Archive | October, 2018

You’ve likely heard of a technique called YouTube Traffic Hijacking. In a nutshell, it’s finding YouTube videos that get a lot of views but don’t display a URL in the more information section. You contact the video owner and offer to either buy the video outright or lease the “more info” section. You then insert your own URL that leads to a product sales page.

Pretty simple, right? This is a viable, workable business model, but there are three catches. First, you have to FIND these videos. The videos you seek are getting hundreds of views a day and have an accumulated number of views in the six figure range, just to be sure they’ve got what it takes to continue to get more views. And they can’t already have a URL listed for more info.

Next, these can’t be just ANY videos that meet the above criteria. For example, that video of cute kittens climbing the screen door isn’t going to sell your traffic product. Maybe you can find an affiliate product that teaches how to get kittens to not tear up the screen door, but even if you do, how many sales do you think that will result in?

Bottom line, the video’s subject needs to have a STRONG correlation to the affiliate product or you won’t be making enough sales to make this venture pay.

Third, you have to talk the video owner into agreeing to sell you the video or into leasing you the “more info” space. If you get them to sell you the video, you’ve then got to talk them into keeping it on their channel (you move it, you lose the momentum of the views and have to start over from scratch.) If you rent the “more info” space, how long will it be before they catch on that all they have to do is get their own affiliate link, tell you to go take a hike and start earning their own commissions?

See, it’s not as easy as some would have you believe. Now, there is software you can purchase that helps you to find these videos, but you still have the other problems we mentioned.

There is of course another solution: Make your own YouTube videos.

Why not? Anyone can do it, you don’t need to be a master videographer, and when you make the video you OWN IT from day one. No begging someone else for their video.

And when you make your own videos, you can have your URL in place from the moment you put your video online.

So how do you get more views to your YouTube videos? While there are no guaranteed methods, tomorrow I’ll share an article with you that can greatly increase your odds of creating videos that garner hundreds of views a day. Stay tuned! 😀

Any good relationship with your customers requires more than simply sending them mass emails. You’ve got to engage them somehow, turn the focus onto them, or even blow their minds once in a while.

1. First, the obvious: Listen to your readers, respond to their comments and emails, connect with them on social media and so forth. This is the stuff you already know – it’s simply a question of whether or not you’re doing it.

2/ Offer job leads. Adding a jobs board to your website might be just the thing to get some of your readers jobs – inspiring gratitude that will keep them coming back for more.

3. Ask your best commenters to guest post on your blog – you’ll make them feel like a million bucks. Offer to guest post on your reader’s blogs – you’ll surprise the pants off of some of them.

4. Hold contests. Weird contests. Crazy off the wall contests. Like having your readers send you a photo of your product in the strangest place possible. Then hold a skills contest, like who can write the best 25 words describing life before your product and 25 words about life after your product. Or hold a funny pet photo contest. Sure, it has nothing to do with your product, but it’s not always about your product – it’s about building relationships.

5. Skype people who have just purchased your product – or someone who’s just commented on your blog – or a reader in general. You’ll blow their minds.

6. Mention readers in your posts and podcasts. For example, “Joe Smith asked me a great question yesterday…”

7. Do live calls, podcasts and webinars to answer customer’s questions. Enjoy yourself on these calls and do your best to ensure your listeners are not just learning, they’re also having fun.

8. Send them stuff in the mail. Your typical reader might subscribe to 25-50 (or more) different newsletters, but receives a personal postcard (or anything else) from only ONE newsletter writer – you. Who will they remember? Whose newsletters will they open and read from now on?

9. Don’t finish your posts. Seriously. Title your post, “100 Tips to Do ___” and then write the first 20 or so. Ask your readers to comment with their own tips.

10. Place a forum on your site. Encourage your readers to become a community. Choose a few posters and get on Skype for your own personal sessions to talk about whatever you choose (Brainstorming? Goal setting? Whatever.)

11. Ask readers to answer a question, then take the answers and compile them into a great article or blog post. For example, “What one thing is more responsible for your success than any other?” Take it a step further and collaborate with your readers on writing a book.

12. Barter with your readers. Everybody’s got skills. Do you need a webmaster? Article writer? Monkey trainer? Ask your readers for their skills and offer to barter for them. You might even set up a barter center on your website.

Think outside the box to find new ways to reach your readers, and grow your business.

You work hard to get traffic to your blog or website, and you provide great content they can use. Yet you’re not getting as many of your visitors to join your mailing list as you would like, right? Be sure you’re not making any of these common conversion mistakes.

1. Not placing your opt-in form on every page. Don’t hide your opt-in form, place it on every single page of your blog or website.

2. Not placing your opt-in form above the fold. The optimal location for your opt-in form is nearly always above the fold, on the right side of the page. In addition, you might also place it at the bottom of each of your articles or blog posts.

3. Not having a strong call to action. Tell them exactly what you want them to do. “Fill in your email address and click submit.” Leave nothing to guess-work or chance.

4. Not giving them a strong incentive. Make your incentive so enticing, many of your readers would consider paying for it if you weren’t giving it away in exchange for their email address.

5. Not making your form and offer big enough. Make your opt-in form and offer big enough and bold enough that it cannot be missed, even by a casual surfer. Use colors that contrast well with the rest of your website, but don’t use anything annoying or flashing – that can actually reduce conversions.

6. Not using a testimonial or endorsement in your opt-in offer. A one line quote from an industry expert about how much they enjoy either your opt-in incentive or your newsletter can lend a tremendous amount of credibility to you and your offer.

7. Not testing. Test your offer, test the colors, test the language/copy that you use, test everything. Nothing is as important as building your loyal list of followers, and testing is the best way to be sure you’re not losing new subscribers every day by presenting the right offer in the right way.

In testing, changing some of these common mistakes has increased subscriber opt in rates by 35% or more. Put them to the test on your site, and see what they do for you!