Traffic Exchange Consulting
Running a traffic exchange is easy, but running a successful traffic exchange is another story. Since many people ask me for consulting, I figured this one page would be a good spot to put all my suggestions in one massive page. Unfortunately I don’t have the time to do it in one go, so as I have time I’ll add more here.
Feel free to email me if you have questions. Note that my goal is to reply to every email, but it may take a very long time. If it’s urgent then I’m not your guy. I don’t do programming for others ;-)
Picking a Traffic Exchange Script
This is usually the first question that owners to be ask. There is this belief that one particular script will make or break an exchange. That’s false. It’s what the owner does with that script that’ll make a difference. Each script has it’s pro’s and con’s. Some have more support than others, some have more mods available than others, some are easier to tinker with yourself, and some do more than others out of the box.
My recommendation to you would be to get the KR-TCNTE script from Kinder-Rash Marketing. The problem is that it’s not yet available. So you can’t really do that. You could however use the time to follow my “Before You Build It” suggestions while you wait.
If you are really really really set on doing it now, I’d say go with the LJ Script. This one has issues and you’ll need things to get fixed on it, but it’s very popular and there are mods openly available for it.
If you have the cash, a completely custom script is the way to go. It’ll allow you to make your exchange truly stick out. This can get in the thousands of dollars easily to have it built. But well worth it.
In the end it’s up to you. What script do you like? What admin area do you like? How much support do you need? Check out the Traffic Exchange Scripts Report to see which exchanges are using what. If a particular type of script has exchanges you love, chances are the script will work for you too.
Before You Build It
Before you even begin building an exchange or shelling out cash for scripts or servers, you should be building YOU. The #1 deal breaker in running a successful exchange is the owner. That’s you. It will literally make or break your exchange.
You need to be active in the forums, active on the exchanges, active in the seminars, and branding yourself all along the way. Having a blog doesn’t hurt because you can blog about things you learn and see.
The key here though isn’t to be annoying. Every now and then I’ll get a new owner emailing me and trying to contact me in a million different ways. Everyone is busy, so you need to be present but not beg for attention. Give feedback and participate. If you are only around when you’ve got something you want others to promote, the amount of enthusiasm you’ll get will diminish.
It’s sorta like being a friend. If you hang out with a person frequently, and then their car breaks down and they need a ride, you’re likely to give them a ride. But if they only call you when they want something, or they call text email and go crazy trying to contact you, you’re less likely to want to help.
In the end the more other owners recognize you and see your drive and passion, the more likely they are to promote your exchange at launch. Just realize every owner recognizes people in different ways. Some will notice you by how much you buy from them, others will notice you by how much you are participating in the forums & seminars.
