PDF Summary:Traffic Secrets, by Russell Brunson

In Traffic Secrets, marketing expert Russell Brunson lays out tips and tricks for driving traffic—potential customers—to your online business. He writes that it's not enough to merely establish an online presence—what matters is making sure the right people see it: potential clientele who are interested in what you offer and are ready to engage.

Brunson builds on his previous two books of marketing advice, DotCom Secrets and Expert Secrets. In this guide, we’ll outline his advice for identifying potential customers, enticing them to visit your website, getting them to stay, and securing their purchase. We’ll look at his recommendations for using social media platforms, search engines, and affiliate programs to help you. Along the way, we’ll supplement his insights with advice from other marketing experts, and we’ll explore some principles of psychology that explain why his techniques work.

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Brunson advises you to entice people to give you their email address by offering them something free. He describes three types of free offers he’s found effective in convincing people to give them their contact information:

• Lead magnet: Something they can download in exchange for their email address. This will often be something informational, like an e-book.
• Free book: A physical copy of a book, free except for shipping costs.
• Webinar: An online class, if you offer one.

Offering one of these freebies will not only earn you contact information, it can also lead to additional sales—for example, the person who receives the free book or attends the free webinar might then purchase something else from you. But even if it doesn’t lead to additional sales immediately, your giveaways help nurture trust between you and your customer and help build your relationship with them.

(Shortform note: In Permission Marketing, Seth Godin writes that offering something free allows you to get people’s consent to your marketing, which makes potential customers more open to your message. He contrasts this with a more traditional technique of interruption marketing, which uses ads to interrupt a customer’s focus of attention—for example, by placing ads on a TV show or pop-ups on a website. He writes that freebies, such as those Brunson recommends, incentivize customers to engage with you further and, as Brunson notes, start to build trust. Godin argues that trust is the most important factor in gaining new sales, and adds that building trust is a process—one that freebies can kickstart.)

Use Affiliate Programs

In addition to using your own distribution channel—the email list you’ve created—Brunson recommends you also tap into other people’s distribution channels by building a strong affiliate network: In every market, there are creators, publishers, and marketers who’ve built up their distribution channels—email lists, followers on social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, subscribers to podcasts, and so on. You can jump-start your business by engaging the leaders of those distribution channels to tell their followers about your product. In this way, those leaders become what Brunson calls your “affiliate army.”

(Shortform note: The effectiveness of an affiliate network does not solely rely on the size of the distribution channel, but also on the strength of the relationship between the affiliate and their audience. Successful affiliates have a deep connection to their audience and are positioned as part of the “in-group.” As Seth Godin explains in This Is Marketing, when such an affiliate recommends a product or a service, their followers, who want to identify with that person because they’re part of their group, will pay attention to that message far more readily than they will a message from someone outside the group. This is what makes word-of-mouth marketing so successful, which is essentially what Brunson’s affiliate program is aiming for.)

Buy Ads

The simplest way to take advantage of affiliate lists is to purchase ads that the creator sends to their followers. These ads can bring you fast results: Typically within 12-48 hours of the email, you’ll see increased traffic on your site. However, Brunson cautions that these ads typically have a short window of effectiveness and that your increased traffic will quickly die down. Thus, you should weigh the cost of such ads against the benefits of spending your marketing money elsewhere.

(Shortform note: The decision of whether to spend your marketing budget on short-term ads or on other avenues may depend on the stage of maturity of your company—as your business evolves, so should your spending. In the early stages, invest your budget in building awareness and acquiring customers, which may mean buying ads as Brunson describes. Once established, you should shift your focus—and finances—toward sustaining your existing customer base, so that you devote more attention to retaining customers than attracting them.)

Partner With Creators

Another way to tap into other distribution lists is to partner with those creators to promote your product, and then pay them a commission for the sales they make for you. There are advantages to this approach: First, it results in a more sincere and enthusiastic promotion of your product. Second, it takes the financial risk off you—instead of paying for ads and hoping they produce sales, you only pay for sales after they’re made.

(Shortform note: Partnering with other creators in this way is called influencer marketing, and it’s become a popular technique for brands looking to promote their products. Though there are many benefits to the practice, as Brunson notes, marketers should also be aware of some possible pitfalls. If you partner with someone who has a controversial background or who subsequently is engaged in scandals, you risk alienating customers if they then associate you with that person’s behavior. You also relinquish some control over how your product is presented, and if the influencer makes false claims about it or presents it in an offensive way, your brand reputation may suffer.)

Train Your Affiliates

You may need to create detailed training programs for your affiliates that show them how best to promote your product. This will address two potential problems:

1. If your affiliate is successful and popular, they tend to be less willing to put effort into your product.
2. If they’re newer to the industry, they’re typically willing to put in more effort, but they’re often less effective because of their lack of experience and contacts.

In either case, a training program that makes your sales process clear and easy will enable them to become more effective in positioning and selling your product.

(Shortform note: In Launch, Jeff Walker outlines a similar approach to making things easy for your affiliates. Though he doesn’t discuss specific training programs, he advises that you come up with well-tested, easy-to-use marketing messages so that your partners are guaranteed to send their subscribers something that will be valuable to them. Affiliates don’t want to bother their followers with low-quality promotions, and they won’t want to partner with you again if your campaign is in any way difficult to follow—either for them or for their followers.)

Use the Internet Effectively

Brunson’s advice applies mostly to online ventures, and as such, he explores some specific ways you can use the internet as a tool to drum up business. We’ll look at two he focuses on: social media sites and search engines (in particular, Google).

Using Social Media Platforms

Brunson explores how you can effectively leverage various social media channels for maximum exposure and to pull more potential customers into your business funnel. He provides a number of recommendations:

• Use a variety of platforms
• Post frequently
• Don’t “sell” users at first
• Use call-to-action buttons

Use a Variety of Social Media Channels

Brunson writes that each platform has a different focus and offers different opportunities, so he advises that you tailor your content to each one so as to take advantage of their unique characteristics and audiences. By considering each platform’s idiosyncrasies, you can create consistently engaging content for your target customers.

He acknowledges that there are many different platforms you can use, but he mentions a few particularly influential ones you shouldn’t ignore:

• Instagram: an image-based platform ideal for visual storytelling—especially useful for products or services that have visually appealing elements
• Facebook: useful for targeted ads that allow business owners to reach potential customers based on likes, interests, and other demographics
• YouTube: the second largest search engine after Google, and the only platform where content can grow over time—videos don’t fall to the bottom of feeds like in other platforms, but instead can collect more and more views

(Shortform note: Marketing experts agree it’s important to diversify your social media platforms, noting that because each targets a different type of user, you’ll limit the reach of your messages if you focus on only one. For this reason, different content might perform differently across various platforms—what gets a strong response on Instagram, for example, might not resonate on Facebook or YouTube. Thus it’s important to not only try out messages on multiple platforms but also track what does well on each so that you can adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.)

Brunson advises that you aim for consistent branding across all channels you post on: Use the same logos, color schemes, and tones. This will make it easier for your customers to recognize you anywhere online.

Additionally, he encourages repurposing existing content across different formats—converting blog posts into podcasts or videos, for instance. This not only extends accessibility but can expose your message to fresh new audiences, ensuring that more streams of traffic head toward your business funnel.

(Shortform note: Consistency of both images and messages, as Brunson recommends, is a key component of creating a strong brand. The trick to branding in the digital age is to balance consistency against variety—too much consistency makes your brand seem overly curated and artificial, while too much variety risks losing your brand’s recognizable personality. Some research suggests that the size of your brand may affect this balance: Smaller brands benefit from consistency because they need to establish a brand association in the minds of consumers, but when larger brands are overly consistent, consumers see them as boring.)

Post Frequently

Brunson advises that you post content frequently on social media because it’s only when people see you a number of times that they’ll be compelled to investigate you further. He cautions, though, against posting incessantly because that can overwhelm your followers and lead them to tune out or unfollow you.

He also recommends engaging personally when possible by replying to comments and messages. This lends a human quality to your brand that potential customers respond well to.

(Shortform note: Brunson's advice taps into the psychology of repetition and recognition. In Influence, Robert B. Cialdini notes that we're more likely to engage with what's familiar, which explains why, when you frequently post, people are more likely to be receptive to your message and even to reply and engage personally. Experts agree with Brunson, though, that there's a fine line: Too much content can become intrusive, causing annoyance rather than appeal. Thus, finding the right balance is key to effectively using social media for engagement.)

Don’t “Sell” Until Users Visit Your Website

Brunson compares social media to a party—it’s a place to make friends, but not to overtly sell your wares (or you’ll be the least popular person at the party).

However, once you’ve made friends by interacting with people, you can metaphorically invite them over to your “house” (your website) by getting them to click on a link. Once they’ve chosen to enter your space, it’s appropriate to try to sell them something.

(Shortform note: The act of clicking a link to head to your "house," or website, echoes Godin's ideas in Permission Marketing, where consumers grant you permission to engage with them further. By visiting your space, they indicate they're intrigued and trust you enough to learn more, so that product promotion becomes acceptable. Brunson and Godin both teach that good marketing isn't about hard-selling right out of the gate—it's about embracing a “permission-given” approach, building relationships and establishing trust before extending your marketing invitation.)

Use Call-to-Action Buttons

Brunson says that you must include a call-to-action (CTA) button on all of your posts. These are buttons that prompt visitors to take a next step—whether it be to visit your website, enter your sales funnel, or even just indicate that they “liked” your post. These work best when worded clearly but enticingly—think “grab yours” or “start saving,” instead of a more standard “submit.”

The advantage of CTA buttons is that not only do they prod visitors to become customers or to join your email lists, but they also help the algorithms of social media platforms know when people are connecting with your content. The algorithms will then reward your posts with greater exposure.

(Shortform note: The effectiveness of call-to-action buttons largely pivots on the psychological principle of scarcity, as noted by Robert Greene in The Laws of Human Nature: When things appear limited or in high demand, we tend to desire them more. That's why you'll often see buttons like "Buy now before it's too late" or "Sign up now to reserve your spot." It triggers our fear of missing out on an opportunity. Similarly, using persuasive language and a strong command verb like “buy,” “subscribe,” or “download” can also induce a sense of immediate action. This principle of scarcity and urgency motivates us to respond swiftly to these buttons.)

Using Google

Brunson writes that you must make sure your website ranks highly in Google searches related to your product. Online searches are one of the primary ways people seek out solutions to their problems, so if your site doesn’t pop up in their search results, they can’t become customers. Such a lack of visibility can mean the difference between financial success or failure.

(Shortform note: Marketing experts agree that your website must rank highly on a Google search—studies show that more than 90% of all website traffic travels through the top of page one in a search result. One reason for this is that people associate the top listings of search results as more credible than others, assuming that if a company has been ranked there, other people consider it important and authentic—an example of social proof, where the collective opinions of others bestow a stamp of approval on something.)

Brunson warns against trying to trick Google’s algorithm by doing things like paying spam sites to link to your website to increase the appearance of backlinks (other websites linking to your site to indicate your site is useful or popular). Even if you happen upon a technique like this that seems to work, Google changes its algorithms regularly to stay ahead of such tactics, and you may find the search engine punishes you (reducing your visibility) for trying to game it.

(Shortform note: Tactics aimed at tricking search engines are called black hat SEO (search engine optimization): unethical attempts to rank a website higher. The manipulated backlinks that Brunson discusses are called unnatural links, and search engines like Google actively penalize websites using such links or other black hat tactics so they don’t interfere with their users’ experience. Once penalized, it can take a website six months or more to recover, so SEO experts recommend, as Brunson does, not risking such approaches.)

Analyze Keywords

Brunson says that instead of trying to trick Google’s algorithm, you should publish quality content that’s specifically designed to bring value to your customers, which is what search engines are ultimately trying to provide their users. As you do so, you can increase the searchability of your content by comparing it to content from existing websites. Start by analyzing keywords:

1. Make a list of the keywords and phrases your dream customer will use to look for a product like yours. Also identify the long-tail keywords associated with these primary keywords—phrases that build on these initial ones that often show up in the Google search bar as you type your keyword. For example, if your dream keyword is remodeling, your long-tail keywords might include remodeling ideas, remodeling kitchen, remodeling contractors, and so on.

(Shortform note: Long-tail keywords can be crucial to a company’s SEO strategy for several reasons. They typically have lower competition than primary keywords, making it easier for businesses to rank higher in those searches. They also often have higher conversion rates—people using longer phrases are typically more informed and invested in their search, and thus closer to the buying stage: These potential customers are more likely to become actual customers.)

2. Do some searches using the keywords you identified to find what websites are currently showing up at the top of those rankings.

3. On your website, publish an article that is similar to the articles that are ranking high on your search but that improves on them. You might do this by publishing a longer article (for example, if the article you’re emulating is “20 Best Vacation Spots,” publish a “50 Best” article). Or, you may write one that’s more updated, more detailed, or better-looking. For best results, improve on all four of these aspects. This is called the “skyscraper” technique, as you’re trying to build a website more visible than others around you.

Be sure to include your keywords in your article.

(Shortform note: The skyscraper approach is often recommended by marketing experts, but it has limitations. To publish an article or webpage that successfully attracts more viewers than existing sites, you must produce content that is not only longer or more detailed but also adds valuable insights or perspectives, which can be hard to do. Simply expanding on existing content without adding unique ideas may not capture people’s attention. Further, in highly competitive niches, there may be an abundance of “skyscraped” content, making it hard for new entrants to stand out. Some critics thus argue that the skyscraper technique is no longer as effective as it once was and may not lead to expected improvements in search rankings.)

4. Figure out what websites are linking to the sites showing up high in your keyword searches. Contact these other sites and ask them if they’d link to your article as well, since yours is similar but better: longer, more updated, more comprehensive, and better laid-out.

5. Further increase backlinks to your article by promoting it on all the social media sites you use, in your email list, and on any guest posts you make for other peoples’ blogs.

6. In addition to trying to elevate your website’s rank, take advantage of the websites that are already highly ranked within your keywords by purchasing ads on them. Brunson writes that people who find your website by clicking on such an ad are far likelier to turn into paying customers than people who find you through a simple Google search—the fact that they’ve clicked on multiple links to get to you shows they’re more motivated.

The Promise and Limitations of Backlinks

Experts agree that backlinks are crucial to your search rankings: On average, websites that rank #1 on Google have 3.8 times as many backlinks as others within the top 10 results. As a result, many SEO consultants advise, as does Brunson, that you devote a lot of attention to gathering backlinks.

The process of reaching out to other, more authoritative sources is known as outreach link building. It’s important to note, however, that not all websites may be open to your request. Some have strict editorial policies or guidelines regarding outbound links, while others may require compensation or collaboration for backlink placement. Target, therefore, sites that are relevant to your content and that your website can add value to.

Paid ads, such as banner ads, generate backlinks when users click on them, and therefore can also increase your rankings. Since you pay for ads, you’ll need to balance these kinds of backlinks against more organic backlinks when budgeting your marketing funds.

Note that Brunson’s advice regarding social media backlinks may no longer be effective: Typically, social media links are marked in a way that search engines don’t recognize them for SEO purposes.