Don't Waste Your Hard-Earned Money on Leads
You've started your travel business, and now it's time to promote and build your team. Unless you enjoy cold calling stale lead lists, my advice is to save your money. Real-time travel leads cost anywhere from 3 to 10 dollars each. Ouch! I get emails and calls every day from people who want me to buy their travel leads... the same leads they peddle all over the Internet. If you're looking to attract some new business partners online, here's how you can generate your own real-time leads with free-to-use traffic exchanges.
YTB's Powerful Websites
Your business includes powerful booking engine and marketing websites, which is great if you're sharing them with friends and family or linking to them from other sites. For traffic exchanges, where you only have a few seconds to make an impression, they're not so effective. Any traffic exchange pro will tell you that unless you use a lead capture page to obtain the viewer's contact information, you're wasting your time. The same holds for generic affiliate websites, like the one pictured here. Surfers tend to ignore them. So, if you're going to use traffic exchanges, you'll need a fast-loading lead capture page. Along with that, you'll need an autoresponder to follow-up with your contacts once they fill out the form. Lead Capture Page + Autoresponder
A good autoresponder will typically cost about $20 per month. For about half that amount, you can sign up for Vacation Media, a comprehensive marketing system approved by YTB's legal department (YTB Site Approval Registration #106579-184). All marketing sites approved by YTB will be clearly marked with a registration number. Take a look at my lead capture page. It loads fast, has a form, and takes the viewer to more information instantly. Best of all, anyone who fills out the form is added to an autoresponder series, pre-loaded with messages from you. If they're interested... great! But if not, they opt out and you don't have to waste your time or deal with rejection. If you don't like this lead capture page, there are many others to choose from. It would be worth the monthly fee for these features alone, but the Vacation Media back office is packed with tools and training resources, as described in my lens, Build Your Travel Biz With a Turnkey Marketing System. Viral Traffic Building
TrafficHoopla
Once you have your lead capture page, it's time to expose it to as many targeted prospects as possible. You can surf for credits, purchase credits, or build downlines in the best hit exchanges and earn credits from the surfing efforts of your downlines. As tempting as it may be to promote your lead capture page 100% of the time, you'll create more exposure in the long run by adding your TrafficHoopla referring url to your site rotator, thereby building downlines in the most productive traffic exchanges. TrafficHoopla Tips
- Read the TrafficHoopla Getting Started module
- Join each of the First Join Programs as a free member
- When comfortable, join the Next Join Programs as a free member
- Do not join the safelists
- Make sure you join the programs before your downline does
Site Rotator
PageSwirl
One of the best time savers is to submit a site rotator url to the traffic exchanges. I recommend PageSwirl, which is free, totally transparent, and allows users to rotate up to 5 websites. Be sure to join PageSwirl first and add the sites you wish to promote by clicking on Edit Rotator Sites. Then, submit your PageSwirl rotator url to the various traffic exchanges listed in TrafficHoopla. When you need to make changes, it's a simple matter of editing your PageSwirl rotator sites, rather than updating urls on each individual traffic exchange. PageSwirl Tips
- Read the PageSwirl Getting Started Guide
- Add your TrafficHoopla affiliate link as one of your 5 sites
- Add your PageSwirl affiliate link as one of your 5 sites
- Add your travel lead capture page for the remaining 3 sites
- Add your affiliate links to the PageSwirl Downline Builder
Hit Exchange News
- Subscribe Here... It's Free!
- Don't miss Jon's Weekly Top 10 List.
- H.E.N. Archives
- Past issues are located here for your convenience.
Settle In and Surf
The daily habit of surfing is critical to building traffic exchange downlines and exposing your lead capture page to potential business associates. Each day, choose four or five traffic exchanges from the TrafficHoopla menu or the Hit Exchange News Top 10 List, open them in different windows, and surf them simultaneously. When you're finished surfing, log back in to each account to assign any credits that are not auto-assigned (such as bonus points). Keep using the exchanges that give you the best results, and phase out those that do not. Hit Exchange Tips
- Submit your PageSwirl url to exchanges
(Most exchanges accept rotators) - Choose 100% auto assigning for your credits
- Use fast-loading lead capture pages only
- Establish a regular surfing habit, even if you can only spare minutes a day
- Use the same username and password for all exchanges
- Keep a binder with copies of your membership details and take notes!
Traffic Exchange Pick
Dragon Surf
Sure the dragon graphics are cute, but Soren Jordansen's Dragon Surf is a serious marketing tool. If you're new to this form of marketing, Dragon Surf offers a tutorial that will walk you through the sign-up process and have you surfing in no time. Free members earn one page view for every three surfed, but Soren throws in lots of bonus points along the way. Action Items
- Sign up for the Vacation Media marketing system
- Join TrafficHoopla as a free member
- Join PageSwirl as a free member
- Join the TrafficHoopla exchanges, submitting your PageSwirl rotator url as your website whenever possible
- Provide your referral urls to your downline members
Resources
Build Your Travel Biz With...
Try Some of These Ideas to Grow Your Travel Biz
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Build Your Travel Biz With Success From Home Magazine
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You're guaranteed to earn $6,000 in commissions when using the latest issue of Success From Home magazine to build your YTB business. Beautifully photographed and produced, the magazine features profiles of successful YTB referring travel agents. Suc...
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Build Your Travel Biz With Grand Opening Travel Parties
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I know what you're thinking... Holy Tupperware Party, Batman! But every successful Director converted to this method of exposing the business early on because it works. One of the best things about our business is that you don't have to personally si...
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Your Travel Biz Team Building Presentations and Resources
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Most referral marketing businesses require you to purchase lead lists and make hundreds of cold calls. If you try those methods with our business you will fail. So why go through the pain and suffering? Why waste your hard-earned cash? Some referral...
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Build Your Travel Biz With a Turnkey Marketing System
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Vacation Media Marketing has put together a complete package for you to expose your YTB business to prospects and travel customers. I've tried two other marketing systems with dismal results. I wish I hadn't wasted my time and money. This system cost...
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Build Your Travel Biz With Neighborhood Flea Markets
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Building your travel biz is all about exposure. What better way to find local partners than to set up an informal table at a farmer's market or flea market in your neighborhood?
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Additional Resources
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When getting to great places is all that matters, a good lens can provide the information people needs. When I went to Galicia it was easy to learn a lot about people there. If you ever have a chance to get there... you better try. Posted July 30, 2008 |
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The Fine Print
Click On the Magnifying Glass for Additional Details
The YTB companies offer two unique and powerful business opportunities, that of referring travel agent or RTA and that of independent marketing representative or Rep. The travel agent opportunity has an initial fee under $500 and a monthly license fee of $49.95. There is no fee or travel agency purchase required to be a Rep. You may choose to participate in one or both opportunities.
