by Brad | Jun 6, 2018 | Blog
This week I had a great conversation with a group that, in my eyes, is ROCKING!
Their funnels are great, they have awesome products, and they’re actually helping traders.
But the conversation wasn’t all good as they shared with me a PAINFUL stat:
$55,461.00 spent on Facebook
$4,200.00 in sales.
Now, they’re generating a TON of organic traffic and leads, as well as YouTube where they’re getting ROI’s that allow them to continue to invest DAILY in those channels.
But they’ve tried everything to make Facebook work as they know that it’s a source with massive potential.
They told me how they tried running campaigns internally…with little success…and have outsourced their FB ads to 3 different agencies…with NO success. After chatting for a while, I shared with them a couple secrets that I’ll share with you now.
First, if their funnels and offers are converting on OTHER ad channels, then that’s not necessarily their problem. They have the EPC/EPL data to show they’re making positive ROI on all other advertising channels, but Facebook keeps missing.
As my friend Justin Brook has taught me: analyze the data and path the prospect. This company IS pathing well…but the data from their FB campaigns is showing failure.
I recommended that they test multiple funnels and squeeze pages, as well as price points on their Facebook traffic to see if that moves the needle. Often it’s just messaging and pricing that could make a difference.
But I told them, quite frankly, that this would only make minimum impact on their bottom line. Their BIGGEST issue lies elsewhere.
Here it is: If they have funnels and offers that are converting on other channels…why not Facebook? Simple: it’s the AUDIENCE!
Ads are being shown to an unqualified, unengaged, and downright crappy audience! They tried all the ‘tricks’ suggested by the agencies, but still kept coming up short.
They might have gotten more clicks…but those clicks never materialized into results.
This is one thing we at TradersNewsMedia learned…it’s ALL ABOUT THE AUDIENCE!!
If our clients have decent funnels, we can find their buying audience for them…but it’s taken YEARS, literally millions of dollars, and LOTS of headaches to build the best trading audiences.
So here’s the takeaway for YOU:
Facebook is a channel that we’ve mastered for the trading niche and our clients results speak for themselves (Click here to read our CLIENT REVIEWS).
We do not work with dozens of clients…so if you don’t have a goal to SCALE, AND know your conversions please just continue to read my articles and apply what you can.
HOWEVER…
If you want to SCALE into Facebook, know your numbers, and want to prep for a HUGE Fall then contact today: brad@bradstafford.com.
To everyone else…HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Brad
by Brad | Jan 5, 2018 | Blog
2017 was an amazing year.
Lots of personal and professional successes too vast to list here, and it was littered with tough times as well! I count BOTH a blessing as I grew a lot and I’m praying 2018 gives you the same growth!
Now, let’s talk business…because 2018 has the potential to be your BEST!
Typically with private clients or select partners I discuss what I think will work in the coming year. This past year I reserved most of that to my business partner Brian, at TradersNewsMedia.com, and our blessed growth has reflected how true our 2017 insights were!
We discussed and implemented new techniques, strategies, and with a great partner like Brian, we were able to see massive 2017 growth.
Last month Brian and I got together and mapped out the TradersNewsMedia 2018 to help us as a performance lead generating advertising agency help our customers get a higher volume and QUALITY of lead from multiple traffic sources…we’ve got that mapped out!
I can’t share ALL our plans, but I want you to get and convert MORE leads in 2018, so here’s what I think you need to focus on:
First, for goodness sake START BUYING MORE EXTERNAL MEDIA!
There’s a reason that 2017 was HUGE for us and our clients – FRESH LEADS! These are NEW people to their funnels, their products, their TRIBE where they nurture them into becoming long term clients and valuable customers.
You might worry about the conversions on cold traffic…you should.
[bctt tweet=”Converting cold traffic is hard work and requires significant effort. But it’s the effort you SHOULD be focusing on to grow your business.” username=”bradstafford3″]
Yes, TNM does a ton of ad buys and lead delivery for clients, but if you look at ALL the top companies they’re investing heavily into ad buys as their MAIN source of growth.
Are swaps and affiliate partnerships dead and should be abandoned? NO (as you’ll see later).
But you have to face the fact that if you want to get more leads, you’re going to have to take risks and spend money on ads. Will it be easy? NO. Will you struggle? Probably. But if you want to get more leads and keep growing your business, you HAVE to go outside swaps alone.
OH! in case you think there’s a limited amount of ‘fresh’ leads out there, let me share some TradersNewsMedia numbers with you….
So maybe you think it’s time to start buying external traffic to build your list and grow your business??
Second, if you want more CONVERSIONS, then you cannot be content.
Marketing is an ACTIVE term. There’s no such thing as ‘set it and forget it’ anymore…sadly because I love Ron Popeil!
Look at 2017…do you even remember what was ‘hot’ at the beginning of the year? I can tell you for SURE it wasn’t anything to do with Crypto…and look how that’s taken over.
That’s an easy one to see the need for change, but what I want to nail into your head is NO PROMOTION IS SAFE! Always be reviewing, updating, changing, tweaking…why? Because people are fickle. Fact.
Humans are fickle and our wants and needs change often…which YOU should match with changes to your marketing.
A lot of what I’m suggesting rests on you having a FIRM grip on your statistics. Lead conversions, sales conversions, earning per lead in 30/60/90 days, open rates on funnels, value of leads from external ad sources, etc etc etc.
Data, even MORE than in 2017, will DOMINATE 2018. And you have two choices: Read and advance WITH the data, or cry into your beer about the good old days when conversions were easy.
More changes based on DATA in your marketing WILL lead to more conversions.
Mark it down.
Lastly if you want more leads and conversions, I believe 2018 will be a big year for major collaborations and mergers.
In 2017 there was some significant mergers at the ‘top of the pile’ which really brought multiple power house brands and newsletters under one ‘roof’ and we’ll see how that plays out for them to see how it changes the brand/value/reputations/etc.
But for 2018, I think it’s collaborations and mergers that have NOT been done at ‘below Agora’ levels. Why? Mostly, from discussions I’ve had, is because of ego. “Well we’re better than them at X, why should we work together.” It’s needless ego and pride that holds people back from partnerships and deals that make OVERALL sense.
Are all parts going to work perfectly? No. And it doesn’t need to be a marriage at first. Start off dating, to see if you can work well together and make more money, and make your life easier 🙂
Are there risks? Sure. But think about those who bought 500 bitcoins at 1k…risky but worth it. And frankly NOTHING has been accomplished of note that hasn’t required risk!
Maybe I’ll wrap this article up with this…
TAKE CALCULATED RISKS IN 2018 FOR MORE LEADS AND CONVERSIONS!
Here’s to a great 2018 and if you have anything to add, be bold and comment!
All my best,
Brad
P.S. If you need any guidance on any of the above points for 2018, just email me…I’m here to help! Brad@bradstafford.com
by Brad | Aug 22, 2017 | Blog
We all want warm traffic. They’re nice and cozy. They know us and our products, and they just need that gentle nudge to become paying customers.
We avoid cold traffic. They’re mean and never buy. They don’t wash their own dishes, we hate them!
WRONG. it’s time you love them.
Now, this article about cold traffic is not for lifestyle businesses. If you’re comfortable with your current client base, earnings, etc., then go back to Facebook to see how Aunt Millie is doing with her new car she’s posted 32 pictures of.
However, if you want to GROW your business, then this article is for you.
Let me make something clear. You CAN grow your business with warm traffic…but only to a point. You will eventually have to embrace the cold if you want to keep growing so really at some point, you WILL have to embrace the cold 😉
Ok moving on. How do you truly embrace the cold traffic?
1. You have to understand it.
What is cold traffic?
TheSmartAffiliate.com correctly describes it as – “Cold traffic is anyone who visits your site and has no idea who you are or very little idea what it is you have to offer. This is often the majority of your traffic, especially if you are unknown or just starting out.”
This traffic that has NO idea of who you are other than what your ad or content tells them about you.
Think of a cold traffic as that girl standing at the other side of the room at a party, who you’ve never seen and you know you HAVE to talk to her because she’s got ‘it’.
Are you with me so far?
2. You have to ask WHY you need cold traffic.
You’re reading this saying ‘hey Brad, I know you’ve been in the business for 10 years, have helped dozens of companies grow and have been blessed with success…but I’ve got plenty of warm traffic from different sources, I’ll trust myself here’
My response to that? “Enjoy the plateau!”
You NEED the cold traffic because there are a LOT MORE OF THEM than warm leads! VOLUME BABY!
Sometimes you can putz along not really drying up a warm traffic source but there’s no chance you really make a big impact and growth without running to the bottom of the warm traffic well sooner than later. But it WILL HAPPEN…
3. You need to know how to ATTRACT cold traffic.
This isn’t always an easy thing to do. With our example of the girl at the party, you essentially have ONE shot. What if you’re not wearing the right shirt? What if you trip and fall on your way over to talk to her? Or if you offend her with the first few words out of your mouth?!?!
OH NO…PANIC!! RUN!!
No…cold traffic is like that girl, except instead of the one girl, there are MILLIONS more, and instead of being weird, you have MANY chances to get her number! And in today’s ‘party’ you can test dozens of ways to attract that traffic.
MOREOVER, you can TRACK what works and what does not.
[bctt tweet=”Whatever works, keep doing that until it stops, and then adjust.” username=”bradstafford3″]
This is a scientific approach to cold traffic that you NEED TO APPLY else you’ll fail at attracting the traffic, and you’ll waste money, and you’ll blame me for encouraging you to take the risk. It’s not my fault if you don’t approach the cold traffic the way I show you.
Because what it ALL boils down to with cold traffic is that you’re actually attracting CUSTOMERS!! Because what good is traffic if it’s not buyers? Justin Brook sent an email last week basically ranting about free traffic and nailed down EXACTLY why it’s important to attract cold traffic that are more likely to be BUYERS! If you’re not following him, check him out!
4. You need to CONVERT cold traffic! (the KEY)
You’ve figured out how to attract the traffic but somehow she saw you, and against all her instincts she actually talks to you, now what?!
Well it’s simple really. You apply scientific funnel conversions to that traffic! This works for straight to sale traffic, or lead to sale traffic. You build multiple monetization funnels, test, analyze, test again, analyze, scale, analyze, test, etc. etc.
This is NOT brain surgery. But it’s also not easy. It takes practice, expertise, patience, and the MOST important thing…
YOUR DESIRE TO ACTUALLY DO IT!
Like I said, you will NOT be able to continue to grow for very long or very high without tackling the cold traffic problem.
It is better to do it when you may not want to versus when you NEED to and you’re behind the curve.
I’m here for support, advice, and (if you’re serious) a done for you option.
Go well and don’t be a stranger!
Brad
P.S. Contact Farra@bradstafford.com if you’d like to jump on a call to pick my brain!
by Brad | Apr 11, 2017 | Blog
You’ll first ask yourself, “what the heck is AGD Marketing?”
AGD stands for: A-dapt, G-row or D-IE!
The first rule in marketing is to adapt to the data that the market place is telling you and pivoting to QUICKLY take advantage of the market place trends.
HUH?
In a nutshell ‘change your marketing (offer, squeeze page, product) to what the market actually WANTS.’
Think about this…
If you’re running the same squeeze page across all your marketing channels, how do you know if you can’t get a better result by changing the headline?
Or if you have a product that’s selling ‘ok’ but don’t present the audience a new option or even price point, then how do you know you’re not leaving money on the table?
Well that makes sense Brad…but HOW?
DATA and SPEED
In adaptive marketing strategy, the first thing you need to have is the data. You HAVE TO KNOW exactly what’s going on inside your campaigns, on your pages, and on your sales forms.
Tracking that data gives you the knowledge to see if a lead source is converting well, or if you’re actually making money from a funnel, or if a new price point makes you more.
Analyzing and SEEING data is a must!
Here’s what I recommend… Lead pages for squeeze page testing.
Google analytics for everything else 🙂
Simple right? It is… but you actually have to USE it and that’s where the next part comes into play.
SPEED
Having data is cool. But having the ability to QUICKLY ADAPT to what the data is telling you is even COOLER!
Imagine changing your squeeze page every few days that net you an additional 1000 leads per week, that net you an extra 10k per week!? It’s possibly IF YOU CAN MAKE THE CHANGES! And then your business will surely GROW!
I know exactly what you’re thinking right now…
ARE YOU INSANE?! CHANGE MY PAGE WEEKLY!?
And you’re right…it’s insane.
But you know what? That’s the world in which we are marketing in now.
A marketplace that changes sometimes DAILY and those changes can be the difference between an extra 40k per month…or your business will surely DIE.
**GROW**
Now it’s time for you to GROW…but the ONLY way is if you’re able to ADAPT as the market changes…
Because what worked last year (or last WEEK for that matter) might not work TODAY. Having the skills and ability to track campaigns, edit them, and test them, is how you’ll be able to SCALE the campaigns…and your business.
If you’re not growing, or actively seeking new ways to grow, then you really don’t have a serious GROWTH business…you have a lifestyle business. And that’s OK, but you still need to be active in your attempt at growth.
But if you want to have a GROWTH business that can scale to from 5mm to 20mm+ then being on top of your numbers, and having the ability to ADAPT to what the market is telling you is the KEY.
So how can you apply what you’ve learned today…but let’s be honest, you really didn’t ‘learn’ anything as much as face a reality that you didn’t want to have to admit to:
“I’m not nimble enough in my marketing, and I’m not growing enough”
You knew that…SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT!?!?!
Because I don’t write these things at 10pm at night for fun…I want you to be successful!
I want you to take care of your family…your employees…your future!
Here are your choices
LivingHope students and my kids know this…
Option 1: BUCKLE UP AND DO IT YOURSELF
I’m sure it’s not the hat you want to wear, but it’s one that if you want to grow your business, you’ve got to put on.
The tools are THERE for you to use, and ask me if you need any advice or recommendations!
Option 2: OUTSOURCE IT
Of course, I’m going to have this option available because it’s WHAT I LOVE TO DO!
AGD is the reason behind the success of my new company TradersNewsMedia.com. We apply AGD very successfully for our clients and their results speak for themselves.
We do ALL that marketing and tracking FOR YOU so that all you need to do is sell your product!
But even if you do not use me, I HIGHLY recommend figuring out how you can jump on the Speed Marketing trend ASAP!
Best,
Brad
by Brad | Jan 31, 2017 | Blog
The past year and a half here in South Africa has taught me a lot about myself, about my family, and a lot about business success in general.
Yes I started a new business while here (TradersNewsMedia.com), but the MOST knowledge has been gained while working with the students here at LivingHope.
How…why…what???
How can working with students who have little to no working knowledge of business help me? Easy! Getting back to basics!
Two basic principles I want to focus on today…
-
Financial Goal
-
‘Non-Financial’ Goal
Huh?? Well the first one is simple.
What is your Financial Goal for your business success?
For TradersNewsMedia.com it varies. Sometimes it’s 5mm, sometimes it’s 1mm, sometimes it’s 50mm 🙂 The point is that coming back to that monetary goal can help me and Brian make decisions based on how we can hit that goal towards business success. We can analyze hiring someone, or not taking on a client, with a discernment that’s focused on a GOAL.
So what is YOUR financial goal?
The Second…’Non-Financial’ Goal
See if you can find the KEY point in being able to accomplish your ‘non-financial’ goal 😉
Just TODAY I had a chat with a now former student who’s an amazingly talented lady with a TON of potential whatever she decides to do. She has many business options, from cleaning to specialty jams and jellies. Her first goal is providing jobs in a local community, Ocean View, that’s in desperate need of prayer right now. Gangs have taken over a once peaceful place, the police are not helping as much, and people are being murdered daily.
As we all know EMPLOYMENT is way to lift people out of situations where crime seems like the only hope. So that’s exactly what this former student wants to do. And it’s a GREAT GOAL!!
But it’s her FIRST goal…and it should be her SECOND.
Why?
Because unless she is able to have financial success, then she’ll NEVER be able to employ anyone. I asked her…”think for a second…have you ever worked for a place where the owner didn’t make more money then you?” No…of course not. Because if they didn’t, then she’d NEVER have a JOB!
The same is true with her goal to employ people from Ocean View. If she isn’t successful and focused on her monetary goal, she’ll NEVER hit her second goal of employing people.
So ask yourself…what is your Non-Financial Goal?
Thanks for reading, and if you have any comments or want to share your financial or non-financial goals towards business success, I’d LOVE TO HEAR!
Cheers,
Brad
