Some people say that traffic exchanges don’t work. Well that is true…if they are not used properly. I see many sites in rotations that do not get results.

The wrong way to use them is to put your generic affiliate links in rotation. You know, the one that shows the sign up, or front page of the program you are trying to promote. I also see blogs, e-store fronts, informational sites, and more. Important to note: putting any sites in rotation with Adsense code in them will get your Adsense account deleted WHEN Google finds out.

The right way is to put splash, lead capture, and squeeze pages in rotation. The programs or products you promote will often have splash pages already created for you. Just look in the affiliate tools area at that website for your promotional pages. If not, you can easily create your own splash pages with the many tools that are available online. TE Toolbox is a great example.

Lead capture or squeeze pages are even better. You can also build those easily at TE Toolbox. You put those in rotation and give other surfers something of value in exchange for their email address. Then, you can recommend programs and products directly to them. This is what makes the pros so successful.

So, to recap. Generic affiliate links DO NOT work in traffic exchanges. Splash, lead capture, and squeeze pages DO work.

I’ll be looking for your pages in the traffic exchanges.

I recently took over the traffic exchange Half Hour a Day. It currently has nearly 2,000 members, and it is growing each day. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, and found out just how easy it wasn’t. Even though there is already a large member list, it doesn’t make it any easier. If you plan on starting a new exchange, don’t expect members to just flood in without any work.

Many of the current members were not very active, and there were a lot of unused credits there. So, I started to email the members and give them a few tips, and created a dialogue with some of them. I instantly started seeing some great results. More members were becoming active again.

I then started a weekly contest. The top surfer of the week gets to have their links displayed in a Member Spotlight. I have had a good response from that too. This is really going to get the exchange going again.

Within the next couple weeks, the script will be updated. It will then have more contests available, and even more features for members. After the update, Half Hour a Day is going to get a facelift.

Being an active member of many traffic exchanges over the last few years, I have a firm grasp of what makes an exchange appealing to surfers. I am going to apply all of that knowledge, and work towards making the site one of the top exchanges on the net.

Stop by Half Hour a Day and take a look. Let me know what you like and don’t like. I’m not a “fire and forget” kind of administrator. Feedback is important to me. After all, it is your exchange, not mine.

There are three main pages being shown in traffic exchanges, going from best to worst:

1. Personal squeeze or lead capture pages
2. Affiliate splash pages
3. Affiliate links

I would never put up affiliate links in rotation. They are very ineffective. There is just too much information.

The best is to display personal squeeze, or lead capture, pages. You will then be able to promote your programs to your subscribers. This is the  best option, especially when you build a large list of subscribers.

Affiliate splash pages, the splash pages that your affiliate programs provide, can be effective if used properly. In traffic exchanges, you only have a brief moment to capture your visitor’s attention. You need to have a way for your ad to stand out. This is where personal branding comes in.

I do like to promote my programs in traffic exchanges to supplement my email campaigns. In that case, I like to use personal branding. The best site that I have found that does that for you is Vital Viral Pro. You can enter each of your sites and place your picture and a short testimonial on every affiliate splash page that you promoting. Now, when visitors start recognizing your face, they will be more inclined to click on your ad.

You can also set up rotators to group like campaigns to maximize your available sites in your traffic exchanges.

Inside the member area, you will be able to find how many views you have had, how many clicks, and at which exchanges. It is all summarized in a cool graphical dashboard that gives you a good idea how well your campaigns are doing.

Vital Viral Pro Dashboard

Another great thing, and a powerful tool in Vital Viral Pro is that you can have a banner and text links in the “viral bar.” This gives more exposure to your other programs. Not only that, when someone joins under you in Vital Viral Pro, they will be able to join you in your other programs that you have listed in the members area.

If you want another way to brand yourself in the traffic exchanges, stop on by and grab your free membership by visiting the clicking the banner below. Or, you can also download the ebook to learn more about it from the owner by clicking here.

Good luck in your branding.