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My thoughts on generating traffic.

by ishanr
8 replies
It is amazing that in any bricks and mortar business, you think about your potential customer, where they hang out, market segmentation etc. before heading out and opening shop.

Somehow, in IM, I have seen most people starting a blog, website, writing an eBook etc., without thinking who or where the customer hangs out.

This I think is a principle mistake. Many people also use PPC ads to dodge this important question as it is an easy way to make traffic.

I feel, before doing anything, one must make sure that he/she is solving a problem and where the people who have that problem hang out. Then, as soon as the blog or product is launched, invite those people over.

Case Study: Noah Kagan started AppSumo (a multi million dollar company) over a weekend and he did it by going to Reddit and offering high discounts on Imgur Pro accounts.

He knew most people over there would want an Imgur Pro account very badly and it was easy for him to make sales.

So, my dear warriors, generating traffic is something which shouldn't be difficult. You should know where the traffic is and then make anything...

Do share your thoughts here...
#generating #thoughts #traffic
  • Profile picture of the author OldLodgeSkins
    Hi,

    It is, indeed, a common mistake...
    Even for PPC ads. If you launch an ad without knowing your target audience - I'm talking analytics here - you're likely to waste your money.
    I've recently discovered Home | Quantcast which is a really amazing resource. For example, I have discovered that the population that visits learn.wordpress.com is mostly composed of US women with no children and a high level of education... I wasn't expecting this at all! In turn, this information can be used to properly target an ad.

    Seb.
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    Do you use Facebook ? Then you can make money just by inviting people to a Facebook group ! It's called the Instant Income System. How cool is that?
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    • Profile picture of the author ishanr
      Originally Posted by OldLodgeSkins View Post

      Hi,

      It is, indeed, a common mistake...
      Even for PPC ads. If you launch an ad without knowing your target audience - I'm talking analytics here - you're likely to waste your money.
      I've recently discovered Home | Quantcast which is a really amazing resource. For example, I have discovered that the population that visits learn.wordpress.com is mostly composed of US women with no children and a high level of education... I wasn't expecting this at all! In turn, this information can be used to properly target an ad.

      Seb.
      That's really cool...
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  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    Yes - it's basic common-sense, but because you can start an online business with zero money many people feel they don't need to put any investment in time and research because they have nothing to lose if it doesn't work out.

    Crazy thinking but very common.
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    nothing to see here.

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  • Profile picture of the author tonyb23
    One thing I've realized in my years of internet marketing is that there are clickers and there are buyers.

    Most people revolve their business around clickers.

    But from the successful entrepreneurs I've had the fortune to spend time with, they've build their business around buyers. And they were crystal clear on doing so from the get go of their business.
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    • Profile picture of the author ishanr
      Originally Posted by tonyb23 View Post

      One thing I've realized in my years of internet marketing is that there are clickers and there are buyers.

      Most people revolve their business around clickers.

      But from the successful entrepreneurs I've had the fortune to spend time with, they've build their business around buyers. And they were crystal clear on doing so from the get go of their business.
      Can you explain a little more?
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      Read my latest book - How to build an authority site in 7 days and beat Google!
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
      Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

      Yes - it's basic common-sense, but because you can start an online business with zero money many people feel they don't need to put any investment in time and research because they have nothing to lose if it doesn't work out.

      Crazy thinking but very common.
      Worse, they do lose their time... They essentially
      made $0/hr, giving-up their most precious resource with nothing to
      show for it.



      Originally Posted by tonyb23 View Post

      One thing I've realized in my years of internet marketing is that there are clickers and there are buyers.

      Most people revolve their business around clickers.

      But from the successful entrepreneurs I've had the fortune to spend time with, they've build their business around buyers. And they were crystal clear on doing so from the get go of their business.
      Yep, so many people with too much "Internet" and not enough "Marketer"...
      A very serious Marketing 101 deficit.
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      ...A tachyon enters a bar.

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  • Profile picture of the author higherluv
    Success comes from within you, not to you.

    Yeah, the ppc dudes - not all but a lot - have got it backwards. And it backfires!

    I think I understand what you say - it's all about building a good engine, if you will, and then inviting people over to drive.

    The engine, or site, must be good enough to understand people's problems and find solutions, and keep communicating with them and building relationships and your brand.
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  • Profile picture of the author MKCookins
    I agree that the is the core principle in making money offline or online.

    Find a problem a group of people have - create or find a solution to it - then sell to them.

    I'd like to expand on this a little more about picking your niches when first start. Going to broad for example make money online/Health and fitness - will make it hard to find any decent customers.

    But narrow it down to something like SEO/body building for skinny men - you then target a very specific group of people, and can cater to their needs and wants better. Which will result in quicker sales.
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