Just Picture It Now

Every once in a while I see something that surprises even me. I was just sent an e-mail from someone who told me to take a look at what he had found.

Much to my delight, I’ve been nominated for a Blogger Choice Award as the Best Travel Blog. I have no idea when it happened, who nominated me, or just why I was nominated. Frankly, I don’t care and have to admit, it’s pretty cool!

I’ve always enjoyed writing and this blog has been a real joy to write, especially since YTB took center stage last October. To be honest, I didn’t want to write about what was going on back then. I really struggled with it. But I also knew that what was going on at the time had another side to it and knowing YTB, it’s Founders, and it’s people the way I do, it was more important to document and link to the facts. Being able to keep the facts separate from fiction has always been important to me and to get the e-mails and phone calls I have about how much people enjoy and appreciate what I do is extremely rewarding.

I constantly tease about something I call R&D, which stands for “Rip-Off and Duplicate”. I’ve used this term for years, and while it’s a twist or play on words in what’s actually known by those who teach success principles as “modeling”, to see all the people who duplicate what I write on their own blogs and to see people talking about me in message boards and forums is really something.

Many people use paid advertising, others use links in signatures. Others just blatantly promote their blog everywhere they post to try to drive traffic to their sites or blogs, in an attempt to recruit people, even when it’s against the policies of such forums.

I on the other hand, like the “organic” type of links. Organic links are produced naturally from others who happen to like (or dislike) what you’ve written. It’s unsolicited, and obviously has some relevance to those who link to you. I can’t list all the top links that point here, but all kinds of people link here for content and updates. I’ve been amazed when I look at some of the referrals and links from other Network Marketers, other members of YTB, and even from another unrelated web site. (Barry Manilow?!) Of course, I also get a ton of links from those that claim I don’t matter, but they still keep commenting and reading based on time per hit. (Nice to know I take up so much of their time and energy.)

By writing about relevant and interesting topics, these organic links can be very beneficial and provide very high rankings within minutes. When WGN aired the Lady Liberty story, I found myself at the top of the search rankings within minutes of posting. The Travel Weekly Power List also produced a ton of traffic here.

I think my first post on this blog was very apropos given how far reaching and relevant this blog has become. It all started with a dream that I simply took action on. Now almost three years later, to see how far it’s come and what it’s evolved into is humbling and amazing.

I don’t know at this point if who sent the e-mail, nominated me, but who ever nominated me, I wanted to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude for the honor.

Thanks to all who have sent e-mails, called me, and offered personal expressions of how much they appreciate what I do.

The pleasure is all mine!

Now damit…go VOTE FOR ME! ;-P

PS - If you’d like to keep up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB feel free to sign up for my FREE Newsletter. Just like here, it’s loaded with food, water and sunshine to grow your YTB business.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Travel Reservations: 1.800.243.4450
RTA #24635

Labels: Best Travel Blog, Blogger Choice Awards, Organic Links, Referral Marketing, Travel MLM, YTB International

Posted by TravelPro at 8:30 AM | Permalink

Referral Marketing appears to be a huge mystery for some people. It’s probably one of most often asked questions I’ve heard during my years with YTB. More specifically, on-line marketing appears to be a major interest for most. (We ARE an “On-Line Travel Agency”)

I wrote a post some two years ago about 5 ways to market effectively on-line, and for anyone new to the industry, this is a fantastic foundation to start marketing your business. These marketing techniques are not only effective but if done properly, in time you will have extensive exposure to all kinds of customers, ready to purchase products from you that relate to them. In fact, these techniques are so good; I still use them to this day and I actually reuse this very same article in my Newsletter for new team members in my 7 day training program.

One of the key components of effective Marketing is “know your customer”. If you know why people visit a particular site and what the major motivation is, and match products that relate to them, you will be amazed at how easy and profitable referral marketing really is. Mike Dillar in his Magnetic Sponsoring program gives fantastic insight in one of his his free 7 Day Boot Camp videos.

When someone goes to buy a drill, they don’t care about the drill; they care about making a hole.

To many people focus on the features and advantages of the program, company, whatever, but what they should be looking for is the end benefit to the customer.

Since most of my readership here is already in YTB, let me give you one of the best marketing tips I’ve ever come across that’s easy to do when it comes to selling travel. I’ve had albums of my vacations on a site called WebShots for years. If you take a look at any of the pictures, in any of the albums, you’ll see my BandBVacations.com logo on the bottom left hand corner of each and every picture.

At the present time, these 400 photos have had over 161,000 views and I get anywhere between 1000 to 1500 views per week.

Now think about this. Who is viewing these photos? What is their major motivation for visiting this site? Based on why I was there before I got involved with YTB, I wanted to find pictures of ship layouts, layouts of buildings, how white and fluffy the sand was, and because pictures say a thousand words, how someone else enjoyed their vacation on this ship or at this resort.

Because my logo is at the bottom of every one of those pictures, some will see that logo, wonder what that site is, physically type it in and low and behold what to they find?

My booking engine.

I can’t tell you how many times I find flights, hotels, vacation packages, and cruises booked on my booking engine from people I don’t even know. It just shows up!

Another cool little trick I learned was writing articles about our experience during our vacation. I did an article three years ago about one of our first FAM trips down to Sandestin Resort and Independent Traveler posted it on their site.

These are just two examples to simply “refer” people to your travel web site. There are a ton of resources for both articles and pictures that you can find on the internet.

Here’s the best part of all this guys. I took those pictures and wrote that trip report three years ago. Do you know that I’m still being paid via Referral Marketing for posting these pictures and writing this trip report?

Harv Ecker talks about the difference between rich people and the poor and middle class. The middle class and poor believe that they have to work hard for their money. You have to actually have to “do something” every time you produce income. Rich people focus on something called “passive income”. Streams of income that pay you over and over even when you aren’t producing anything for that income at the time. (If you’d like to find out more about Harv’s differences between rich and poor, he has a free teleseminar next week on May 22nd that will explain more.)

Here is one of the most critical factors that I believe is very important. Notice, I’m not sending people to my marketing site with these pictures. Notice I’m not trying to recruit anyone into my YTB business as a team member. Reason being is that the people who are looking at these articles and pictures are not looking for a business; they’re looking for a vacation. (Go back to why you buy a drill, to make a hole.) You have to keep in mind who the primary customer is and if you can match a product with the primary need or benefit, you’re likely to get sales.

The key is to understand your market. Take the market here on this blog. It’s changed over the years, and currently, most of my readership here is already in YTB so why bother trying to recruit you into a business you’re already in? But I can capitalize on helping you build your business and become more knowledgeable and successful right?

Here are just a few examples of how referral marketing has worked for you using the exact same principles we’ve learned from Coach, Scott and Kim in YTB.

Last year I did a write up on saving money on taxes via a home based business. Now I wrote that article last year, but this February and March got paid for that article over and over again. Something you in YTB wanted to learn about.

Something else that I found you wanted to learn about was Marc Mancini and the E-Campus. Do you know that I sell entire sets of his books each and every month?

You also gobbled up Brian Tracy’s Success Principles like crazy when I was entertaining the questions our TTA’s had about YTB.

No poking, no prodding, no “Join Me Know”, but very simple referral links and if you found it relevant and of value, you bought the products I recommended.

Speaking of the TTA’s, how many 6 in 1 travel blankets do you think they sell on their blog? How ‘bout Star Trek figures, or Urban Fashion accessories? If I were that blogger, I’d be selling FitzPatrick’s “Pyramid Nation”, to make up for all the time I spend writing on that waste of cyberspace. Problem is, FitzPatrick doesn’t understand referral marketing either and would never promote his books to gain better exposure in that way.

Stuck in a “Catch 22” sorry to say.

Guys, travel is just one example of how the Internet has changed things. E-commerce is a HUGE business and industry and if you learn to play the game right using “referral marketing” the right way, you’ll find yourself working less and enjoying more of this game we called life.

It’s not wrong, it’s not lazy, it’s a simple fact of the way we do business these days. Gone are the days of the Petroleum Distribution Engineers that we had when we were kids…we pump our own gas these days in the world of self service.

It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s convenient, and it can make you extra income doing the same thing you’ve already been taught to do in YTB.

If you’d like to keep up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB feel free to sign up for my FREE Newsletter. Just like here, it’s loaded with links and documentation for you to share with clients and prospects alike.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent