A few years ago I was visiting a friend’s house and over on their book case I saw a rainbow colored book on the shelf, collecting dust.

It was the 1982 classic Megatrends, by John Naisbitt.

I immediately picked it up and began reading.  Before long, I was asking my friend if I could take the book home with me, and I never gave it back.

The book was great, and I really wished that I had read this thing back in 1982, because if you had understood everything that was in it – you would have been well positioned for the next 20 years of your business life.

The most important part of the book was a chapter called “High Tech, High Touch”.  If you’ve never picked up this book, I suggest reading it for this chapter alone.

Here’s the basic premise:  High Tech is the machine, and it feels like a machine.  High Touch is what we crave as humans, because it makes us feel like a real human being.

If you’re able to combine high technology with high touch, human interaction – even if it’s delivered through that very same technology – then you have a winner.

Consider Facebook on this point.  You have amazing technology that is basically transparent to you, feeding you information about your friends and colleagues.  In fact, it usually can tell you who else should be your “friend” because the technology behind it is so advanced.  Yet, it feels like a giant community.

The combination of high tech, high touch is what makes this such a success.

When it comes to trends, the trend is your friend as long as you know where it’s taking you.

There are 3 Megatrends on the web right now, and they all revolve around high tech, high touch – and using the technology that we have to deliver YOUR message to the RIGHT people.

The first megatrend is the mobile web.  The web is now with you, wherever you are.  And that means that your customer is looking for you at any time, whenever they need you.  If you can’t be found, and you don’t have a presence, you’re in trouble.

The second megatrend is the social web.  You have to “be real” when you’re developing a marketing message online.  Those who are real and are interacting with their customers on a regular basis are gaining loyalty, and recommending their friends.  Those who aren’t in the game, or are playing it wrong, are losing ground…fast.

Finally, the third megatrend is the real time web.  This one began with Google news and Google alerts a few years ago, and now is hitting it hard with Twitter and Facebook updates.  When something big happens, it’s all over the Twitterverse in a matter of minutes.

There’s a number of ways to take advantage of these megatrends, and as we move into the next decade, the evolution of these spaces is going to speed up significantly.  We’ll see new devices that take advantage of these trends (the iPad is the best example) and we’ll see new ways of interacting with our customers.

At the end of the day, you’ll need to make sure that the marketing machine you have behind it is built to get your message delivered to the right people.  Those entrepreneurs who are taking advantage of mobile, social and real time, are the ones who are creating the future before our very eyes.

It all starts with your traffic driving strategy.  Position yourself directly in front of qualified, willing, ready to buy customers.

Here’s to creating the future,
-Wally

P.S. – It’s a fact.  The fastest way to grow your business is to increase qualified visitors to your website.

P.P.S. – With 42 Million iPhone customers and counting, the mobile web is just getting started.  Here’s how you can guarantee your success.

Just got back from another high powered weekend conference in Clearwater, Florida.

There’s an amazing thing that happens when you’re in a room full of successful people.  You start to take notice of the energy.  Without even meaning to, it’s virtually impossible to ignore the amazing feeling of being around positive, optimistic people who get stuff done.

Another thing that you notice is that people who are successful are usually pretty competitive.  And most times they really like sports.  Because just like in sports, business is really competitive, and you have to get up every day ready to win – and prepared to win.

It’s baseball season, so naturally we spent a lot of time talking about baseball.

We even took some time out to practice our swings.

Hey, business can be fun.

One of my friends spent some time working with me on my stance, making sure that my feet were slightly tilted out, and that my elbows and wrists were positioned the right way.

But the really important part came when he taught me about my swing itself.

Picture yourself at the plate.  You’re getting ready to receive the pitch.

You’ve got your arm that is closest to the pitcher…and you’ve got your arm that is closest to the catcher.

Then imagine your swing.

How did you do?

Here’s something that I never knew.  Your power comes from the arm that is pushing the bat.  Not the arm that is closest to the pitcher.  No wonder I never was any good at baseball!

You aren’t pulling the bat around to swing…you’re pushing it around with your arm.

And there’s another thing I learned…

For the most part, you aren’t swinging for the fences.

You’re swinging for contact.  You’re swinging to get on base.  It could mean first base, it could mean a home run.  But you’ve got to keep swinging.

And with every swing comes practice of the basics.

You always come back to the basics and you keep swinging and working on them.

What does this have to do with a website?

The thing that most website owners do wrong when they try to be profitable online is that they swing for the fences.  They go big right away, without learning the basics.  They’re looking at what a great idea they have, and how much money it’s going to bring them.

So they jump out there and swing the bat a few times.  And they strike out.

Then they get discouraged and quit.  And they never stop for a moment to consider why they never made the big bucks.  Or even the little bucks.

So the first thing you have to do is step back from the plate for a second, and commit to being in the game long term.

And being in the game long term begins with learning the basics.

Then once you know the basics, you keep on swinging the bat.  Get on base.  Move ahead.

Once you’re moving ahead, you keep swinging the bat.

And you return to the basics again and again – but you keep swinging the bat.

Maybe this means you’re following up to your customers in an email.  Maybe it means that you’re using your sales system to further your reach and leverage your value.  It can mean a lot of things.

But if you never get the basics, it means you’re striking out.

Once you get the basics down, and you’re hitting some base hits… you’re automatically generating sales and leads like you’ve never done before…swinging like a pro.

Batter up!
-Wally

P.S. – Here’s a great place to start with the basics.

P.P.S. – If you’ve made a couple of base hits but also a couple of errors with your online marketing, you’ll want to have a look at this.

Two nights ago at about 4:15 in the morning, I was awoken by a loud thump and shaking house.  It was almost like the house was getting hit repeatedly by thunder.

Turns out, it practically was.

We have a giant cotton wood tree in the front yard, and it had been snowing a famous Colorado spring snow all night long.

Sure enough, a branch that was bigger than most standalone trees had fallen on the roof and then slid off into the front yard.  It barely missed our two cars.

Once everything had calmed down and I realized that no major damage had been done, I went back to bed to deal with the branches in the daylight.

Lucky for us, our house was built in the 60s – and whoever built this thing definitely knew what they were doing.  It’s a really solid, well built structure.

I haven’t had a chance to fully inspect for damage, but from the looks of it, if there is any it’s going to be minimal.

The timing on this has been pretty coincidental.

Just a few days before this happened I got a phone call from one of my customers who runs a very popular, high profile website.  We’re talking the type of website where he’s pulling in more traffic and more sales than most people make in 10 years.

He called me up and said “check out my blog…something just doesn’t look right”.  And sure enough, his blog had been hacked.

Just like when the tree came crashing down on the house the other night, it was time to spring into action.  Turns out that there have been a rash of hacked blogs recently, and his made the hit list.

So I dropped what I was doing and made sure to get him back up and running within a few hours.

The thing was – even though something challenging happened, his website was built on a solid foundation.  So when something bad happens, which it inevitably does from time to time, it’s a lot easier to fix when you have the right pieces in place already.

Just like the well built house.  Minimal damage, problem fixed in just a few hours.

Having the right relationship is key when you’re dealing with something as important as your primary channel to the world.

Here’s one guy who is really doing it right.

Until next time,

-Wally

P.S. – I’ve been working on a really exciting program the last few weeks that I’m going to tell you about soon.  If you’ve ever wanted to build your own website from scratch, you’re going to love it.

P.P.S. – Here are a bunch of folks who are doing it right.

Before you send me a nastygram today, hear me out:

I’m not going to talk about breaking the law.

I’m not going to go on about how drugs are bad or good or whatever.

I’m not going to tell you to pack heat and wear your hat sideways.

However, I am going to ask you to set aside judgment for a second and be open to thinking about business in a way you might never have considered before.

Think about this for a second.

Drug Dealers are really smart business people.  Seriously, think about all the challenges that today’s drug dealer goes through to put their product out on the street and into the hands of their customers.  Here are three, to name a few:

They’re selling something that their customers want, but don’t need.

They’re selling something that is expensive – it is price prohibitive – to a group that might not be able to afford it.

They’re selling in a very competitive market most of the time.

So how does a street smart person get past these problems.

First of all, they’re selling a product that is addictive.  So often times they give away a free sample, or something of value for free.  This gets people hooked, and they now want something that before they didn’t even know they needed, but now they need it all the time

Next, they’re selling something that is expensive.  But they’ve given their customers a taste and a good percentage chooses to keep coming back for more, because they are getting some type of value out of the exchange.

Third, they find themselves in a very competitive market.  You end up with territories and circles of influence, and people talking and referring their friends to “their guy”.  (We’ll ignore the crime part here for sake of argument, ok?)

Still with me?

Now replace the words “Drug Dealer” with “Direct Marketer” or “Small Business Owner”.

We’re in the same boat here.

It’s crowded and competitive on the Internet today.  So you’ve got to do whatever you can to get people in the door, get them a free sample of what you’re delivering – and get them hooked.

There are a lot of different ways to get people in the door.  And there are a lot of ways to keep people coming back to you for more.

But…

The first step to do this is to make sure you’re being found.  Without this, you’ve got nothing.

If you haven’t downloaded 18 Proven Ways to Increase Traffic To YOUR Website, be sure to get a copy now.

And then if you need a helping hand in getting a serious bounce in your traffic and results, be sure to have a look at this.

Reach for the top,

-Wally

PS – In a crowded world, you can stand above the fray.  But only if you take decisive action to make it to the top:

http://www.wallythewebguy.com/traffic/

In the late 90s, when I was a college student living with four other guys, there was always a television on playing MTV.  And one of the lines that MTV always had was “keep it real”.

Back then and even now, I still think it’s funny because I imagine a boardroom of middle aged television executives sitting around a board room figuring out how to “keep it real”.

The good news is that for you and I, keeping it real is no problem.  And the internet just makes it easier.

We’re able to communicate in a one on one manner and have a real person to person connection that was unavailable just a few short years ago.

The last couple years, as video is growing easier to use on the web, it is now easier than ever to keep it real.  You can be yourself and toss up a video of you, your dog, whatever you want really – and it all can work for you.

The whole idea is to meet people half way, and insert yourself into the conversation that they’re already having in their head.

Just last week, I tossed up a video to answer a question that I get all the time…you can view it here:

It doesn’t look like it was produced by Disney, and that’s the point.  This is a real answer to a real question that I get almost every day.

I’ll bet your customers ask you questions all the time.  And I’ll bet you know how to answer them.

You can do the same thing with your own videos with just a little time and effort.  Let me know how I can help.

Here’s to being yourself,
-Wally

P.S. – 10 million videos were watched on YouTube.com last month.  9 million searches were done on Google.  That’s for real.

A few days ago I told you a little story about how nobody is using the phone book any more.  I must have struck a nerve because I ended up getting a letter from a guy at the Yellow Book, telling me to check my facts.

The fact is this: When I asked around, 9 out of 10 business people I’ve spoken to have picked up their Yellow Book exactly once.  And that was to drop it in the recycle bin.

If you don’t believe me, ask yourself when was the last time you used your phone book?

Here’s another fact:  As of right now, about 43% of all Google searches are local.  Approximately 30% of all searches are now taking place on mobile devices.  The eyeballs are mobile, and they’re hungry – and there usually isn’t a phone book around to answer their question when they want it:  Now.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that the phone book doesn’t have its place – its just that every day less and less people are finding what they need there, because they’re simply not thinking to use it.  And the phone book is nowhere to be found WHEN they want to use it.

A lot of local businesses don’t know this yet, and as a result, they’re missing out on tons of organic search traffic that could be coming through the door.  This means they’re getting less new customers, and more money is going into the pockets of your local competition.

It’s not your fault though.  Most people simply don’t know that you can setup your website to attract a bunch of specialized, local traffic.  It’s a really new trend, and that’s why I’m telling you about it.

The trend is your friend – if you’re on the right end.

The good news is that now that you know, knowledge is power.  There’s no reason to miss out on more traffic coming directly to your business.

Click here:

http://www.wallythewebguy.com/traffic/

Reach for the top,

-Wally

P.S. – The first 3 people who sign up to increase their local search traffic are going to get special pricing…and a ton of free resources to make sure that they beat their competition to the punch.

http://wallythewebguy.com/traffic

Let me tell you one of my favorite stories.  It happened
over a year ago, but it still makes me smile every time
I think about it.

I was standing in a room of about 20 people, and I asked
for a show of hands.

“Who here has used the phone book in the last week?”

People looked around at each other, shrugged their
shoulders, and in a dark corner…one lady meekly rose
her hand, embarrassed to admit that she used the phone
book.

Then I asked, “Who has used Google in the past week?”

Hands shot up all around the room.  Smiles.  Laughter.

One guy shouts out, “I used Google a couple times
before 7 am today!”

Pretty funny.  And pretty telling.

Let me tell you a secret.  Most local businesses are
s till spending money on phone book ads.  We’re
talking the old school yellow book ads that nobody is
looking at.

Meanwhile, a very few smart businesses are hitting
Google hard – and they’re reaping the rewards.  These
select few businesses are getting all of the eyeballs
and all of the fah-ree traffic – for now.

But if history is any guide…these types of
opportunities don’t last very long.  Either you get on
board or your competition gets on board first…that’s
how it works.

The easiest and fastest way to get ranked is to
click here:
http://www.wallythewebguy.com/traffic/

I’ll show you how to get ranked above your local
competition while ignoring the phone book, and
getting all sorts of fah-ree google traffic.

Sound good?

Here’s that link again:
http://www.wallythewebguy.com/traffic/

Reach for the top,
-Wally

P.S. – Lot’s of exciting stuff happening
here that I am looking forward to telling
you more about in the near future.  Stay
tuned and keep in touch.

This time of year I really start thinking about traffic.

It’s ski season, which means that I spend a lot of time sitting in a car between my house and the ski slopes.

Some days, you just cruise along and the road conditions are dry and everybody is cruising along with no problems.

Other days the spring snow begins dumping on the road and you get caught in bumper to bumper, sliding everywhere and hoping that the guy with bald tires doesn’t drive too fast and crash into somebody.

In Colorado, they’re talking about taking a special barrier that would sit in the middle of the highway, and move to the left or right – creating a lane for the part of the highway that was busiest.  So in the mornings, it would move to create a westbound lane.  In the afternoon, the barrier would move and create an eastbound lane.

Traffic is really important, because it’s how we get from one place to another.

And it works exactly the same on the web.

People are trying to get from one place to another all the time, 24/7, on the web.  They’re searching, they’re talking with their friends on Facebook, they’re emailing, and they are listening to podcasts.

And a million other things.

One thing is for certain: If you’re not inserting yourself into the traffic flow, you’re missing out BIG TIME.

I don’t want you to miss out on the traffic you deserve.

For a long time, customers have been asking me to create a single resource that they can refer to, to make sense of all the places on the internet where you can get traffic.  It’s finally here.

Download Here: 18 Proven Ways To Get More Website Traffic

You asked, I delivered.  I’ve created this special resource that you can print out, and refer to as you work to create content and increase your website

traffic.  Or just as an idea generator.

Or even as a start to a strategic plan to double your sales this year.

And I’m giving it to you for no cost at all.

Traffic equals leads, and leads equals sales.

And that goes for an internet only business, or a local mom and pop shop.

I’ll be covering more on this in the near future.

Reach for the top (of Google),
-Wally

P.S. – Be sure to take a minute and download this awesome resource.  I spent a couple months tracking all this down for you, and you’re really going to like it: 18 Proven Ways To Get More Website Traffic

Did you watch the Super Bowl?

I did, but not only for the football.

More money is spent on advertising on the day of the Super Bowl than any other day.

So as a direct response marketer, I always find it interesting to see what people are throwing tons of dollars at – and whether they’re doing a good job with their ads.

One ad really surprised me.  Did you see this one?

Google was advertising their search engine!

This really blew me away.

They had a video where they searched all sorts of search terms…telling the story of a person who travels abroad, falls in love with a French girl, creates a long distance relationship, and eventually marries her and has a baby!  It’s crazy.

Here it is:

But the really crazy thing was how they told the story through nothing but Google searches.

That’s when it hit me for the 17 millionth time.

Google is the fulcrum point of our internet experience.  This may or may not be true a few years from now, but right now Google IS the starting place on the Internet, for almost everyone.

Which brings up a good point.

People search.  It’s how they find things.
70% of searches now include a city, and 30% of those searches are taking place on a mobile device.

What does this mean?

This means that if you’re spending money on a phone book, you’re wasting your money.

It means that if you’re not showing up in local searches, you’re losing sales.

And it means that if you’re not keeping up with your ranking on Google, you’re falling behind.

So make sure that you’re taking steps to put yourself in the traffic flow, so that you can keep business coming in the door and keep cashing those checks.

Search it up!
-Wally

P.S. – Lately there’s been a lot of interest in the Search Engine Quick Start Package, which gets you to the top of Google in record time.  If you aren’t happy with where you’re ranked, take a look at it here.

2010 is finally here, and I hope you’ve had a chance to take a few days off and hang out with your family and friends.

Over the past couple weeks I personally went into hibernation, and tried to stay away from technology as much as possible. It’s tougher than I thought to get away.

Facebook. Twitter. Blogging. Podcasts. Skype.
Cable television!

There’s a ton of chatter out there and it seems like especially around the holidays, that everyone is trying to get your attention.

And now that we’ve gotten over the hump of the holidays, there is a lot of optimism in the air, and a lot of predictions for the next decade.

One of my clients told me that “2010 is going to be a great year for those who work hard”.

And another one told me that in sacred numerology, 2009 was a really hard year but 2010 has a lot more going for it.

Take it for what you will, but I have a good feeling about 2010 and the start of a new decade.

There’s also a lot of information floating around about using social media to make a ton of money. I’ve been in the social media game for a couple years, but really hit it hard in 2009.

I started Twittering (sorry, tweeting), Facebooking, Linked-inning, and all the good stuff. Maybe you have too.

And like any experiment, I gave it some time and started to take note of what was working and what was not working.
There were some bumps along the way.
There were some surprises.

But if there is one major lesson that I learned, it was
this:

What you put into it, you get out of it. That’s the simple truth.

Funny, I should have known that already.

Honestly, I don’t spend a lot of time on Twitter. It’s kinda a time suck. Same with Facebook. But both of these resources contributed to strengthening current relationships, reopening old relationships, and even getting a couple of sales.

But they’re just tools. Just like a hammer.

You can use a hammer to build a fence, or you can use it to smash a window.

Or you can let it rust in the garage.

Same goes for your online reputation.

Whenever a new system is created for getting more website traffic, building your e-business, or simply increasing your conversion rate – you always hear how it is the game changer of the century.

Stuff like “This is finally the missing step to you being an internet millionaire. This is finally the missing piece to your exit strategy from your current job.”

And on and on.

But what heppens in the real world is that we get busy, and we don’t use the tools at our disposal.

Then you end up not getting the results you want.

Trust me, I’ve made this mistake. I’ve purchased books and courses (and systems) that have sat on the shelf, collecting dust.

But I’ve also found that when I crack the books open and really start to apply myself, the results come faster and faster.

So there’s a choice for the new year. Sit on the shelf, collecting dust. Or take action.

Which will it be for you?

Let’s resolve to take action and kick butt in 2010.

Until next time,
-Wally

P.S. – Speaking of Action, click here to take advantage and
get your own customized roadmap for monetizing your website in 2010.