Traffic Exchange Tips

Traffic exchanges can deliver tons of web traffic to your website. However, if you aren’t surfing consistently or advertising correctly it could be a waste of time.

StartXchange Teams allow you to build relationships with your teammates. You can then help each other out when you have problems or questions, and you can give each other tips on getting better results.

On top of the closer team relationships, there are the team competitions! Each month teams compete to refer the most new members, surf the most, and have the highest average surfing. At the end of each month the top teams split the jackpot!

This translates to members encouraging you to surf on a consistent basis. It’s easy to get off track and stop surfing, but it’s important to keep a flow of traffic to your site.

Surfing exchanges is a bit running a race, most professional athletes will tell you it is better to run at a steady pace throughout the race rather than throw everything into a mad flat-out sprint from the line - you will soon burn up your energy and get passed by the competition as they conserved their energy for later in the race.

In the same way, instead of surfing like mad on an exchange and racking up lots of credits and then not surfing for a while, surf a little bit on an exchange on a regular basis.
It is better to surf 50 credits a day over 5 days than to surf 300 credits in 1 day and then not surf for 5 days.
Why - the second option seems to be better as you have more credits earned?
The reason is that most exchanges can use up those 300 credits in a day or two, which means for 3 days NO-ONE is seeing your site, whereas if you surf a regular, smaller amount your site is being seen everyday.

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare:
Slow and steady beat Fast and Furious

Submitted by: dehawkinz

Some traffic exchanges, like StartXChange, notify you of new downline members and give you the ability to contact them. You should definitely make use of the tools offered in that regard. People will be more inclined to surf in an exchange where they know they will get help from their sponsor if needed. Here’s the message I send to my new downline members through the Private Message system when I get the “Referral Notification” message from StartXChange:

________________________________
Hello there [Insert Their StartXChange username here]!

Thank you for joining StartXChange in my downline!

The first thing you should do is to add a site where you
would like to send your traffic. Just click on Websites
in the left menu in your account to do so.

To start surfing for credits, just click on START SURFING
in the left menu in your account. You can also bookmark your surf link:
http://www.startxchange.com/start.php?username=[Insert Their StartXChange username here]

Also, when you use the surfbar, you have to click on one of
the two shapes that are alike to earn credits. Just look at the
shapes, and if there are two squares, just click on one of them.
If there are two circles, just click on one of them, etc.

If you ever need any help or if you have any questions,
just send me a note!

Happy surfing!

Lucie Bellemare
__________________________________

Feel free to cut and paste this example message and send it to your new downline members. You can also use something similar to welcome your downline members in other exchanges.

Submitted by: lucie

from TEs I have been using traffic exchanges since August 2006 so my advise is from a “newbie”. Here is what I have learned:

1. Buy upgrades in “old timers”, ie… IloveHits, StartxChange, TopSurfer, etc. You will get a lot of exposure and will be getting the most from your financial investment.

2. Buy yearly upgrades in the newer traffic exchanges whenever possible. Normally they offer “random referrals”, lots of hit credits, and again, you get lots of exposure for your financial investment.

3. Use your name, picture, and company logo. You would not believe the number of downline members I get just because they knew it was me advertising the traffic exchange. Talk about “viral” start your own viral downline builder - YOU.

4. Always, always contact your downline. Many traffic exchanges provide emails notifying you of new downline members. Send a welcome email, let them know they are more than a name. Let them know you recognize they are a person just like you trying achieve their dreams.

5. Use credits if necessary to contact downline members. Some traffic exchanges don’t give you away to contact downline members unless you are transferring credits. Transfer those credits, say hi, give them your email address and an invitation to contact you.

Building a business online is no different then if you ran a donut shop. Think about it, where do you get your coffee every morning, grocery shop, etc. You go to these places because someone greets you with a smile and makes you feel comfortable. Building a business online is no different.

That is about it for now. I hope this helps or at least gives you food for thought.

Sincerely,
Pam L Jones
pltompkins2

PS Happy New Year to all and a Merry Christmas. May you prosper both financially and spiritually in the year to come.

Hello,
When surfing multiple exchanges, take the time to see what is being promoted so that you can avoid saturated markets. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but, the same picture, over and over again only means…move on. Sometimes you can show the identical content with a different picture and totally change your results.

Good Luck….Happy Surfing!
Ron (stotlmyr)

How fast do you read? Are you a lightning-fast reader, who can scan a page and quickly pick up its gist? Or, are you like the tortoise, slow and steady? I’m definitely more turtle, though with the broad range of research materials that I’ve had to read for my books, I’ve definitely become faster over time. Yet, everyone is different.

And attention spans are different. Some of us are focused, while others are definitely not, and people can become even less focused when surfing traffic exchanges, as they watch the same pages over and over again. It’s a challenge to keep people interested in your proposal. So, how do we snatch someone’s eyeballs in ten seconds or less?

Perhaps the best way is with a picture. It can be interesting, moving, or funny. Images with people interacting are good because they help viewers to relate. The TS25 models are a good case in point. Notice the girl holding the side of her glasses so that she can look out over the top. Her dimpled smile is brilliant, and she makes you wonder what she’s thinking. She loves TS25 and wants you to figure it out. Of course, who hasn’t already?

Or, check out Hit Pirate’s Captain Jack, sneaking away with the treasure. He’s a hoot. And I love the picture of the tabby cat looking into the mirror to see his reflection as a lion looks back at him. It’s not a belly laugh, but it makes me smile, and I admit to clicking the link to see what the image promotes. The picture got me to click because I was curious. You need to make people wonder to get them to click on your link.

This isn’t quite so true when adding sound or video to your splash page because it demands the viewer’s attention. Sound is very effective and has become much more popular in the traffic exchanges in recent months.

Just do us regular surfers a favor, please. Don’t assault our ears! Loud, pounding music is obnoxious and rather than gain attention, it probably does more to tick people off. That’s especially true if they’re listening to Yahoo Launch Music or to a Mark Joyner teleseminar while they surf. Keep your audio message short and to the point and it will still be as powerful.

Try a simple greeting that sums up your offer in 20 seconds or less. Remember the PAS girl that floated in and out of the traffic exchanges a few months ago? I can almost guarantee she got plenty of business. I’m not sure if that was a corporate splash page or her own, but it was very effective. She was friendly and non-threatening in her appearance and her message.

When recording these audio or video messages, your personality must come across as friendly. Nothing turns me off more than seeing a video with a deadpan person sitting behind a desk, flatly telling me what I need to do. I want to be invited! I want to be sold, not lectured. And smile, darn it! I want to like you, too. Let people know you’re friendly and willing to help. You’ll attract many more sign-ups or buyers that way, I’m sure.

Words can also get your attention, it’s true. But you know what they say about a picture being worth 1,000 words. In the traffic exchange arena, the old saw is most certainly true. Don’t write long pages of text and put them into a traffic exchange. By doing that, you’ve already lost the battle. Keep your page short and sweet, use an image or a sound to attract people, and you’ll come out a winner.

Pat Marcello is an avid surfer and knows her way around a Traffic Exchange. Look for more from her at OVBlogger.com She also edits blogs for other well-known marketers. If you want great information on List Building,Click Here.

As some of you may know, I make my living as a writer. Though I’ve been writing books of late, my first jobs were with newspapers. Do you know the very best thing that could happen to a freelancer?

Let me tell you.

I used to dance the hula when my article made it “above the fold”! That meant that my incredibly vibrant words (well, okay… interesting words, maybe?) were on the front page, and that my article would be one of the first things anyone who picked up that newspaper saw. Readers bring fame. Fame brings more work. Trust me. Above the fold is a very good place to be.

So, why am I telling you this?

Because you should want your best stuff “above the fold,” too. It’s a little different with web pages, of course, but you can see what I mean, no doubt. You want your most important information to show up immediately when the page opens. People shouldn’t have to scroll down to find the information, it should be right there, in their faces!

This is especially important in traffic exchanges. Some timers are only 10 seconds long. If someone has to scroll down the page to find what you want them to know, odds are, they never will. Hence, the splash page.

The best splash page is, of course, the squeeze or lead capture page, where you give something away in return for the person’s name and email address. But splash pages don’t have to be squeeze pages. A funny picture or illustration will get someone to click on your link. Or, a shocking statement might do the job.

Whatever you use, be sure that the important part (what people see) of your splash page is about 650 pixels wide. People seem to read narrower text more easily. And be sure to end your page before you hit the bottom of the screen. That gives you about a 468 X 650 pixel box or so to work with. You can optimize the space by using a table, divided into two columns. However, more than that is just asking to be ignored.

Stand out and sell your product or program! Use splash pages that sit “above the fold,” and watch your sales stats rise.

Pat Marcello is a freelance writer and editor. Join her free newsletter with one great tip each month at OVMarketing (http://ovweb.net).

Every week, I wonder what I’m going to write that you don’t already know about traffic exchanges and using them effectively. This week? Hmm… I’ve decided…

That this is the first Pat Marcello AWARDS for Excellence and Not-Much Excellence Week . I may do it again. Then, I may not, but I’ve been noticing quality AND poor performance all over the place this week as I was surfing and it occurred to me that some exchanges really need a commendation, while others need a kick in the bum.
Here goes:

• The award for smooth surfing and non-aggravation goes to (envelope, please)…

Stephen and Bobby have made surfing there fun and a total breeze. No framebreakers, no viruses, no problems. Kudos to you, guys.

• The award for the best game goes to…

If Simon knew how many times I’ve cussed him out for giving me a question I have no clue about, just when I’m at the 250 or 500 credit line, well… good job! You always make it interesting and intelligent. Bravo for intelligent fun! I now know that the flag of New Zealand has 4 stars and that Long John Silver’s parrot was named Captain Flint and a whole bunch of other stuff that I missed in school. I was probably off writing in a corner at history (and geography) time, you realize.

• The award for the best new toolbar and best clean-up of aggravating sites in rotation goes to

This was really getting on my nerves, guys. Good job cleaning things up! Thanks!

• The award for the most innovative site goes to…

Tim has made some great changes and put in an active forum, where I’ve met some pretty cool people. He just keeps trying to make things better for his members all the time (even with that carpal tunnel problem). You go, Tim!

• The award for the “What Are You Thinking” program goes to…

Paula is a great site owner and Hit Safari rocks, but didn’t she have enough trouble with the autosurf crash of 2006?

• The award for the best customer service goes to

Jon is very responsive when it comes to his members, and now Cat Heiter is managing Customer Service. Wow! She’s a gem. (And no, they didn’t pay me to write this.) But they are always happy to answer questions and fix problems, no matter what else he’s doing. Nobody does it better.

• The award for the most underrated traffic exchange goes to …

I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten some of my best results there. Robert has a diamond and nobody seems to realize the power of the system as a whole. You can surf, build a list, publish articles, and more. Great exchange, and it should be rated in the big lists.

• The award for the site owners most full of the bull puckey goes to

I couldn’t decide whether it was Matt or Stan who promised that their “best” offer was going away more times, when it never did. Come on, guys. We ain’t that dumb.

• The award for the busiest webmasters goes to

New owners of the Doug Williams Empire and 10Khits4Unow. I can’t imagine how you’re handling all of that (I never understood how Doug could do it, either), but you are, and my hat is off to you!

And that’s it for this time, folks. Just remember, I’m out there watchin’. Bwahahaha!!! You never know what I might type. Hmm… I think you should just upgrade me in every exchange that I mentioned free. Isn’t that a great idea? Huh? I tried.

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.