email list and you’ll be able to dramatically increase your traffic and conversions. My email list is a great source of traffic for me. I also use it to increase conversions for things I am selling/promoting.

Partnering with others can help you build your list quickly, which leads to more traffic and conversions.
Partnering with others can help you get more traffic.
Partnering with others can help you increase your conversions, build your credibility, and build your brand.

Build a network of people who are good at things you are not.

Build a brand.

Every web page you build should have a purpose. It may be to get people to opt in to your list, sell a product or whatever. Before you build a page define its purpose and that will define how you should be build/layout the page.

Test, test, test! Think your squeeze page converts as well as it can? You’ll never know until you test.

Be remarkable. Do something that gets people talking about you. Seth Godin explains this well in an 18 minute video:
http://www.nickstraffictricks.com/seth-godin-sliced-bread-and-other-marketing-delights/

Presentation is everything. The best prooduct doesn’t always win, but the best presented product frequently wins.

Read the Warrior Forum frequently. Everyday people post gems that will help you be more successful.

Ask questions. Ask lots of them. Just remember specific questions get specific answers. If you ask something like “How do I make money?” you’ll get answers like Sell stuff or Make a product and build a list. These are not very helpful to a newbie.

Play nice. Sounds cheesy but a little kindness goes a long way. Be nice to people who are jerks too.

Take the time to learn a few basics on the topics: HTML, CSS, SEO, copy writing, buying a domain, how to host your domain, FTP.

Treat others the way you wanted to be treated. If you want to be paid for your hard work then don’t look for ways to cheat others so you can save a buck.

There are lots of people making money online. Read what they are saying but more importantly watch very carefully what they DO. It’s their actions that are lining their pockets with gold.

There is a ton of money to made connecting people with other people or products.

Sites like myspace, facebook, classmates, etc connect people with other people.

Sites like ebay, craigslist, amazon, half, froogle, etc connect people with products.

Sites like Warrior Forum, google, wikipedia, digg, cnn, etc connect people with the information they’re looking for.

Read More about connecting people with people/products/information
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/11/how-to-make-mon.html

Don’t re-invent the wheel!

The idea is simple: Don’t work really hard figuring something out when you could look at someone who is really successful at this thing and do what they do.

If you want to have a top ten rank on Google for the search term Poodle Manicures then search Google for Poodle Manicures and take a close look at the sites that come up in the top ten. These are your competition. What kinds of things did they do to get ranked so high. (i.e. How many pages do they have? How often do they update their content? How many incoming links do they have? How long do they have their domain registered for?)

Continue learning online and offline. I just finished the book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert B. Cialdini. This incredible book changed the way I see marketing. I read it because it was recommended by several people on the Warrior Forum. If you don’t what to read, ask for suggestions.

Take action. Reading more books/forums/etc won’t do any good if you never take action.

Focus on thing and do it well. (One of my biggest failings! I am easily distracted.)

======

What do YOU wish you had known when you first start in Internet Marketing?

Video: How to quickly monetize your blog

Nick — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:10:07 +0000

This has got to be one of the best ways to monetize your blog or any website.

It’s super simple but be warned- it does take a little effort on your part.

Thanks to Gary Vaynerchuck for a great video!

Why affiliate marketing sucks (and how to fix it)

Nick — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:58:24 +0000

Photo by terren in Virginia

Let’s be honest here. For 99% of Internet marketers affiliate marketing sucks big time.

You spend a ton of time and effort and energy (and sometimes money) to send traffic to a sales page that isn’t converting any traffic into sales.

What a waste!

More traffic?

The solution is NOT sending more traffic to a sales page that doesn’t convert.

Traffic isn’t your problem; conversion IS your problem.

Unfortunately you have no idea what the conversion rate is for a sales page until you send a bunch of traffic to it.

Worse yet, once you determine that the conversion rate sucks, there’s nothing you can do about it because you’re just an affiliate.

How to fix this problem

The simple solution is to stop sending traffic to affiliate offers and instead send the traffic to your own email list sign-up page.

Once people are on your e-mail list you can test different affiliate offers to see how well they convert. If one of the affiliate offers converts poorly you still will have your e-mail list.

Get to know your list

Part of the problem with affiliate marketing is that you are trying to sell stuff to people without knowing what exactly they are searching for. You have no idea what problems and needs people have.

Through your email list you can interact with your subscribers and find out what they’re really looking for.

You can invite them to ask questions and expect answers. (If you go this route make sure you actually answer their questions!)

I have even bribed people with a free product if they simply ask me a question.

But how do you setup an email list?

I have several posts that show you how:

Why Doesn’t Amazon Want My Money?

Nick — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:05:15 +0000

I’ve been a customer of Amazon.com for several years now and have spent hundreds of dollars at their website on books, movies, and music.

Until recently I had a wish list on Amazon with over 100 items on it. (Last week I deleted my wish list for privacy reasons but that’s a story for another time.)

So it’s safe to say that Amazon has a very good idea of what things I like and what items I am likely to purchase in the future.

Amazon is losing money

Every week I get at least one email from Amazon with their current deals and specials. Unfortunately for Amazon, I have absolutely no interest in 99% of the items they email me about.

This sort of mass marketing of the most popular items to everyone is the kind of thing I would expect from retailers that know nothing about me.

But Amazon is different! They have a long list of products that I have purchased in the past as well as a lengthy wish list.

They know exactly the types of books and movies that I purchase on a regular basis. Why aren’t they emailing me with offers and deals on these types of products?

They know that I recently purchased a Kindle and they have an excellent idea of what books, newspapers, and accessories that people buy within the first couple months of owning a Kindle. Why aren’t they recommending these things to me?

Don’t they want my money?

Yesterday’s email

Here is a screenshot of yesterday:

One of the products they are advertising in the email is the $139 Kindle, which is the exact same Kindle but I purchased a few weeks ago!

I recognize that the purpose of the email is to suggest gifts for other people but I was still very surprised when I saw that they emailed me an advertisement for a product that I just purchased from them.

100 times more likely to buy

If they email me with products that I’m actually interested in I am 100 times more likely to buy the item right then and there.

Why aren’t they doing this?

Don’t they want my money?

Video: How to Make Money with Your Blog

Nick — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 05:00:47 +0000

Darren explains how to legitimately make money from a blog using a long term view.

Video: Is Your Niche Profitable? How To Tell In 30 Seconds Or Less

Nick — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:59:16 +0000

Getting traffic is a good thing but are there advertisers willing to spend money on your niche?

Here a quick test that will take you 30 seconds.

12 Steps To Setup An Email Newsletter, Get Traffic, And Make Money

Nick — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:28:11 +0000

This is part of my 30 Days To More Traffic Series

Creating an email newsletter is one of the best ways to get long-term traffic to your website and make money online. Any guru will tell you this.

Unfortunately what they don’t tell you is the exact process to use. It’s not as simple as “go make an email list”.

There are many steps involved in correctly setting up an email newsletter. Below I have outlined the steps I’ve used to set one up.

To start with I want to show you a simple flowchart:

This simple flowchart gives you a high-level view of what goes on when someone signs up for your email list.

Now let’s jump into the nitty-gritty details.

1. Need an autoresponder

You are going to need an autoresponder. I highly recommend Aweber. It’s what I use and it’s affordable.

Whatever autoresponder you choose make sure you use double optin for your email list. When you use double optin someone will sign up for your email list and then they are sent an email asking them to confirm their subscription to your email list. This ensures that you have fewer spam complaints.

2. Use an email address that you check

Whenever you send out a message to your email list there is a “reply to” email address that is sent along with the message. This way if any of your subscribers have a question they can simply hit the reply button and send a message to you.

You must make sure that this reply to email address is one that you check on a regular basis.

There been a few times when I sent out a message with a link to my website that didn’t work. I didn’t know about it until one of my subscribers hit the reply button and notified me of this. If I didn’t check the email address on a regular basis I would’ve never known.

3. Create a free short report

Identify a common problem that your readers have and write a report showing people how to fix this problem. The report doesn’t have to be very long; three to five pages should do the trick.

Just make sure that it solves a specific problem that your readers have.

Once you have it written you need to save it in PDF format. If you’re not sure how to do this are a lot of free tutorials on the Internet that will show you exactly how.

4. Packaging your report

If you link to the report in pdf format then when people click on the link to the pdf it will automatically load the pdf in the browser.

If instead you link to a zipped file (which contains the pdf) they will be forced to download it to their computer, making it easier for them to read anytime.

In the zip file also include a file that links to your website.

To do this open a new file in NotePad and save it.

An example filename might be Traffic_Tricks_Blog.htm

Be sure that the filename contains no spaces, is something that gets the viewers attention, and ends with .htm

Inside the file type the following:

What this chunk of HTML code does is tell the browser to immediately redirect to:
http://www.nickstraffictricks.com

Simply replace http://www.nickstraffictricks.com with your own url and then save.

Be sure to test your redirect!

Now everyone unzipping the file will see a the htm file and when they open it they will be sent to your site.

You can do this for affiliates stuff too.

In fact you could have two of these files inside the zip. One would redirect to your website and another would be an affiliate offer. This is a great way to make a little extra money on the backend.

Just don’t abuse it.

5. Create a “thank you” page

After a person enters their name and email to subscribe to your list they will be sent to a thank you page.

The purpose of this page is to thank the person for signing up and inform them that they need to check their email and click on the confirmation link that has been sent to them.

You may also put an advertisement on this page.

The form of this page is relatively simple and if you want you can just copy one that I have used in the past:
http://free–web-traffic.com/thank_you.php

6. Create a “sign-up is complete” page

After a person has confirmed their email address their sign-up is complete and they are sent to a “sign-up is complete” page.

In addition to page tells them that their free report has been emailed to them.

I recommend putting an advertisement on this page.

If you would like you can copy the one I use:
http://free–web-traffic.com/thank_you_after_email.php

7. Create the first message

After someone confirms their email the first follow-up message will automatically be sent to them. In this message you need to have a link to the free report for them to download.

In a message you can also introduce yourself to the reader and invite them to follow you on twitter or subscribe to your RSS feed.

8. Get an ecover

Your free report is not really complete until it has some sort of ecover which is just a graphic cover for your report.

Here’s an example of the cover that I frequently use for my Nick’s Traffic Tricks ebook:

There are some ways the you can create them for free and you can find free tutorials on the Internet. But if you have a little extra cash and time is short then I recommend finding someone to create one for you.

Simply go to Google and search for: ecover design

9. Place the signup immediately after content on your website

You want to place your sign-up form in a prominent location where people can see it.

For me this works best by placing my sign-up form immediately after my main content block all my blog.

10. Experiment with popups and lightboxes available with Aweber

One way to increase the conversion rate and get more people to sign up is to experiment with different types of pop-ups and light boxes.

Some website owners have reported a fivefold increase in the number sign ups.

With Aweber trying different types is easy.

11. Whenever you post to blog or website you send an email to you email list and get guaranteed traffic

To get instant traffic simply send a message out to your email list every time you post new content on your blog. This will be dramatically more effective if the content that you post is always high quality. Read 6 Reasons Quality Content Receives More Traffic And Makes More Money

12. Don’t forget to test

Lastly you need to make sure that you test this entire process. There are a lot of steps and you want to make sure that each piece is set up correctly.

I recommend going through the following checklist to ensure that everything is set up.

Go to the page with the sign-up form and sign up with your name and email.
Were you taken to the “thank you” page and asked to confirm your email?
Did you receive the email asking you to confirm it?
Now click on the confirmation link.
Were you taken to the “signup is complete” page?
Did your advertisement display correctly on that page?
Do you receive the email with the link to your download?
If you hit reply to the email does it send to you?
Does the link to the download actually work?
Can you unzip the file and open up the PDF?
Do the other files that you may have included work correctly?