The biggest struggle small business owners like me have is “How do I get traffic to my website?”
There is the technical answer to this question. For example, your website must be found and indexed by Google. This means it must be fast enough, both on mobile and desktop. This speed depends on several factors, which are not the scope of this article.
This article is a review of Traffic Secrets by Russell Brunson. It’s about organic, paid and owned traffic as an answer to my original question: “How do I get traffic to my website?” Or in modern lingo, how to get eyeballs on our website, eyeballs that stay (and buy). Preferably in a way we can control ourselves, for the bigger part.
Table of contents
We all need teachers and mentors
A couple of years ago I did the One Funnel Away Challenge. That’s when I first ‘met’ Russell Brunson. I put ‘met’ in between quotation marks, because the challenge was online. But you know what I mean.
My whole working life I had this rule I always lived up to, and I still follow that rule: I have to like the people I am doing business with. Whether it’s clients that pay me or companies I buy products from; if they are not authentic or have behavior I dislike, I am out.
Well, Russell is a really likeable guy. When I first saw him I estimated him as being 20 or 22. 🙂 He is not, he must be in his 30s. He has an amazing career. Started, strangely enough, with selling DVDs how you should make a potato gun. And now is a $100M entrepreneur and co-founder of the software company ClickFunnels.
Traffic Secrets
Product: Traffic Secrets, a book by Russell Brunson
Price: free + shipping
Website: trafficsecrets.com
Bonuses: The Traffic Secrets Foundation; The Ultimate Unfair Advantage; How to Make a Video Go Viral; The Ultimate Traffic Hack; 30 Day Traffic Secrets Challenge
The Underground Playbook for Filling Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers
The first question you will probably have: is this book worth my time? My answer is yes, but of course that is not sufficient enough so I’ll explain.
Russell Brunson is a marketing guy, so his texts are built to lure you into his stories. I like the way he explains his personal experiences and the solutions he came up with. He clarifies his problems and solutions very clearly. And his way of telling is an example to follow.
It is exactly one of the ways he teaches how to gain traffic: hook – story – offer. That sounds easier than it is in reality, like a craft always does. It looks easy when it’s demonstrated by a real professional. But that is exactly why we learn; to be a professional ourselves in time.
Evergreen strategies
What never ceases to amaze me is the way some new techniques are communicated to the world. As if all the old techniques were nonsense and we all have to hurry to buy this new never-before-discovered wonder.
If that really were true, you shouldn’t fall for it, because of the implicit message of this communication. Because it is suggested that techniques can in an instant be replaced by other new techniques. Why would you want to use a technique that can be redundant in a blink of an eye?
I don’t believe it is true. Yes, techniques change and yes, we need to try new things. But the best strategies are always combinations of old, proven techniques and new ways to adjust to change in time.
Russell stresses out several times in Traffic Secrets that a social medium he describes might be obsolete as the time of reading. Or that the algorithm of Google changed in the meantime. But that the strategies he describes can easily be adjusted to a different social medium or another algorithm. In other words the strategies are evergreen.
Structure of the book
The important parts of the book are:
- Your Dream Customer
- Fill Your Funnel
- Growth Hacking
In these 3 sections the 20 secrets are described:
- Who Is Your Dream Customer?
- Where Are They Hiding? The Dream 100
- Hook, Story, Offer, and the Attractive Character
- Work Your Way In Buy Your Way In
- Traffic That You Own
- Follow Up Funnels
- Infiltrating the Dream 100
- Fill Your Funnel Organically Working Your Way In
- Fill Your Funnel with Paid Ads Buying Your Way In
- Instagram Traffic Secrets
- Facebook Traffic Secrets
- Google Traffic Secrets
- YouTube Traffic Secrets
- After the Slaps and the Snaps
- Conversation Domination
- The Funnel Hub
- Other People’s Distribution Channels
- Your Affiliate Army
- Cold Traffic
- Other Growth Hacks
Some of these secrets are not so covert as all. I heard myself remark under my breath “Duh” as times. But then immediately thought of a remark one of my other teachers said: “OK, you know it, but do you practice it? And does it show in your bank account?”
Reading other reviews
I read several reviews about Traffic Secrets to find out whether I would agree or disagree with them. It also serves as a way to address your potential concerns. That way you can make a careful consideration of whether this book is for you.
I have heard this before
Traffic Secrets is the 3rd book by Russell Brunson. The other ones are DotCom Secrets and Expert Secrets. It is true there is an overlap in these books. And if you watch videos of Russell there is an overlap as well.
For me, the repetition works well to get the knowledge into my head. I also like that he is very consistent in what he says. If you don’t want that repetition and just want to read one of these 3 books, I recommend Traffic Secrets. Since it is his latest book, it contains his experiences over a longer period.
It has too many stories
I agree there are many personal stories of Russell in this book. If you’re a cut-that-bullsh*t person, you’re not going to like it. BTW, if you are that person I am amazed you made it this far into my article, because I can be elaborate as well. 😉
Everything is based on just one idea
What I think is good about a book, some don’t like. A web article should be based on one idea, so should a book. There is no need to confuse your viewers or readers, is there?
Why the upsells?
Another thing I don’t grasp; some people hate up sells. In my view up sells are just a business model. A very lucrative one, I must add. Nothing fishy about that, you chose to take the upsell or you don’t. Nobody is forcing you.
I do recommend getting the book and having a close look as how these up sells work for educational reasons. You can learn such a lot by observing how successful people are.
But if you don’t want that, I have an escape route for you! If you do want to read the book, but don’t want to be bothered with the up sells, buy an ePub version here!
It’s only for funnel builders
If your goal is to make money from your blog, I am convinced you will need a funnel as some point. Mind you, a call to action you have on your website to subscribe to your list is already a simple funnel. Still, we all need traffic on our websites, whether we have an email list or not.
Final words
It’s obvious I am enthusiastic about Traffic Secrets and I highly recommend it. Or in the words of another review online: Traffic is just people. This book will help you find your people, so you can focus on changing their world with the products and services that you sell.
I trust I gave you enough reasons to decide whether it is a book for you or not. Don’t hesitate to put your questions in the comment box below, because I will gladly answer them.
Traffic Secrets is available for free+shipping including several bonuses. I am an affiliate of Clickfunnels, which means I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Yet I can assure you I have made an honest review of the book.
Hey,
This is such an insightful article. I have been struggling with traffic in my business and I could really do with a mentor in this area. Russell Brunson sounds like he could be one of the best in the business. I have tried Facebook ads and google ads but I’ve not really gotten anywhere with them. It is so frustrating and having someone to teach me and mentor me would be amazing.
I will let you know if I do invest in this program and I will give you my review of it.
Thank you for sharing and keep up the great work.
All the best,
Tom
Thanks Tom. He doesn’t sound like he could be one of the best in the business, he actually is. That’s not said because I am biased, but because his company is doing really, really well.
The One Funnel Away Challenge I told about in another review is a program, Traffic Secrets is a book. Where the Challenge is time-driven, you can read this book in your own pace. I am glad I did the Challenge first and am now reading the book. But there is no desired order in that. The other way around works just as fine.
I guess as long as we are small entrepreneurs adds indeed do not work. The budgets the moguls throw into their campaigns cost an amount of money we cannot even think of earning, let alone spending. That’s why I like Russell’s approach of working your way into traffic, instead of buying your way into it.
Yes, please let me know what you do. I am always interested in other people’s results. 🙂
Hi Hannie!
Is this book available as e-book to purchase? It would be interesting to read. Do you think does it contain other good advices to develop a website, than it is offered on Wealthy Affiliate? I don’t really work on my traffic yet because my website is pretty new and I’m focusing more to write content, but I think I should care about my traffic serious soon. Regarding a traffic I only do- trying to increase the amount of subscribers in the social media related to my website. Thank you for your review!
Yes, Alex, there is a Kobo-version (=epub-version) and I guess there is a Kindle-version as well, but as you might know I am not an affiliate of the big A-webshop, so I haven’t looked into that.
If you go to Russel’s website and you don’t click his call-to-action, but leave the page, a different page will show up with links to ebooks.
Oh, and BTW, I think too that there are only 24 hours in a day and we should spent them wisely, so good thinking on working on your content first! 🙂
Hannie,
You have done a convincing job to get the Brunson material because I own a blogging website myself. And I have known for a long time that I will need a funnel at some point in time if I really want to grow and monetize my traffic.
I agree that the story telling copywriting style is not an easy feat and will need some practice, but does he offer a clear structure and method that one can adopt? It is really an art that I would like to develop soon.
Cheers
Femi
Yes, Femi, in my eyes he gives a very solid structure. Although I must admit that doesn’t make it easier in the beginning. Hook – story – offer. That’s what he tells over and over. It’s ingrained in my mind, and still it’s difficult at times to become fluent in it.
It’s like learning a new language: we have to practice, read about examples, practice, see what works for us. Oh, and did I mention yet we have to practice. 😀
Russel’s books help me because of his examples. That way it all becomes more clear and more alive. But you already guessed I am a fan, didn’t you, 😉
I actually got to meet Russell Brunson at a live event here in the UK. Though I didn’t get to speak to him, I watched Russell live on stage. He certainly has an interesting background and was amazed at how he started out with such a simple idea of “how to make a potato gun” I’m thinking of buying the ebook version of traffic secrets as it has some useful content on funnels. However, he left out what I consider the best traffic source which is Pinterest. Thanks for giving such a detailed outline of traffic funnels.
LOL, Kathy, yes, the potato guns made me laugh as well. And he still looks like he is 16, doesn’t he?
The point he makes throughout the book is, that proven techniques are not restricted to one channel. So you’re right, there is not a chapter focused solely on Pinterest. And maybe there is a new kid on the block next year that’s called Tik Tok or something like that.
That’s why I think his books are so valuable. The strategies he describes are evergreen and can be applied to all kinds of sources.
I have heard a lot about Russel Brunson, and I believe that you can definitely learn from him. I think I would be interested in learning from him. I wouldn’t mind the personal stories in the book, I guess that he added them because they may perhaps have a lesson somewhere? And if an instructional book has some personal stories, it makes it more personal, it makes reading less like reading a long essay.
I think we all ask ourselves that question, how to get traffic to our sites and make it stay (and buy) there, lol. I am still working on that. I would love to find some help on that 🙂
As for upsells, I understand that they are part of business and they work; I know that many people buy those upsells, but from a customer’s perspective it seems a little deceiving … I personally hate them. I remember a few years back when I had no money and I was trying to find an opportunity to make money online (like many people do), and I tried something out which was free or had a low price I could afford and then I clicked through and it was one page after another of upsells with prices I could definitely not afford. It was so frustrating and disappointing.
I always ended up cancelling and asking for a refund, because I felt duped. It was especially frustrating at the time, because first I believed that I had landed on a site where I could genuinely either learn something or perhaps earn money and then they were asking me for money I didn’t have. So, when I see upsells, even today when things are better financially, I click away, regardless whether it is a fishy or a legitimate site. I want to see what I am getting into upfront. I don’t like “but wait, for a 200 $ more” surprises. That’s just my opinion 😉
I understand, Christine, and – first of all – everybody is entitled having their own opinion. I was like that too, or maybe I still am in some regards. But the bigger question for me nowadays is: what is in my own interest? If I can learn a lot from the free or cheap information, I will. Why abstain myself from that information because I don’t want or can’t afford the rest?
If I don’t want to fall for the upsells, I don’t take it. You know how it is with most upsells – clear the cache on your browser and you can start all over, so most of the time you can go for the upsells once you think they are worth it and you can pay for it.
The money is in the upsells. There is a lesson to learn from that. Namely, have a product including upsells yourself as well. My reaction to that used to be, ahh, I am not interested in money, as long as I can pay the bills, I am happy. But I would love to be able to buy a piece of land and to practice ecological sustainability on that land. In your case, I can imagine that you would love to have your own dog shelter and money enough to take care of lots of them.
Of course some of the business people are in the online business for only the money and nothing more. But there are also numerous people who want to do good and who work on their legacy. Would it help you to think of those people if you see another upsell?
Hi Hannie,
Russell Brunson is well-known for his ClickFunnels. I am sure he must know one thing or two in Traffic generation, this is no doubt. I agree with you that we should implement the new ways and the old proven techniques to drive traffic to our site, which is the right thing to do. I would like to know whether Russell also talks about organic/free traffic since the focus is on paid traffic, right?
Cheers,
Matt
Hi Matt, his focus is on organic and free traffic, not on paid traffic. Yes, he pays a lot for ads, but he gets more traffic from investing in relationships. And makes sure that that is his focal point in everything he does. In Traffic Secrets he explains a lot about the ways he does that.
I actually just bought this book from Amazon and haven’t dove in yet. I read enough to want to order his other 2 books and start from the begging.
I just ordered the dot com off of here and the upsells can be annoying. It is also recommended to do that by many marketers(like Dan Kennedy) I am a life long student willing to learn from the best
Thanks for the info
Hi Brian, great that you already have the book. Of course the upsells are annoying. So are ads on TV or the internet. I just regard them of part of business life and ignore them most of the time. Once you know the drill, you can safely click away the first upsell and as long as you close the browser window as well, you won’t see the other upsells. 😉
Unless – like you say – we want to learn about those processes. Then either we can buy the upsells, or refuse them and see what happens next. Always an interesting exercise!