Issue 223 – Innovate This!
Author: Jon OlsonYear after year we hear the same thing in this business…We need innovation, we need this, we need that. The problem with the traffic exchanges is sometimes we don’t see what we have in front of us. We fall victim to the ‘let’s program this because we can’ rather than ‘let’s program this to help people’.
I really saw how ‘little’ this industry can support innovation, especially with the launch of my Profile Pages at I Love Hits. I Love Hits doesn’t have that ‘commission structure’ so it rarely gets promoted if ever by the rest of the industry. So when something like the Profile Pages comes around, sure it will benefit everyone that uses them and help the entire industry become more community oriented…But it lacks the ’sexy’ commissions, so it never shines like it should.
Thank goodness for Hit Exchange News then and my big mouth, because I’ll praise innovation until I’m blue in the face. I’m putting Cindy Battye up there for traffic exchange owner of the year so far with the release of her brand new ‘TB Connect’ system at Traffic Bunnies. Essentially, she has created ‘Twitter’ for traffic exchanges. This is HUGE and if you embrace this new innovation from TB, your ‘network’ will grow above and beyond what is considered ‘the norm’ in this business.
So to all the traffic exchanges out there, if you come up with something that will benefit the thousands of traffic exchange surfers, I guarantee you that I will praise it and make the readers of H.E.N. know that you are blazing trails for this industry!
Have a great week and thanks very much for being a reader of Hit Exchange News!
Jon Olson
The Traffic Exchange Guy
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The News
- Royal Surf added a very unique contest this week. Basically they are giving away ‘Free Gas’. I know, sounds weird for a traffic exchange but I have to applaud the different approach to this contest. Be sure to check out Royal Surf for your chance to win some free petrol!
- Easy Hits 4 U announced this week that it has reached 80,000 members! 80k, let that sink in for a minute because I know it made me stop and think. So while some traffic exchanges brag about having 1000 or maybe 8000 members, this program is quickly approaching the 100,000 member mark. Wow, great job Easy Hits!
- There’s been another traffic exchange launch by an owner with by upside. The Traffic House was launched by it’s owner, Joakim Andreassen, who has been spending endless hours with a lot of us in the SWAT Traffic seminar room. He’s had to deal with a lot of critiques but it looks like it has paid off with this solid new addition!
- There was a ‘rave’ about Paul Kinder this week in Net Marketing Forum and I thought I would just mention that Traffic Splash .hit 28,000 members this week. This traffic exchange (and ownership) continue to blow down doors and show and prove that it’s one of the best traffic exchanges in history!
- Want to win your own copy of the best selling traffic exchange book on Amazon.com, Hits, Clicks and Misses, (actually, it’s the only published book about T.E.’s on the planet), simply post a comment about this week’s issue of HEN! Congrats to Nancy Radlinger for winning last week, if you can send me your mailing address to hitexchangenews at yahoo dot com, I’ll get you your copy shipped a.s.a.p.
- Splash Page Hall of Fame – To go along with the ‘Free Gas’ giveaway comes this splash page from Royal Surf! Note: Why do I focus on splash pages every week? Simple, you MUST be using them in the traffic exchanges to get results. Get a custom made splash page by clicking here!
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The Famous Hit Exchange News Top 10 (Disclaimer: These are my top performing exchanges for the past week. Alexa rankings and fancy numbers have nothing to do with how I rank my list. This is based on my results and my opinion, nothing more, nothing less.)
1. Traffic Splash
2. Traffic Wonderland
3. Dragon Surf
4. TS 25
5. Traffic Swarm
6. Traffic At The Races
7. Royal Surf
8. Easy Hits 4 U
9. Traffic Era
10. StartXChange
Note: Analysis and Tracking by Hits Connect – The Official Link Tracking Service of Hit Exchange News! Sign up today and get your 30% Discount!
Question: Hey Jon, how come I Love Hits, SWAT Traffic and Click Crazey are never on the top 10 list? Since I own them, I feel it would be a conflict of interest to place it on any of my rankings. (But we all know how great they are anyways lol)
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Deep Thoughts – Jon’s Weekly Rambling
Please…No More Playing The ‘Little Guy’ Card!
There’s a heated debate going on in the ‘Rant’ section over at Net Marketing Forum and while that isn’t news in itself (we have heated discussions there regularly), there is something that seems to keep popping up in these talks that is quite disturbing.
It seems that whenever ‘owners’ in the Net Marketing Forum debate and question motives for anything in this business they are branded as these evil people ‘against’ the little guy. The little guy. That term that has been used constantly in this business has become quite a statement.
Why do I have a problem with it? Sure, everyone was a little guy at one time. Everyone started in this business at zero and many of us struggled day in and day out to develop our business. But what’s even more disturbing is that it has become an excuse and people hide behind it like a shield.
It’s fine to be the little guy. It’s not a bad thing in my opinion, and to be honest a lot of us owners still consider ourselves to be little guys. Want to know why I think of myself as just a young pup in this business? Simple, if I think I’m ‘big time’ I will stop learning and not keep moving forward. I look at everyday like a learning experience, the difference I think is who we choose to associate ourselves around.
I want to be surrounded by two kinds of people, the first, someone who is better off ‘economically’ than I am. Why? So they can teach me how to earn more money. Simple. They obviously do things differently and I know I can learn a few things by just being a sponge around them
The second, I want to be around positive thinkers. I do not want to be around the ‘poor me, I’m a little guy’ attitudes. I want to be around the ‘I’m a little guy and loving the learning experience’ attitudes. I had to laugh because in this recent ‘heated discussion’ a few people claimed they have been surfing for 10 years and are still a poor little guy. Really? I think it may be time to re-evaluate who they associate with.
Again, being a little guy isn’t a bad thing and I do hope people stop using it as an excuse. The trick is to use that time to surround yourself around a winning attitude and positive progressive people. The choice is yours!
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Things That Make You Go Hmmm…
- Useless Jon Olson information. I will be on the road for the next 2 and a half weeks for a family vacation. There will not be an issue of Hit Exchange News next week but I will be back on schedule the following week!
- Last week’s ‘risky program du jour’ is still in rotation in a lot of exchanges even though it was banned by a huge chunk of the industry. Anyone notice how the ‘member count’ was taken off the front page?
- I’ve got a few spots in H.E.N. for ad space. It’s been a few months since two spots have become available so be sure to grab your ad space if you want the best advertising space in the traffic exchange industry. (End shameless self promotion here)
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I must say this is a great article i enjoyed reading it keep the good work
Jon, I’m so tired of the “little guy” comments from people.
Put up or shut up. If you have paper thin skin you won’t make it in the IM industry.
Take the advice that’s given to you and break it down and digest every ounce of it. Your business will flourish because of it.
Don’t pull a pity party and say how the big guys are ganging up on me… boohoo… poor little guy is being held back by the big guys. Get over it.
If the big guys wanted to stifle your business, they would. The certainly wouldn’t hand out valuable marketing advice for FREE.
I’ve been at this 11 years now and my successes and failures were the results of busting my ass (and at times sitting on my lazy ass)
Not happy with where your business is or where it’s heading? Drop into the Swat room and ask for help/advice. It’s quite possible you don’t have a real business plan and are just treading water.
If you’re still SURFING traffic exchanges after 2 or 3 years then you REALLY need to evaluate your plans. That much time working on things you should be buying credits and maximizing your time.
I think I’ve ranted long enough… Time to go pad my PayPal account some more
Jon
Excellent post on the subject of the “little guy” mindset. While I agree that those surfing 3+ years with nothing to show for it need to change their approach, I think the biggest change they need to make is in their mindset.
I’m a firm believer that there is room in this industry for anyone who is willing and motivated enough to take action, and invest some time, work and yes money into their business.
Those individuals who spend their time whining about their results might try investing that time into reworking their capture page(s), or as you said, networking with those more successful than themselves.
Thanks for continuing to offer up your own brand of “tough love” advice Jon. Those who “get it” appreciate your efforts more than you may realize.
Enjoy your vacation, we’ll try to survive without HEN next week.
~Jamison
Hi Jon
I am wondering if traffic exchange owners are losing their punch by promoting the new traffic exchange of the week. I was talking to some of the members of my surfing team at trafficEra. They sure say it is the case. Team members were wondering if all those exhange owners are in fact stating that the new exchange of the week they are promoting is better then the one they own.
They thought the exchange owners might want to spend the time advertising pushing their own traffic exchange.
Just food for thought.
Cheers!
Tony Tezak
Well that depends Tony… you see we make residual income and traffic from the new TEs when we promote them… so we’re setting up a new stream of traffic and income with each good TE we endorse… that means less money spent for the future to promote our own programs and new products we like.
I don’t think many people look at it from my point of view, but it’s served me well over the years. I still believe one of the best features of any TE besides traffic, is residual traffic. If done right, it can pay off for a lifetime.
Of course I don’t suggest promoting a new TE every week, but a new one that’s worth endorsing each month doesn’t hurt much at all. If a TE owner has a good program his/her members will continue to use their TE regardless of the new competition.
“Little Guy” hmmm,
1.) The little guys who surf are the bread and butter of the TE industry. Without people clicking there are no page views to sell, no reason to upgrade (no income for TE’s). A TE owner would not pay the hosting and do the service if there were no hopes of income. The big guys run little guy ads for them all of the time (free from clicking or paid). So, this “little guy” card must refer to TE owners?
2.) Little guy (new) TE’s pop-up every day. They are someone’s dream of someday becoming a big guy, and maybe they will. Are little guys jealous of the big guy’s? Well, let’s just say they bought the script and paid the fees in hopes, aspiring to become a big guy.
I have seen no discrimination by the big guys against running little guy ads on their exchanges, whether free from clicking or paid.
It takes persistence, desire,marketing and money to start most businesses offline, why would online be any different?
Thanks, as a former real estate broker maybe you just gave me a niche! Little guy TE’s going nowhere fast because the owner can’t or wont throw money (marketing and improvements) at them might have a resale value? If the dream is lost, move on, don’t be a whiner. Maybe I’ll do a TE’s for re-sale biz?
Keep up the great work!
Max
Hey Jon,
I agree innovation is the key to success. I am constantly trying to add new features to WBS, though nobody seems to care. We have an awesome package for our upgraded members, that includes sub domain hosting. I have built a site just for upgraded members!
I found your profile page to be quite good, and decided to use it on our site. I plan to take it one step further and create profile splash pages for our members. We have tested it by advertising Affiliate Funnel on one of our splash pages. Members can add their AF ID in their profile, and have it show on their personal splash page. Your innovation has sparked a whole new kind of promotion at WBS… thanks!
Have a great vacation… maybe I’ll see you hanging around WBS when you get back?
DA
What was last week’s “risky problem du jour?”
I want to know so I can avoid it.
Thanks for the exchange news and have a great vacation.
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Another great issue Jon.
However, as a member of some TEs, support of innovation in the industry is not my concern. I look at this very simple. Either you innovate, bring me traffic and more importantly new eyeballs or I move elsewhere.
As a member does the “innovation” bring me new eyes from outside the TE community.
Bottom line is that all the cool bells and whistles are great but if they are not bringing in new eyeballs they are useless.
I can’t open up an account with Traffic Era, I had an account, but I closed it a few weeks ago, and it still has all of that info in its computer, so it won’t let me open an account back up.
Royal Surf – I could get to this one a month ago, but now I just get an error page in my browser, it can’t connect to that website.
I do enjoy reading the HitExchange News, thank you for all the great info.
I too would like to know about last week’s “risky problem du jour?” I want to avoid it too.
Thank you.