OK, this one is going to be short and sweet. I guess, even though I’ve often stressed that traffic may not be the problem for most websites, everyone seems obsessed with it. The truth is that traffic is awesome, unless it’s untargeted and the users are not in the mood for what you are selling. If you want quick traffic, join a traffic exchange. But you won’t get much out of it but people who leave as quick as they go.
Here’s a list of 5 sources of traffic that deliver extremely targeted, extremely low cost visitors to your site. I use them as lead generation/list building sources, and right now they’re very untapped. As I’ve hinted at before, I’m trying to find the time to put together a traffic-getting manual, but that’s looming in the near future. Here’s your good stuff now. I’ve actually seen someone try to sell these 5 secrets for $147, so consider yourself lucky.
1) eBay. That’s right, the 18th most trafficked site on the internet. Why is eBay #1? Because every single person that goes to eBay is looking to buy something. There is no more targeted buyer. From my experience, people are looking to buy stuff at garage sale prices, so when they see a $6 million ebook (or however much you charge for it), they won’t buy. They will, however, buy a stupid $3 report ***UPDATE: EBAY NO LONGER ALLOWS YOU TO SELL DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT. FIND A CHEAP PHYSICAL PRODUCT***. They probably won’t buy a $500 fishing rod (well, they will, but not necessarily all that much), but they will buy $1 lures in BULK.
To take advantage of this traffic, find a very cheap dropshipped item or fix up a PLR article and call it a special report and place an ad for it on eBay. Include your website. Start out small (like everything else), and optimize your ad so people click through just as much as they buy. Your goal is to break even with this. Let your mind wander with this: if you are selling a fishing eBook, sell fishing lures at-cost. Then upsell them once you have their email address.
You’ll be amazed at how targeted your traffic is, and it’s an extremely effective way to build a list. Just send them to a squeeze page, or place a popover on your home page. Do not underestimate the power of this one traffic source.
2) Amazon. See #1. The only reason why eBay is higher than Amazon is because it is much easier to sell junk on eBay, otherwise Amazon would be higher because the traffic is actually of better quality. I’m not an advocate of selling junk, but it’s a good way to generate leads 
Just think of all the stupid refrigerator magnets you have of different realtors (or am I the only one). It’s the same idea, except people will pay you for it.
3) Craigslist. I know, it’s getting very hard to sell on Craigslist these days, with phone verified accounts and all. Suck it up. There are ways around it. Sell the same stuff as in #1 and #2, AND even sell your main products. The traffic from CL is OK. It’s not great, but the key is in your posting city and category. Books have been written about it, and I really don’t want to spend much time on it. I honestly think the traffic isn’t worth the hassle for some markets, but others it’s a gold mine.
4) Affiliate Networks. What? But I thought these were secrets, you say? This one actually takes a little thought, so hear me out. The secret is not in the source, it’s how you use it. Let’s say, you’re in a crazy competitive market like, ohh, let’s say… ringtones. Who is the primary market for ringtones? (I haven’t done any market research on this, so don’t shoot me for generalizations) 14 year old teenage girls, right?
While there is no way you’re going to compete with marketers who are firmly entrenched in the ringtone market, you will be able to break into a market like the "how to get a boy to like me" market. Create a cheap (they are 14 after all) product like this and list it on the affiliate networks. The standard rules apply: maximize the affiliate’s cut, ensure you have a well converting page, etc. Then, after you’ve gotten them to give up their email from affiliates driving traffic to your site, send them the ringtone offers.
See, you need to know your market. I quickly found that one of the markets I was in didn’t make much money in the mainstream electronics I was selling. I actually was breaking even. I made my money on the accessories and other products down the line (upsells and cross-sells) in similar, but different markets. i.e. selling Star Wars stuff to people who buy Macs (or vice versa). Is that such a far stretch? Get affiliates to promote you in a not-saturated market and bring them into the saturated (but lucrative) markets you want to.
Did I explain that well enough? If not, let me know. I’m not the best of writers.
5) Offline Advertising. Am I crazy? Is there really a world offline? Yes, there are! And the best traffic you’ll ever get is the one who takes the time to write down your website, come online, and interact with you. No kidding. Postcard campaigns, direct mail, billboard, radio, and to some extent TV (although I would stay away from TV for now. I’m just not sure how effective it is with DVR) create the best leads you’ll ever get. Like always, you have to test and track, but do not overlook the power of offline advertising. At the very least it should be a part of your backend.
So there you have it. Leverage 3 of the top 20 most trafficked sites on the internet and you’ll be doing pretty well for yourself. Any questions?
BTW, even though this will get you some decent traffic pretty quickly, I haven’t told you the absolute best traffic secret I have. And it doesn’t have anything to do with search engines or social media. This secret is responsible for some pretty awesome traffic if you have a well monetized site. By awesome I mean a minimum 1 million visitors a month. Sorry guys, it will remain my secret for now
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Monday, 9 Jun 2008 Filed under: List Building, Marketing by Bryan
Nice post. I know someone who built up an entire business selling digital products, just by selling cheap physical products on eBay, putting them into an autoresponder sequence, and then upselling more expensive digital stuff. It works.
Anyway, thanks for the ideas. I hadn’t even thought of Amazon, but yes you can sell stuff on there too!
Paul Hancox
Paul | UpperMoney.coms last blog post..How To Make A Money-Making Information Product (Part 2)
Very well written comprehensive article. Thanks Bryan!
I wanna try your methods especially ebay.
You know the digital products doesn’t have to be yours am I right ? You can use affiliate links or not ?
Please enlighten me.
Nik - Absolutely! Once you get someone on your autoresponder, you can sell them anything you want. Selling affiliate products is how I get started in every single niche I get into. If it’s profitable and worth the time, I then go on to make/sell my own products.
The most important thing to get out of this is that the most valuable thing you can get from an eBay auction is the person’s email address.
Nice post and great tips…
Help others to help ourself…
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perhaps you wont mind hinting to us on how we can ethically capitalise on your awesome high traffic source (1MM plus a month), i see its your secret , maybe guide us, so might get some hint… thanks
No problem Ash. I’ll tell you what it isn’t first:
It’s not a secret method. The secret is in how you use the method.
That being said, the traffic source is banners, co-reg leads, and CPA networks.
I told you its no secret. The true secret is in the monetization method. Each one of those methods requires a good, specific way to monetize the traffic, and without taking those steps, you’ll spend more money than you make. It’s a process that takes awhile to master, but once you get it down, watch out!
The way I approach traffic is this: find a traffic source, test it with very small amounts of traffic, and get it to be profitable with tweaking and testing.
Then go big! There is really no limit as to how much traffic you can get… you’re only limited by your imagination.
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!
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Your blog is interesting!
Keep up the good work!
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