Our Traffic & Advertising Strategies
I don’t use every advertising method the same way.
Every type of traffic I use has a specific strategy behind it.
There are a lot of different ways to advertise online.
You can use traffic exchanges. You can advertise through safelist mailers.
You can purchase banner advertising. You can use text advertising, solo ads,
list-building services, traffic co-ops, viral mailers and a whole lot more.
But there is one thing I have learned from using all of these different
traffic sources:
Simply having access to traffic doesn’t mean you have a strategy for using it.
That is why I don’t approach every advertising program the same way.
Each type of traffic works differently, each has its own strengths and
weaknesses, and each gives you different opportunities to leverage the
resources it provides.
🧠 I Use a Specific Strategy for Every Type of Advertising
One of the biggest ideas behind Plug-In Profit Site is that
every advertising method I use has a specific strategy behind it.
I don’t simply join a traffic exchange, buy some credits, put up an ad
and hope something happens.
I don’t simply purchase a solo ad and send people to whatever page happens
to be available.
And I don’t treat safelist mailers, banner networks, text-ad networks,
traffic exchanges and other advertising systems as though they are all
interchangeable.
They’re not.
🚦 The Goal Isn’t Just to Get Traffic
Getting traffic is obviously important.
But I don’t believe the objective should simply be to generate as many
visitors as possible.
What are you going to do with the traffic once you get it?
A visitor who arrives at your website and immediately leaves isn’t worth
nearly as much as a visitor who becomes a subscriber, customer, referral
or future visitor.
That’s why many of my strategies are built around more than simply sending
traffic directly to an offer.
🛠️ My Advertising Strategies
These aren’t generic “how to advertise” articles.
They’re about how I personally approach each type of traffic source
and how I combine the resources available to me.
🔄 Traffic Exchange Strategy
Traffic exchanges can provide a tremendous amount of advertising exposure,
but simply surfing for credits isn’t necessarily a strategy.
My approach is based around leveraging the traffic exchange system itself.
One of the ideas behind this strategy is the Power of 5 —
using referrals and multiple levels to create a larger network of activity
over time.
I also look at ways of combining traffic exchanges with other advertising
resources rather than treating each traffic exchange as an isolated program.
🖼️ Banner Advertising Strategy
Banner advertising is another area where I don’t simply purchase impressions
and hope for the best.
I’ve developed what I call The Banner Credit Engine.
A major part of this strategy involves Banner Boomerang and the idea of
using a splash page containing multiple banner-network codes as a
Traffic Distributor.
Instead of thinking about one banner network at a time, the strategy is
designed to make the advertising activity work across multiple programs.
📧 Safelist Mailer Strategy
Safelist mailers can produce a tremendous amount of email advertising
exposure, but sending the same advertisement everywhere without a plan
isn’t necessarily the best way to use them.
My safelist strategy revolves around:
- Choosing the right mailers
- Taking advantage of available promo codes
- Building credits and/or advertising resources
- Using consistent offers
- Tracking results
- Building my own email list
- Combining safelist traffic with other traffic sources
The goal isn’t simply to click “send.”
It’s to build a system where the traffic generated by these mailers
has somewhere useful to go.
📝 Text Advertising Strategy
Text advertising can be particularly useful when you want to generate
exposure without requiring a large graphic banner.
My approach is to look for advertising systems where the relationship
between credits, impressions and clicks makes sense for the type of
offer I’m promoting.
Text ads can also complement other forms of advertising rather than
replacing them.
📣 Solo Ad Strategy
Solo ads are different from traffic exchanges and mailers because you’re
purchasing access to someone else’s email audience rather than earning
advertising exposure through your own activity.
That means I approach them differently.
The important considerations include:
- The quality of the audience
- The offer being promoted
- The landing page
- The opt-in process
- The follow-up
- The cost of the traffic
- The number of clicks purchased
- The results generated from those clicks
📋 List Building Strategy
Traffic is only part of the equation.
One of the reasons I use so many different traffic sources is that I
ultimately want some of that traffic to become part of an audience
I can communicate with again.
That makes list building an important part of the overall system.
My approach is to use traffic sources to drive people toward offers
and landing pages where appropriate, give visitors a reason to subscribe,
and then continue providing useful information and offers through my newsletter.
🤝 Traffic Co-Op Strategy
Traffic co-ops provide another opportunity to leverage advertising activity.
Instead of looking at a co-op simply as another place to buy or earn traffic,
I look at how the traffic can be recycled back into the larger advertising system.
This can include feeding credits generated through existing surfing activity,
purchasing credits and feeding them automatically, or combining both approaches.
🔗 These Strategies Are Designed to Work Together
Although each strategy has its own page, I don’t necessarily consider
these separate systems.
That’s one of the most important concepts behind this entire section
of Plug-In Profit Site.
A traffic exchange can send visitors to a landing page.
A landing page can build your email list.
Your email list can be used to promote an offer.
A banner system can provide additional exposure.
A safelist can promote the same offer.
A text-ad network can provide another source of visitors.
A solo ad can provide a larger burst of traffic.
The individual strategies can therefore become
pieces of a larger advertising system.
🌱 Start Small and Build
I don’t believe you have to implement everything at once.
In fact, I wouldn’t recommend trying to join every traffic program,
purchase every type of advertising and use every strategy on the site
simultaneously.
Start with the methods that make the most sense for you.
Learn how they work. Build some credits or advertising resources.
See what produces results.
Then add another piece when you’re ready.
Some of these strategies can grow as your advertising resources grow.
The Bigger Picture
The individual strategy pages you’ll find here are designed to answer
a simple question:
“Okay, I joined this program. Now what do I actually do with it?”
That’s the question I want these pages to answer.
Rather than simply reviewing advertising programs, I’m documenting
how I use them.
Rather than simply telling you that a traffic source exists,
I’m explaining where it fits.
And rather than treating every advertising method as a completely
separate activity, I’m looking at how the different pieces can work together.
🎯 Find a Strategy and Get Started
You don’t have to use everything here.
Start with one strategy, learn how it works, and build from there.
Explore the strategies above and see which ones fit the way you want to advertise.