Traffic Exchange Tips

I know you probably have less time than enthusiasm, but I have an idea. If you belong to traffic exchanges, you’re an affiliate and probably would like to get some referrals to build up extra credits or at some exchanges still, earn cash for your referrals’ purchases. (PayPal kind of put a damper on that, but some exchanges still offer commissions.) So, how are you going to advertise? Certainly not in other traffic exchanges. That won’t produce many great results because you’ll be preaching to the choir. But how about these ideas:

• If you’ve been online very long, you know about Del.icio.us, the user-defined search engine. Why not add your affiliate links to the exchanges you’re promoting?

• Join forums. NetMarketingForum is great, but not exactly a place to promote exchanges because it’s populated by exchange owners. But what about Warrior Forum or, if you’re a member, GDI’s forum. Any program that you belong to is liable to have one. See if they do and then hang out there every so often or even become a regular. Use your traffic exchange affiliate link as part of your signature file and it will be shown on every post you write.

• Join a good downline builder like TrafficExchangeList, TurboGDI, or the JoeShmo200. That’s a great way to build a downline! I get referrals all the time because I promote the downline builders, get referrals for them, and the people who signed up under me usually join more than one traffic exchange using my links. How cool is that? Promote lots of exchanges at one time by actually promoting the downline builder.

• Write a blog! Blogging is a real hoot for me. You may not know that I’m a professional writer, so writing is like breathing for me. But you needn’t BE a pro to write a blog. Write about something you’re passionate about. Politics? Sports? Cats or Dogs? What turns you on? Write a blog about that and display your traffic exchange affiliate link on it. If you’re unsure about your writing ability. Hire an editor to help you. (I know where you can find a really, really good one. LOL)

• Write articles. Most of you are cringing, no doubt. Stop that! Articles produce some of the BEST, targeted traffic there is. Write reviews of traffic exchanges and get the published at eZine Articles or iSnare. iSnare is very cool because they’ll distribute your article for $2 each. Saves lots of time. And if you need a roadmap for writing them, check this out: Pat’s 7 Secrets.com

But what I’m getting at is “think outside the box.” Free advertising is great, but traffic exchanges are only one way to refer people to them with your link. Actually, other forms of advertising may even be more effective in getting referrals for them. Try it and see what happens!

While surfing the exchanges, I see tons and tons of programs. Some are free to join, while others require a monetary commitment. I always wonder how many thousands of millions have been wasted on programs, promising to pay out the big bucks?

I have to admit that I was once a newbie, too. I joined programs because they looked as though they would provide financial remuneration. Sure. Why not, right? Everyone makes money online! LOL

You realize, of course, that statement couldn’t be further from the truth. About 3% of all people trying to make money online actually make any.

Here’s the thing: You need to research the programs you want to take part in. Not all of them are bad, but I’d say that a majority of them are based on nothing more than sand and we all know what happens when the tsunami comes in. Pffft!

Before shelling out any money, let me give you some hints:

1. Never give your name and/or email address to anyone, unless you know why you’re giving it. Blind lead capture pages are just a way for the people showing them to build their lists. If they have a product or newsletter to offer, what qualifies them to write it? Do they own the product or is it someone else’s? Is what you’re getting worth what you’ll be getting? Remember some list owners only sell, sell, sell without trying products first and you’ll get tons of email from them, no doubt. To me, double opt-in or no, that’s spamming. I only promote things I’ve tried myself.

2. If you do sign up for “more information,” as some places make you do before they tell you much about the program, and you do it anyway, DO NOT invest any money, until you have checked the program owners and the program out first. Run the owners’ names in Google and see what you come up with. Search forums, like NetMarketingForum to see if there have been any posts in regard to the program or its owners. See what you can find. If the name of the site owner, the company’s address, and a phone number are nowhere to be found on the site, run away! And don’t be taken in by “pictures” of a corporate headquarters. Anyone with a digital camera can go out and shoot a picture of a building.

3. If you find bad information during your investigation, you’ll know what to do. However, if you don’t find anything, that’s not a good sign, either. It either means that the person has no online experience or that he/she has changed his/her spots. People do that all the time online.

4. Check the domain name at betterwhois.com to see who owns it. Is the owner the same as the owners listed on the site?

5. Study the program. Is it a legal MLM (with viable products to sell that you aren’t required to buy) or if it’s a Ponzi scheme (a system whereby the new enrollees pay the profits of old-timers). Ponzis are not just illegal in the U.S., they’re doomed to failure wherever they reside. Case in point: the autosurf for cash fiasco of February 2006. If you weren’t around then, look it up.

6. Decide if the product or service is something that people will actually want and need.

7. See how long the program has been in business. This is a mixed issue. Long standing is good because it shows stability. However, if you plan to sell only online, remember that most of the folks wanting to buy have already bought. You’ll get a new crop of marketers each September and January, but the old-timers already have their recruitment systems in place. It will be a hard row to hoe.

I’m sure you can come up with some watch signs of your own, but the bottom line is, NEVER join anything without checking out the program first. Money offline can’t be made overnight, and that’s certainly true online, as well. The Internet can be a great place to do business, but you’ll have to work at it. I’ve been online for 3 years now and I have yet to see a millionaire made overnight.

Do all of this before you start promoting in the traffic exchanges, too. Nothing is worse than supporting a program that turns out to be a scam. You’ve not only hurt yourself, but by not checking things out, you’ve put other people at risk as well.