Interview with Michael Coursey

Thank you for the interview Tim.

1) How and when did your online business get started?

I started when a friend of mine online introduced me to TrafficSwarm. After that my interests branched out into different online opportunities such as PPC sites and affiliate marketing. After looking around I saw traffic exchanges as a viable alternative to both build a credible business and secondarily market my affiliate products. In July of 2007 I purchased a script and hosting. Several weeks later I had the design for the site in place and “opened the doors” of HelpHits on July 24th 2007. At that time I had very little experience with online marketing and my understanding of how traffic exchanges worked was poor. The first few months was a hard learning experience for me. The people I had purchased the script from and the exchange owners that I knew at the time were what I now call “credit farmers”, meaning an exchange where nothing seems to grow for marketers except their credit pool at the exchange. I copied their methods for the most part until I realized the surfing activity was sharply decreasing after the first couple of months as well as sales and subscriptions. After realizing this I started looking at what the industry leading exchanges online such as StartXchange, I Love Hits, and TS 25 did differently than what I was doing. I looked at how they ran their businesses and their exchanges as much as possible by comparing those sites to mine. After making some drastic changes in policies surfing started to improve quite a bit.

2) Which exchange(s) do you own or co-own?

I own both HelpHits and Major League Hits.

3) Do you currently work exclusively online?

Not at present, but I plan to do so within the next 2 years.

4) How many hours per day do you spend on your exchange(s)?

I average 6 to 8 hours a day marketing, making adjustments, and communicating with members and various other exchange owners or developers.

5) Do you do support yourself, or do you outsource support?

Both, I think it is important for an owner to keep in touch with what members are thinking and feeling, but I have my trusted adviser and friend, Jackie O’Connor-Hagood, helping me out with support also.

6) How fluent are you with HTML, javascript, and PHP?

I have basic skills with HTML and enough skill with javascript and PHP to completely mess the code up.

7) Approximately how many members join your exchange a month?

HelpHits has had approximately 250 members join per month since December.

Major League Hits currently has had 369 members in just over a month of operation.

8) Does most of your advertising come from members referring, or you?

The bulk of the advertising comes from me, I think, but there is a sizable percentage from my membership. I would say it is about 65% me and 35% from my members.

9) Are you subscribed to any blogs? Which is your favorite?

I am subscribed to TE Scoop run by Solomon Huey and Hit Exchange News. I like both but I would say that TE Scoop is my favorite. I like Solomon’s journalistic style and his understanding view of day to day events going on in the TE industry.

10) What would be the biggest tip you could give to readers?

My biggest tip would be to keep learning. This goes for anything in life, but definitely internet marketing. Find people that are experts at a particular aspect of marketing that you want to master and ask questions, use their methods, and find what works well for you. There is a LOT of knowledge in the world. It is one of our purposes to absorb and use as much of it as we can to help us through this life.

If you would like me to clarify any statements please do not hesitate to ask.

Best regards,

Michael Coursey