In the Traffic Exchange industry there are some very basic fundamentals to running a successful operation, one of which is not over-complicating the technology. There are some Traffic Exchange websites that have great solutions without adding bloat. On the other hand there are those which don’t even offer unique selling points beyond changing very basic details and sometimes not even investing time/money to clean up the out-of-box solution so that it’s user friendly.

This “keep it simple” idea isn’t just about Traffic Exchanges. Look at Groupon for example – stupidly simple concept, who would have thought selling discounts to restaurants, spas, etc. would turn into one of the fastest growing businesses in 2 years? Look at Apple, their logo is almost laughable but you know it’s “Apple Inc” when you see it.

In talking with Jon he mentioned that too many websites try to be feature rich, not in those exact words, but I think that’s what he was talking about…and I couldn’t agree more. Of course there are websites that need features like Salesforce or AtTask (Project Management platform) but when it comes to Traffic Exchanges, Downline Builders, Email Advertising platforms like ListJumper and other similar tools, features don’t necessarily make it better. Careful execution of implementing better technology in providing better tools? That’s a different story.

The question comes down to determining if you are simply (no pun intended) adding features just for features sake or actually making your solution better for customers/members to help build their business. Does your product/service keep things simple? Are your customers able to take action without a learning curve? Think about it.

The new layout will show a page in the same format as a user profile. Though it will not be as clear whether you’re looking at a page or a profile, there are still a couple differentiators to distinguish the two; you still “Like” a page and below the name of the page you still see the type such as “Website” or “Public Figure”. So what are the changes? Here’s a list:

• The most recent photos that you post to your Wall or photos that you tag your Page in will appear here. This area will not include any photos posted by your fans.

So how do you target customers who don’t eat at your restaurant? Simply answer: give away food for free.

Yup, you read correctly, and Panera Bread has pulled off something unbelievable. As CEO, Ron Shaich, explained at a TED event, Panera Bread “cares” is all about a give-and-take concept. Instead of telling everyone they must pay XX dollars for a sandwich, bowl of soup or cold beverage, they decided to leave it up to the customer. Some people can’t afford a $7.50 sandwich so they give $2.00 (or nothing at all) while others are willing to pay $9.00 for that same sandwich.

But just how successful can this be – wouldn’t everyone just want a free meal? Much to my surprise the concept has worked amazingly. At the beginning, according to Ron, it was certainly a learning experience as people attempted to abuse the system as they didn’t understand the concept. The idea isn’t about taking free food but rather about helping those who are unable to enjoy a Panera meal (or any decent meal).

Click here to view the embedded video.

When you listen to Ron talk about the story and purpose of Panera cares you can’t help but think “You know, this is such a great idea and I hope to see it throughout the country.” Do you think this idea can continue to be a success in many more cities throughout the country?

Starting out in network marketing was certainly an experience. It was a challenge to cold-call leads, get them to listen to your speech while trying to sell them a product AND opportunity without sounding like a recording.

Today, it’s a different ball game. You can nearly do everything (expect a true cold-call) directly through the internet. From generating leads to sending follow-up emails, to marketing initiatives – the internet has opened far more doors for thousands and thousands of people. But it has also opened opportunities to do more harm to yourself than good.

It would surprise me if you haven’t come across a “scam” opportunity (“program” is probably a better term) while surfing the web. There are plenty of them, in reality far too many. It’s in your best interest to be cautious with what you decide to get involved with because even though you may have the potential to earn a lot of money, it doesn’t mean it’s ethical, moral or legal, and that may come back to haunt you later.

People talk. Your name has a reputation that is important whether you think so or not. You could have 100 people join an opportunity with you but it only takes 1 of them to start spreading bad news about you, that of which can spread very quickly. Once something is written on the internet about you that is negative, it can be hard to get it removed or reverse the damage it will do.

Think of yourself as a brand. If people buy your products and share with their friends that your brand makes poor products, do you think their friends will buy from your brand? And those friends will tell THEIR friends. It’s a vicious cycle but in retrospect, it can be positive if you build a good reputation. No, you will not satisfy every single person 100% but if you strive to do good and focus on being careful with the promotions and opportunities you involve yourself with, you’re more likely to succeed than fail.

Those who know me the best will certainly agree that I don’t read often or even a book a month, or 6 months for that matter. Honestly, reading isn’t my “thing” – it’s not for me, I feel it’s not productive, but that’s who I am. Having me sit down for about 3 hours total was hard enough for me but I’m glad I did it.

Several months ago, maybe 8 – 10, I somehow landed on winelibrary.com but for some reason I did not stick around. A couple months later I believe I was on Twitter and heard about Gary again so I went back and checked it out. It was at that time when I saw one of the videos with the appearance on the Ellen Degeneres show and Conan O’Brien – I was impressed and entertained. From there I stuck around and have watched MANY more of both his Gary Varynerchuk AND WineLibrary videos.

Continuing to listen and pay attention to Gary has been somewhat inspirational but certainly motivational. Starting with an idea that had no guarantees on the success, it has flourished into a huge following on several platforms such as twitter, facebook and of course the winelibrary AND Gary Vaynerchuk websites.

The book isn’t a 300 page, bloated read that takes several chapters just to get into anything useful. Instead it gets to the point, nearly immediately – after the first couple pages of gratitude and thanks to his family, friends and contacts. In fact, the book is about 135 pages that really stand out past the common fluff you find in many other books about business and marketing.

One great part of the book is that Gary talks about his experience – how he basically went from nothing, hustled, and got to where he is today. Now, to be entirely honest, it may have been easier for Gary to do this as there was already revenue flowing. For people who have nothing to start with, they may find it harder to tackle a similar model to what Gary did…but there are creative ways to go around that of course.

While you learn about Gary’s experience he also tells you what to do (at least what worked for him). Some of you may be struggling to find that magical formula or maybe you’re keeping your fingers crossed it will fall into your lap. Whatever it is your thinking, if you’re ready to hustle, Gary will lead you down that path. And when I say hustle, you’re probably underestimating what that means.

Learning how hard Gary worked between creating content, traveling, connecting with people, having online discussions, etc., it was eye-opening. Personally I’ve learned that my work ethic needs improvement if I compare myself.

So what do I suggest?

- If you’re stuck at a job you don’t like…
- If you’re unhappy with your work situation…
-If you want a better lifestyle…

…and you are ready to work for it…

…pick up “Why now is the time to Crush It! Cash in on your passion” by Gary Vaynerchuk. Read it through, absorb what he says, and drop the excuses.

And no, I have no affiliation with his book.

There seems to be some phenomenon that people believe website/blog visitors are ignorant or stupid. Manipulating the number of people that appear to be following your blog posts so that you look “Cool” and popular is disgusting. In this Internet marketing industry we’ve had trouble with new people in the industry getting ripped off. The notion that making yourself more popular is unethical and should not be condoned. Do you think it’s OK because you haven’t got caught? Here’s some news for you, it’s really not hard to figure out if you’re “cheating” the numbers. Have you ever been on a website, “viewed the source” of the page and checked out the code? That’s all it really takes to expose those faking their popularity and “coolness” as Alejandro put it.

That lead to Alejandro discussing the “Fake it ’til you make it” strategy which I brought up to him during his video cast tonight. You see, there are “fakers” and there are those who act the part – a big difference! Donald Trump probably didn’t lie, cheat, make-up stories, or just tell people want they wanted to hear when he was starting his business. Did he act like he was a professional? Probably. Was he making the right steps to appear to have lots of experience? Most likely. Did he learn, read and study other business professionals to understand what to do? Chances are, yes!

When you’re starting out a business the last thing to do is lie, be dishonest, cheat, and make-up stories. It is one thing to sell yourself but it’s another thing to tell people what they want to hear so they’ll listen to you. Imagine if you lied to get 1000 subscribers to your newsletter and then all of a sudden 500 of them figured out you made up a story about your success. What do you think would happen? I’d bet money that news would spread faster than a flash flood…and on the Internet it would be nearly impossible to reverse.

Case in point, be careful what tactics you take to appear as a “big wig” in this industry, especially on the Internet. When you tell people things that aren’t true which is purely to gain their trust and belief, you’re making a big mistake. Nobody likes a liar, at least anyone with decency.

What baffles me is the lack of guilt. If I were to fake something for popularity sake (and especially get caught) I’d feel extremely guilt, broken, torn, and I know it would hurt my integrity…even if nobody explicitly said it. Is it just me or is this truly a sign of lack of respect?

Blogging is a way for you to engage with an audience, to share thoughts and ideas. It’s a way to think and express opinions as well as get feedback from readers. More importantly, blogging is a way for you to connect with other people around the world. As a marketer you know (or should know) that connecting with more people as often as possible is a very important task. Through a blog you can express leadership and professionalism that can catch the interest of dozens or even thousands of visitors.

The other side to blogging is that what you write can quickly and easily be picked up by search engines. This means that the more you write the more likely your articles will be found by people on the internet. Search engines love blogs because content remains fresh, each article can be indexed individually and each article is usually targeted to one topic. As well, you can link to other sites and blogs as well as allow visitors to write comments and link back to their own sites/blogs. (Can be helpful in search engine rank)

Oh yeah, the other thing is that blogging is a fast way to publish articles. There’s no need to upload files or wait for a webmaster to update your website. You can simply login to your blog via web access (like a CMS) and write the article directly yourself.

Now of course there are multiple blogging systems available but I’m partial to WordPress. It has worked flawlessly for me and many of those people I know. Completely customizable and as functional as I need.

If you need help with setting up and/or customizing your WordPress, I can offer that service to you. Questions? Ask away!

~Matt

Anyway, I wanted to say that if you have this struggle, you’re certainly NOT the only one. For sake of argument, we’ll use the term “Mini-Site” which basically refers to a site that is made of only a few pages but offers value (free or purchasable product). Building a Mini-Site is quite simple if you have some tools and elements to make the process smooth.

This is one of the focuses that the Club I’m building (and almost ready to release as there are MANY people who are waiting to join) teaches you, from start to finish. Even if you have NO experience, you’ll be able to put a site together like you’ve done it before.

Oh, and, I’ll even PERSONALLY help you if you wish to use that service. If I can’t help you, there’s no charge – it’s that simple. PS: It will not cost $10,000 or even several thousand dollars like most marketers would charge for their time…

See you on the inside, soon enough!

~Matt

Burger King has done a very creative test to their customers. As customers come in to buy a “Whopper” they are told it has been discontinued. In the cases they show, those that are given the news, are surprised, unhappy, and confused. In addition, some customers received a Wendy’s or McDonalds burger instead of the Whopper – the reactions are very interesting.

…You need Flash to watch the video…

http://www.whopperfreakout.com

Picking a brand like Burger King has done is important. No, you don’t have to create a burger…though, you could if it relates to your business. You want something that people are going to remember you by such as a logo, name, style, etc.. As the video segment displays, people come to the restaurant expecting a Whopper yet receive a competitors product, and the customer makes a complaint.

The entire setup is a great strategy to creating the “Buzz” of Burger King, drawing you into finding out more. A short commercial aired on TV that got you curious about the experiment then telling you to check out the website.