Traffic Dashboard Review: structured guide to traffic generation

Marlon Sanders has just released his Traffic Dashboard
which gives you 16 ways to generate traffic to your
website, blog or Squidoo lens.

The rows in the Dashboard represent 6 broad traffic
sources:

• article marketing
• search engine optimization
• social media marketing
• banner ad marketing
• email marketing (incl. solo ads)
• affiliate marketing (for your own product)

I purchased the system after very strong support
for the product in the Warrior's Forum.

The whole system is designed as a point-and-click
access point with each icon representing a source
of traffic or another step in an already introduced
traffic source.

For example, the first row of the dashboard discusses
article marketing. Each of the icons in this row
provide a stage in the process in the form of
detailed step-by-step instructions. Icons cover
keyword research, writing the article, the resource
box, landing page, submission and editing and
outsourcing. Each stage is illustrated with
screen shots and examples.

The social media row of Traffic Dashboard is
different in terms of the level of detail provided.
This row, for example, covers Facebook Ads,
YouTube, Video Sites, Squidoo Lenses,
The Epiphany and Images. ["The Epiphany"
is Marlon's personal insight into how to really
generate traffic.]

Thus the level of detail for social networking
in the social media row is a long way from the depth
and comprehensiveness of my SquidooRoo Program.

However, Marlon does provide an easy entry point
for someone who is not used to using some of these
aspects.

There is something in Traffic Dashboard for both the
newbie and the advanced.  I know I certainly learned
some things on my first run through.

Strengths of Traffic Dashboard

• range of areas covered
• step-by-step process
• very well illustrated
• motivational (encourages you to "have a go")
• builds confidence as you master each step
• strong support for newbies
• introduces some new approaches to generating traffic
• "The Epiphany" - worth the cost of the product.

 Weaknesses of Traffic Dashboard

• product tries to cover both newbies and advanced
• some areas (such as social media) are not comprehensive
• the depth across topics varies considerably
• the Squidoo instructions are inadequate

I mention the last point specifically in the light of the
Google Algorith Change and Squidoo's response.
Squidoo is now putting a lot more emphasis on
original content and lenses that lack original content
(that were tolerated before) will now be locked.
Traffic Dashboard does not make this point
clear.

Despite some of it's limitations, Traffic Dashboard has
some real merits.  If you are a relative newbie, or at the
intermediate level of Internet marketing, it has a lot
to offer through its systematic approach and
step-by-step instructions.  More advanced Internet
marketers may find that they are already doing
60% of what is covered (and more besides).
However, there is very real value in "The
Epithany" which shows you how to leverage your
content creation.

Check out this product - it may be just what you
need to introduce some system and discipline to
your marketing efforts:
Traffic Dashboard

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Ron Passfield, PhD, is the creator of SquidooRoo.com,
a 24 weeks (6 months) training program in
social media marketing which covers content creation,
promotion and social networking including Facebook,
Twitter, Squidoo, Flickr, LinkedIn, YouTube, and
RedGage.

3 Things That Can Block Your Motivation

In this audio I discuss three things that
can get in the road of your motivation at
work or with your online activity or, more
specifically, with your social media marketing.

These barriers to motivation are:

1. your mindset
2. your comfort zone
3. your past experiences

The audio discusses how these things dampen
your motivation.

In the my Social Media Training Program, I
address these issues and encourage you to
change your mindset, go beyond the limitations
of your comfort zone and to break free
of the constraints of past experiences.

The SquidooRoo program is as much about
your inner journey as it is about the mechanics
of social media marketing.

In this training program in social media marketing,
I explore multiple ways to improve motivation
and increase your productivity.

Why not join us on this learning journey
and find your true motivation and capacity?

Related Resource:

http://www.squidoo.com/WonderfulWizardofOz

Social Media Training: Lesson 24

I've just completed the 24th PDF Lesson in my 6 month
training program on social media marketing.

This Graduation Lesson titled, "Where to from Here?",
is designed to help participants explore how they can
best use the ideas in the SquidooRoo Program which
covered content creation, social networking and promotion,
including press releases and social bookmarking.

In the final Lesson, we explored how to create a Fixed
Term Membership Program and offered a process for
evaluating your own Internet marketing activity.

The final Graduation Bonus is an MP3 I developed in which
I share what I have learned in creating the SquidooRoo
Program as a Fixed Term Membership. While Lesson 24
covers the mechanics of creating such a Program, the audio
focuses on the inner journey and ways to overcome
obstacles.

It has been a long haul researching and writing weekly PDFs
over 6 months and locating or creating bonuses to go with each
week's Lesson.  However it was a rewarding experience and
members of my Fixed Term Membership Program have
commented that the Program is excellent.

Here's a testimonial from Allan James, the Start Business Mentor:
For someone like myself, with over 5 years experience online
and a fair degree of success, it's rare for me to find a
membership site and tutorials that adds to my knowledge,
stimulates my thinking, and provides practical ways and means
that I can put into action immediately to grow my business. 
Your excellent SquidooRoo course does all of that!

If you want to  master social media marketing for your own
business or to devleop your skills as a social media manager,
this Program is for you.

Click the link below to find out how you can grow in confidence,
competence and income with the SquidooRoo Program:
http://www.squidooroo.com

Ron Passfield,PhD, is a Giant Squid100, social media
consultant and dedicated educator with 30 years experience.

Don't You Hate Those False Emails: "You Got an Affiliate Sale"

I get affiliate sales from a number of sources but rarely, if ever,
from the people who send me emails with the heading,
"You Got an Affiliate Sale".

I find these false emails manipulative, demeaning and
humiliating.  I wonder how it impacts on people
who have never had a sale or had limited affiliate sales?
Does it destroy their hope completely?

It was bad enough when inexperienced marketers used this
ploy to get us to open their emails - but now the top marketers
(who should know better) are engaging in this practice of falsely
building up their reader's hopes.

I find the practice dishonest and unethical and refuse to read
these emails.  I will also be unsubscribing from multiple lists
as a result.

The whole thing has become farsical in the extreme - we now
have a major launch underway with the leading email
having the heading, "You got an affiliate sale" - so we will
be inundated with these false assertions.

Are things on the affiliate marketing front becoming so desperate
that we have to manipulate people's hopes and emotions so
blatently?

To me all that these false emails do is confirm that there is a lot
of hype, hot air and falsity within the affiliate marketing
communications.  It is getting harder and harder to determine
the "truth".

I would be delighted if affiliate marketers would come to
their senses and desist from this inane and dishonest practice.

******************************************************

Ron Passfield is a Giant Squid100 and

social media consultant.

His 6 month social media training program 
is available at:
http://www.squidooroo.com

Sign up now for a FREE ecourse
in social media marketing:
Social Media Marketing Tips
 

How To Improve Your Online Income

,







There are many barriers that create a ceiling on your online income
whether you are earning $100 a month or $1,000 (or more) per
month.

In the following 5 minute podcast I address some of these
personal barriers and identify strategies to overcome them.



To play the mp3 click on the the image or on the link below:
How To Improve Your Online Income

To download, use "right click" and "save as" on the link above.


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This podcast is one of many 4-5 minute podcasts that will be
available in my SquidooRoo.com site - a Learning Center
for Social Media Marketing.  These brief podcasts are
highly focused, motivational and actionable.

The membership site will also have other longer podcasts,
videos, articles and e-books - all designed to help you
to become more effective with social media marketing.

SquidooRoo.com will be action learning based - learning
through taking action and reflecting on the outcomes, intended
and unintended.  Another feature will be ongoing encouragement
to share what worked and what did not work with others
in the learning community.

I plan to publish the site in late May 2010 and anticipate
that the price for my existing Squidoo Marketing Strategies
(SMS) ezine subscribers will be around the price
of a Cappuccino per month ($5 per month).

*********************************************
Ron Passfield is a Top 100 Squidoo Lensmaster and
Giant Squid100. He provides free resources
for Squidoo marketing on his Squidoo authority
site:
http://www.squidoo.com/squidoomarketingstrategies

To learn more about Squidoo Affiliate Marketing
check out:
http://www.squidooaffiliatemarketing.com

Subscribe to Ron's free Squidoo Marketing e-course:
http://www.smsecourse.squidoomarketingstrategies.com/

Ron is the author of the e-Book:
Squidoo Marketing Strategies

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