131 TRAFFIC & BUSINESS BUILDING TIPS & Wi$dom by the RICH SAGE: 
START, BUILD and ROCKET YOUR WAY to SUCCESS!

I wanted to create something that I’d be known for in a forum. I came up with the below items.  It took over 6 years of notes, and several lists that I had compiled. Now it’s done and I can ‘clean house’ and get rid of them.

FIRST STEPS, GETTING STARTED

1. Getting started is the *first step*, otherwise, nothing happens.
2. Need help? Often that’s free. Just need to know where, who  and what to ask.
3. Develop a product after you find a market.   Don’t build a product and go searching for a market!
4. Looking for a hungry crowd?  Every forum is full of them.   Just need to keep your eyes and mind open. 
5. Don’t try to create a market when there are thousands of ones with eager buyers.
6. How does everyone remember you?  Develop a Unique Business Angle (UBA).  Then make the “YOU” the center of it.
7. Keep adding value. You might start with 50% of what you hoped to present. Just start. Then add value to your site, product, newsletter, etc.
8. Testing & optimizing is THE KEY to all marketing success. 
9. How can you test IF you don’t track?  Track everyone coming to your site from ads. (RSE)
10.  The purpose of all of your advertising should be to capture a lead in the sales process.  (period)
11. Sooner or later, you’ll have to have your own products.  Learn fast. Make it sooner.
12. Even free advertising costs you your time and effort.
13. Every aspect of your site and marketing should be focused on presenting your UBA.
14.  Make sure that everything that  you do is integrated into one primary strategy.
15. Plan for multiple streams of income up-front with several monetizing features on your site(s).
16. Then optimize those ‘streams’ with better content, landing pages and sales pages.
17.  Make sure that your monetizing strategy includes 1, 2 *&* 3 or 4 digit profit products.
18. Learn to create buzz and channel those visitors down your sales tracks. Got a viral page? (RSE)
19. Pick a niche you are passionate about.  So, what’s a niche? A niche is what everyone does, at the DETAILS LEVEL.
20. Did you pick a passionate niche? If yes, then become a leader in it.
21. Be willing to think outside the box. 
22. Find your niche. Look to what you do daily.   (RSE)
23. Better yet, leave “the box” and take a vacation.  Then re-visit the niche with fresh ideas. 
24. Online is just a repeat of “off-line” stuff –nothing new.  Just know what works!
25.  Human nature: Yesterday, today and tomorrow –it remains the same. Go with the flow.
26.  Look for opportunities that others have missed or use your UBA
27.  Don’t try to reinvent the wheel –Pick a business model that works.
28. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel –Pick products that benefit (create value) to the user.
29.  Don’t go eye-eye with “deep pockets” competition.   Work your UBA.
30. Base your plan on reality.  Think like an Accountant. Watch those numbers!

YOUR SITE, YOUR PROGRESS & GROWTH:

31. Focus your site content –Meet the needs of those searchers. 
32. Make sure every page on your site links back to your main, sales page and most pages have opt-in areas.
33. Include the “new ” command or a “new tab” is created when linking outside of your domain.
34. Keep it professional and cut down on site graphics you may not need.
35.  Don’t jump at the latest $97 or $197 dollar product –often a free or $17 product may do the job.
36. Got to have your own domain.
37. Are you using WORDPRESS and/or JOOMLA –for 9 out of 10 of us, these two free programs do more than what we need! (RSE)
38. Look for a hosting service with full support, PHP/MySQL support, and good equipment with a back up (Rich Sage Expands).
39. Make payments easy with credit cards, Paypal Payments and Clickbank sales.
40. Offer several options for ordering –again, with Paypal, Clickbank, 2CO, Paydot.com, etc.
41. Remember that freebies are the key to sales AND list building. (RSE)
42.  Give something of value away for free.  Don’t give everything away while at it.
43.  Setup a contest.   Remember the old fishbowl where you’d ‘drop a biz card?’ –setup one online!
44. What is the marketing plan for your site? What is the “marketing flow”? Get a friend to test it
45. Just an informative site?  Then what will you do to “monetize it”?
46. What are you doing to build your mailing list? Using a list builder? (RSE)
47. Is there a way to promote another list (JV) and earn an income?
48. How long are visitors staying at your site before clicking outbound?
49. Give an opportunity for people to present feedback –at the site, upon exit and after the SALE.  (RSE)
50. No idea how to program? Don’t bother. Find a programmer.
51. No idea how to write copy?  Write the first and second editions/versions. Then find a pro.
52. The software you need is too expensive?  Get started with free software –look for open source software to get started with.

WEB SITE, ONE TIME OFFER, OPT-IN PAGE, SALES PAGE COPY:

53.  The right headline is the first step to capturing the reader.
54. Then A.I.D.A. 
55.  The SALES LETTER is vital (period)
56. Keep your own style.
57. Do you know how much you earn per 1,000 visitors?  100 Visitors? 1 Visitor? (RSE)
58. Are you creating a customer relationship or one-time sale?
59. Once you perfect your own program, extend to an Affiliate program.
60. Site, OTO page, Sales Letters, Opt-in =1 Focus: Benefit, Benefit, Benefit. 
61. Write many headlines for the same articles/copy and pick the best. 
62. Bullets and lists are vital to advertising.  Can you insert pictures or even video?
63. Your web site must establish credibility. Say what you do, and do what you say… 
64. Testimonials are one of the keys to credibility, but don’t over do it.
65. Offer a no questions asked guarantee. 
66. Use bonuses to add more value to your product.  Make sure that each of the bonus has real value.
67. PS: Always use a P.S.  It’s one of the most read elements.
68. Repeat the offer on the Order Form.   (RSE)
69.  Offer an immediate upsell during the order. Checkout a Godaddy® or DELL® order process. Learn from the successful ones. 
70. Create a swipe file on your hard drive. Save things that you learn from.
71. Make sure to exercise the collected items in the swap file! 
72. Read everything you can get your hands on about writing sales letters.  Pay particular attention to the ones that compel you to purchase.
73.  Create a system for writing your sales letters –HEADER, INTRO, A.I.D.A., SIG BOX. 
74.  Don’t market an affiliate program that doesn’t already have proven sales. 
75. Even an affiliate should own their own domain, which is essential for tracking, landing pages and ROI calculations. 
76. Limited banner campaigns are the least effective means of selling your affiliate program’s products, BUT, for branding they are great. 
77. Offer a free bonus for buying from your affiliate link –Set yourself apart!
78. REMEMBER, when building traffic, WHERE YOUR VISITOR IS IN THE SALES PROCESS –Are they at the START of IT? OR they are at the end, ready to buy?
79. Often those who are ready to buy are going to look to save:  Are you offering a bonus, a discount, a coupon –what are you doing to help your customer save money?

OPT IN MAILING LISTS, AUTO-RESPONSDERS and E-Zines:

80. Start your own opt-in mailing list or if you don’t have the time, promote another list (RSE).
81. Find JV partners who will recommend your list(s).
82. Personalize your email communications –from header to body and even follow-up auto-responder messages.
83. Use an automated follow-up auto-responder (RSE)
84. Provide value, solutions, advice –a benefit in your email.  Don’t always try to sell. HELP and you’ll sell more.
85. Publish your ezine at least once a week, and optimally, only 6 to 7 emails per month.
86. Use your web site and Opt-In list together –Click Here for More Info, which leads to site.
87. Promote your list, like you promote your site, blog or business in general.
88. Trade mailing list ads with lists that provide synergy and don’t compete.
89. Use joint ventures to build your list and also to help monetize if you don’t have a list –promote someone’s list (RSE)
90. Make your ezine short and to the point. Need more info? Bring the reader to your site.
91. Always build a customer database, opt-in list with first name and address.
92. Use non-ppc advertising for testing.  Never test with expensive traffic, unless the test is further optimizing a proven sales channel.

WEB2.0, FORUMS, DISCUSSION GROUPS:

93. Prepare a signature file with your UBA.  Test the sig. Vague = No clicks. See mine? Exact terms force clicks!
94. Participate in Discussion Groups, keep learn and most importantly practice what you learn.
95. Submit Articles to Ezines, Niche Web Sites and Article Directories.
96. Create Your own E-Book  or two or three. Have one to give away. Sell others.
97. Trade Links –better yet, ask for reviews and do a few each week.
98. DO SITE REVIEWS:  Do a Review for My RICH SAGE SITE and I’ll do a link back to you. (RSE)
99. Submit to major Search Engines and setup sitemaps, RSS feeds, etc. (RSE)
100. Put Your Web Site or UBA on all of your current materials.
101. Put your UBA on *everything*. 
102. Press Releases are the best free advertising available and there are just a few places to insert them. (RSE)
103. Once your system is proven, start using paid advertising. Then optimize everything.
104. Make banner ads look interactive. Once again, optimize every step of the process.
105. Static Banners are less effective than FLASH banners, which are less effective than Video.
106.  Pay-per-Click ADS: Only Great AFTER you’ve optimized all other traffic and proven your ROI.
107. However, once you find the groove, work to get more paid traffic. ROI is the key.
108.  Ad Headlines are JUST as important as SITE, Articles, Ebook and just about every headline.
109. Try some offline ads from postcard decks to newspapers and classifieds.
110. Create an advertising co-op. Help others. Help yourself.
111. Send articles out to magazine publishers, newsletters, ezines, websites –anyone you can get a hold of to promote.
112. Having your own product is the best way to make money online.  Make sure you are ready to promote it by knowing how to promote as an affiliate of similar products.
113. Once you have an effective system, start an affiliate program for your own product –the fastest way?  Clickbank. Then Paydotcom. Sure there will be others.
114. Look all around you for product ideas, niches, web sites –keep in mind that solving a problem or making life better is the essence of a business product/service.
115. Research public domain materials that are often not copyrighted for research and product ideas.
116. Video is great. YouTUBE. Viral Campaigns… Just get it going.
117. Subscription sites are HOT!  In fact, CLICKBANK now let’s you sell Memberships. Come up with your ideas. (RSE)
118. Press releases work great.  Just keep them coming, regularly. 
119. Articles work great. Keep those coming as often as you can. Become known in your niche.
120. Don’t work on projects that take years –they may never get done. Work on short-term projects that build success very quickly. Then add more and more sophisticated ideas.
121. Keep your costs LOW!  Then success is not that far away.
122. HISTORY ALWAYS REPEATS: Learn from it…
123. THINK FORWARD –make sure your niche is expanding, not shrinking.
124. THINK BIG!  Don’t keep going down the rope chasing smaller and smaller niches. The rope will end sooner than you think.
125. Excellence: Do one thing, with excellence and passion.

MIND SET:  GO with the FLOW – LEARN to BUILD STRENGTH. DON’T DWELL on WEAKNESS

126. Always end the days and start the next on a review of WHAT WORKS for you. How much closer did you get to your goals? Inches turn to feet, that turn to yards and soon you’ve concurred what might have looked like a marathon.
127. Save the bills for one or two days.  The rest of the month  work on enjoying cash-flow.
128. Remember, you’ve got to start somewhere –might as well be right now, as you are.
129. Optimize yourself, daily. Make today better than yesterday. Things don’t change overnight, but they do.
130. Obviously the reason you’ve read to this point is to change your life or to execute your grandiose plan –Keep that vision where you can see it daily
131. READ THIS DAILY: IF it is to be, it is up to me. Then JUST GO DO IT. Carpe Diem.

I’ve kept the ideas short to fit the post.   This is a summary of the topics list on a FREE e-book I’ve written. AND for the many video lessons that I am creating.

Success!
Sam
The Rich Sage

PS: I continuously expand on these 131 ideas with my research and video lessons.  WHY?  Because I use ALL of them.  AND it WORKS! If I’ve missed something vital, let me know…