Affiliate since: 04/08/2013, Power Rank: 99999999

When you apply the hit tracking right, not only will your promotions be more effective, but you'll also be wasting less time on what does not produce any results.

Everybody says you'll be able to see the number of hits to your individual promotion sites/Gateways. This knowledge, however, means nothing if you can't see whether those hits produce any results. Here's where the key codes come into play: When you assign a 4 digit key-code to your advertising Gateway, you'll be able to track both hits to the Gateway AND the results those hits produced, since you'll see the same code next to the name of your newly recruited PSA in your Genealogy in KC column.

What you need to know is how many hits go to each Gateway (URL) from a given advertising source and how many of them convert into PSAs. So for example, imagine you have advertising source A (say a safelist) and advertising source B (e.g. classifieds) where you advertise the same Gateway but you code the one on safelist with 5000 and the other with 7000, respectively. When you go to Power Tools > Hit Tracking you'll see, for example, that there have been, say, 19,345 hits to the Gateway with key code 5000 (quite a number!), but when--in another browser tab--you go to your Genealogy, you see that there is no PSA with key code 5000. That means this advertising source is ineffective and you should not waste your time there. Let's also assume, on the other hand, that you also see 5000 hits to the Gateway with key code 7000, and looking at your Genealogy, you see 100 PSAs. That equates to 100/5000 = 0,02 = 2%! Great conversion. You should stay with that advertising source.

You can also do the same for ONE advertising source but two Gateways. This way you can find out which of them is more effective and use it more often.

There are many benefits from tracking your advertising, and although it may seem hard at the beginning, it will definitely become one of your most powerful tools in the future.
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When you apply the hit tracking right, not only will your promotions be more effective, but you'll also be wasting less time on what does not produce any results.

Everybody says you'll be able to see the number of hits to your individual promotion sites/Gateways. This knowledge, however, means nothing if you can't see whether those hits produce any results. Here's where the key codes come into play: When you assign a 4 digit key-code to your advertising Gateway, you'll be able to track
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Affiliate since: 04/08/2013, Power Rank: 99999999

Dear Marlene, since many people have written about the technical side of tracking here, I'd like to share the "know-how" of tracking here.

You use tracking basically for three purposes:
1. to see how (and if) your advertising sources provide hits to your Gateways,
2. to find out how effective your campaigns are, and
3. to optimize your advertising cost (also in terms of time and effort).

You also use tracking to compare performance of your advertising campaigns. In my opinion it is best to start with ONE Gateway spread over a few advertising sources to begin with.

So let's imagine that you use your main Gateway in 3 advertising sources (be it a traffic exchange, a safelist or some kind of paid advertising, does not matter).

For Advertising Source 11, you add 1 as your key-code to the URL leading to your main Gateway (many affiliates have described how to do it) and promote this URL on Advertising Source 1 (AS1), then you add 22 to your main gateway URL and promote it on Advertising Source 2 (AS2), and you and 33 to your main gateway URL and promote it on Advertising Source 3 (AS3).

With these columns:
Day, AS1, AS2, AS3 where "day" is the day of the month, AS1 - AS2 are the names of your advertising sources. Make AS1 - AS3 span two columns, and under each enter "Hits" and "PSA", e.g.

--------------------------------------------
DAY | AS1 | AS2 | AS 3 |
----------------------------------------
| Hits | PPSA| Hits | PSA | Hits | PSA |
---------------------------------------------

Every day, you go to your Power Tools > Hit Tracker and enter the numbers from there into the spreadsheet, so it is fine to make one for each month, and if you have PSAs on that day, you go to Genealogy and see the key code in the KC column for that PSA. You count the PSAs for each code and also enter them into the spreadsheet, e.g.

--------------------------------------------
DAY | AS1 | AS2 | AS 3 |
----------------------------------------
| Hits | PPSA| Hits | PSA | Hits | PSA |
---------------------------------------------
1 150 0 1300 0 459 1
2 342 0 3732 0 700 3
3 670 0 4324 1 1245 1
4 1098 0 7214 0 1790 1
5 1476 0 11543 1 2216 0
--------------------------------------------

This way you can clearly see, what is going on with your advertising. In this example: Advertising Source 1 is absolutely bad, not only low number of hits, but also no PSAs, Advertising Source 2 provides lots of hits, but only a trickle of PSAs, while Advertising Source 3 provides less hits than AS2, but those hits produce PSAs. So this should be the advertising source you should stay with. Later on, you can do the reverse, i.e. take one advertising source and TWO Gateways to see which one is more effective, and so on until you find both the best advertising source and the best converting (giving the largest number of PSAs per 1000 hits) Gateway. Still later on, you can add other columns, e.g. to show what percentage of newly recruited PSAs remain EA2 at least, especially if you use paid advertising sources.
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Dear Marlene, since many people have written about the technical side of tracking here, I'd like to share the "know-how" of tracking here.

You use tracking basically for three purposes:
1. to see how (and if) your advertising sources provide hits to your Gateways,
2. to find out how effective your campaigns are, and
3. to optimize your advertising cost (also in terms of time and effort).

You also use tracking to compare performance of your advertising
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Affiliate since: 04/08/2013, Power Rank: 99999999

Hi Michael,

Thank you for asking this question as it corresponds to what I do right now and I'd like to share my experience.

From day 1, so to say, I treat my CSAs as if they were my PSAs and I communicate with them on a regular basis. What I share with them is not always information regarding ins and outs of SFI, but I also suggest actions to be taken to make their life as SFI affiliates easier.

Using my "Genealogy" tab, filtering options and CSA Mailer, I send different messages to different groups of my CSAs, following one rule: the login date must not exceed two weeks from now (especially if their account shows 0 VP and the only Y is in their e-mail confirmation column).

For example:
I explain how to get many VPs in a short time to those who have just (or recently) joined.
I encourage those who log in regularly but are somewhat "left behind" with their VPs to take more action.
I encourage those who reached their EA rank to set up a standing order for 1500 VP and explain the benefits of doing so.
I share my own experience concerning VPs, recruitment and other actions I take in relation to SFI.

I know that CSAs can for a long time be the only affiliates we have in our downlines and that's why we should treat them as our own. Additionally, if you keep all the messages you send to them (for example those you receive in your inbox as confirmation of group mailing), you'll soon have a set of perfect e-mails to use once you have your own PSAs.

Having CSAs and treating them as your own affiliates is a perfect way to learn and develop your leadership skills, too.

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Hi Michael,

Thank you for asking this question as it corresponds to what I do right now and I'd like to share my experience.

From day 1, so to say, I treat my CSAs as if they were my PSAs and I communicate with them on a regular basis. What I share with them is not always information regarding ins and outs of SFI, but I also suggest actions to be taken to make their life as SFI affiliates easier.

Using my "Genealogy" tab, filtering options and CSA Mailer,
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Affiliate since: 04/08/2013, Power Rank: 99999999

This is an important question and my answer may be a bit surprising both to you and to the people who will read it.

All the qualities necessary to succeed with SFI, you already have. Really! It is just your perspective that needs to be shifted sometimes to use those qualities in full.

I would mention just these here and discuss them later: awareness of the goal, determination, faith, expectation.

Why do I say you (and everybody else in that matter) have those qualities already and in abundance?

Picture yourself doing the thing you can easily handle or something that you like, but it requires some effort. Let’s take changing a wheel for example. You can change a wheel, can’t you?

Awareness of the goal: old wheel removed, new wheel installed. Most probably before physically changing the wheel, you (maybe quite unconsciously) picture your car with the new wheel. That’s the awareness of the goal. Therefore, it is extremely important to ask yourself “What do you want to achieve by participation in SFI” and visualize that goal in the utmost detail. For example, the money you want to earn or an active downline of a few hundred people over several levels (which will also result in earnings)

Determination: I know that changing a wheel takes only a few minutes, but even if it took longer, would you just drop it half-way and consider the job done? No way! You work on it until you replace and tighten the last bolt, and only then you consider your job done. Here it is no different. If you start moving towards your goal, you must continue until you reach it. What is your goal? Just take a look at the list of your goals, and concentrate on the one which is now the most important to you and start moving towards it without stopping until you reach it.

Faith: Would you ever consider changing a wheel without knowing or just believing that you can do that? I doubt. And again, here it is no different. You must believe that you are able to achieve the goal you set for yourself. People usually say “I’ll believe it when I see it”. So DO SEE IT. Take some time every day to think about your goal and visualize (see in your mind’s eyes) yourself reaching that goal. How do you feel? Do it daily for a few minutes and it will make wonders.

Expectation: I should say “positive expectation”. Always dwell on positive results. Expect positive results. Whatever action you take – see the end result, the reward, and be ready to accept it. Many people do the “right things” and do “things right”, but they never seem to reach the results they wish for. Why? Because they do not look forward to the results, they do not expect their reward in fact, they just see the things to be done, they see their goal, but what they expect on their way are usually obstacles. Wrong turn! Always expect the best from every action you take, especially if this action is bringing you closer to achieving your goals.

You are the master of your own creation, you shape yourself and the world around you, and you have all the tools necessary to do that.
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This is an important question and my answer may be a bit surprising both to you and to the people who will read it.

All the qualities necessary to succeed with SFI, you already have. Really! It is just your perspective that needs to be shifted sometimes to use those qualities in full.

I would mention just these here and discuss them later: awareness of the goal, determination, faith, expectation.

Why do I say you (and everybody else in that matter) have those qualities
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Affiliate since: 04/08/2013, Power Rank: 99999999

That's a very good idea, Jelena.

Having some experience with autoresponders, I'd suggest segmenting the list into those who join and those who don't join SFI and structure both series accordingly, but let's concentrate on the "joined" series.

Your first letter in the series should be your welcome letter you write here on site, with some basic information on how to collect VPs. The next one (the first in the autoresponder series) should concern the first actions to be taken (confirm your e-mail, white-list SFI, fill in your profile, etc.) be each affiliate to fully participate in SFI.

Then, I'd suggest a mini series of training letters revolving around the 3 simple steps (https://www.sfimg.com/SFIBasics3Steps), explaining the idea under each step: 1. Become..., 2. Recruit... 3. Teach... Providing good info on how to get the first 1500 VPs, describing - only generally - possible methods of recruiting, and finally mentioning duplication while discussing Step 3, where you can provide your own methods for retaining your EA status and recruiting and recommend your affiliates follow your way (set up a SO, join the same recruiting programs/syustems you use).

Remember this correspondence goes outside SFI, so you are free to promote your programs to your Affiliates if you only think they'll help them to succeed here.

One letter on the importance of doing their TO-DO LIST daily, but not as a chore, but as another ticket for the Daily Grand drawing (important). You switch their perspective from a boring task into a chance of winning a prize.

The next part of the series should be devoted to more advanced stuff, as I call it, like for example discussion of the SCOREBOARD tab, to show how important it is for your Affiliates to build their downlines, how they profit from deep downlines, how they earn commissions and VPs on EAs and TLs they sponsor, and so on.

The final training letter should be on importance of networking, i.e. building their A2A friends circle, where you tell your affiliates to become friends with their country leaders first and other affiliates from their country.

That's the core in my opinion. It should contain around 8 letters, so spaced at 2-3 days it should be 2-3 weeks of training.

Remember also about occasional broadcasts that you can schedule for a specific day of the week, where you'll share your past week experience, organize shared advertising campaigns, and give recognition to your most active affiliates for example.

I wish you all the best with your endeavor!
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That's a very good idea, Jelena.

Having some experience with autoresponders, I'd suggest segmenting the list into those who join and those who don't join SFI and structure both series accordingly, but let's concentrate on the "joined" series.

Your first letter in the series should be your welcome letter you write here on site, with some basic information on how to collect VPs. The next one (the first in the autoresponder series) should concern the first actions to
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Affiliate since: 04/08/2013, Power Rank: 99999999

Hi Mark,

To answer your question, I'd say "don't overdo it", meaning just concentrate on the most important things there are. If people want to know more, they usually want to know the answer to "what's in it for me?" question and it's difficult to have one univeral answer for all of them.

What I'd put in such a letter would be:

1. What is SFI - most probably they already know that from you
2. Why join?
- earning opportunity as an affilate
- becoming an ECA opportunity if you have a business of your own (additional distribution channel)
3. Ways to earn money
- as an affiliate
- as an ECA
4. Networking - meeting like minded individuals from all over the world and your country, connecting with them
5. Last but not least - an additional stream of long term passive income in the future.

Now, just develop those five points as you find fit, and voila - your letter is ready.

All the best to you!
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Hi Mark,

To answer your question, I'd say "don't overdo it", meaning just concentrate on the most important things there are. If people want to know more, they usually want to know the answer to "what's in it for me?" question and it's difficult to have one univeral answer for all of them.

What I'd put in such a letter would be:

1. What is SFI - most probably they already know that from you
2. Why join?
- earning opportunity as an affilate
-
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Affiliate since: 04/08/2013, Power Rank: 99999999

There are many different tools and resources outside SFI that you can use to promote your SFI business and many people here pointed out at some of them.

What I use consists of:

1. My blog (self-hosted Wordpress blog) devoted solely to my being a member of SFI, telling people about SFI, telling about what I do and how I do at SFI to achieve this or that result. However, I am quite new to SFI so some of my reflection may seem funny to other people, but that is also my point. Of course the blog is also a platform for my SFI banners. Still, it is a very personal way of sharing experience and also - leading by example. You can openly tell people what you tried, what worked for you and what did not, and so on.

2. Autoresponder. I treat autoresponder as one of the most important tools in my online business. Although I know that I can communicate with all members of my downline via PSA or CSA Mailer, I can't do it in sequence, so I have to send the same letters manually each time someone signs up and later on. Getting your PSAs at least on your own list enables you to send the same series of letters to each of them individually in the programmed sequence. Then you can use PSA Mailer as your broadcast channel.
I take the ideas for my letter series from Ask SC answers and my own experience.

3. Other co-ops and groups of interest gathered around SFI and their advertising or promotional materials. These groups were founded for the sole purpose of increasing the number of SFI signups and share those signups amont their members. They also provide (sometimes good) training and present other earning possibilities.

Now I'd like to mention a thing or two that I haven't started yet, but I'm going to use in the near future.

Web 2.0 assets, like squidoo for example. I am going to make a lense (or even a few) on SFI there. The great mix of various modules (text, image, video, etc.) that squidoo offers can be a great way to promote SFI, especially if you don't (or can't) have a website of your own. The same is true for a blog. Without my own website I'd start on blogger or a similar platform.

Another thing I am looking at is Slideshare. If you are creative, if you are successful at SFI at the same time (and I think you need one for the other), you can make a great training SFI presentation and post it at Slideshare.

So much from me. I hope you'll find a spark of inspiration here.
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There are many different tools and resources outside SFI that you can use to promote your SFI business and many people here pointed out at some of them.

What I use consists of:

1. My blog (self-hosted Wordpress blog) devoted solely to my being a member of SFI, telling people about SFI, telling about what I do and how I do at SFI to achieve this or that result. However, I am quite new to SFI so some of my reflection may seem funny to other people, but that is also my point. Of
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Affiliate since: 04/08/2013, Power Rank: 99999999

As I have written many times here, on the forum, and on my blog, SFI is like any other business and requires investment in time, money, and effort. Therefore, if you can't invest enough time, you must be ready to either work smarter, i.e. to do more in the same amount of time or to invest more money which is the easiest way to make up for the missing time.

I would suggest two investments here that will greatly reduce the time requirement:

1. Standing Order for an item ensuring your monthly EA qualification (1500 VPs), e.g. 125 TCredits, IAHBE Membership, or anything else that you might find useful and adding up to 1500 VP.

2. A share in any co-op sold on SFI, be it S-Coop or any other offer you'll find at TripleClicks.

Having those two you're getting rid of two basic worries: re-qualifying for EA and growing your downline which in fact is the most time consuming process.

Now you can concentrate on your leadership, i.e. prepare a series of training letters, prepare a personal welcome letter, run your Leadership Page, etc. These tasks should not take more than 1 hour a day tops. You will also have time to read the Forum and ASK SC Q&A.

This is exactly what I do, too. I have a SO for 1500 VPs and a share in a co-op that brings me anything between 15 to 30 affiliates each month. I'm not in the black yet, but steadily climbing to break even and profit eventually. I am quite satisfied with me results taking into account that I usually don't spend more at SFI than 30-45 minutes a day on average.
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As I have written many times here, on the forum, and on my blog, SFI is like any other business and requires investment in time, money, and effort. Therefore, if you can't invest enough time, you must be ready to either work smarter, i.e. to do more in the same amount of time or to invest more money which is the easiest way to make up for the missing time.

I would suggest two investments here that will greatly reduce the time requirement:

1. Standing Order for an item ensuring
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Affiliate since: 04/08/2013, Power Rank: 99999999

There is only one way to reach such results - massive advertising of all kind and I'll bet on warm advertising and paid advertising (which I am also using). Add time factor to that and you'll have the full picture.

People who join SFI are attracted by the word FREE most often, but you must be aware of the fact that FREE is just another four letter word (if you know what I mean). Nothing is free here, because you have to devote your time at least and this also has a monetary value. Besides, you can't do any business without investment, so if you rely on FREE sources only, simply forget it.

Do you want to build a massive downline? Here's the recipe: paid advertising + time.

My budget is low so what I pay for is something like 15 to 30 affiliates each month (averaging to 23/month) which means that after a year I am going to have 23*12 = 276 PSAs. If only 1% of them, i.e. 3 people follow my example, their going to have 3*276 = 828 their own PSAs after a year, growing my downline to 1104 people total plus what I get during that time, and so on. Do the maths and see how many people will there be in the 3rd, 4th and 5th year assuming that only 1% of new Affiliates follow the path.

Of course, you can assign a larger budget to speed up your downline building and those who have massive downlines spend massive amounts on advertising. Find people like Bing Obaldo or Stone Evans here and ask them how much they spend on advertising and where they advertise. If they care to answer, you may be really surprised.

Paid advertising + time = massive downline (the more money and time, the bigger).
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There is only one way to reach such results - massive advertising of all kind and I'll bet on warm advertising and paid advertising (which I am also using). Add time factor to that and you'll have the full picture.

People who join SFI are attracted by the word FREE most often, but you must be aware of the fact that FREE is just another four letter word (if you know what I mean). Nothing is free here, because you have to devote your time at least and this also has a monetary value. Besides,
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Affiliate since: 04/08/2013, Power Rank: 99999999

In my opinion there are no worse or better ways to contact your affiliates, but I'd rather use Group/Genealogy Mailer instead of writing to each of them separately unless you have a real movers and workers that you would contact in person. Generally, however, the group mailer is the best option here in my opinion.

How often? It depends on what you want to communicate. I, for example, have a series of 9 training letters so far and still writing new ones. I send the first letter (the welcome letter) almost simultaneously with my automated welcome message and I stress that it is a personal message from me. Then I sent the next three letters, explaining basics, within the first week of my Affiliates' joining SFI. The remaining 5 letters are sent once a week and so will be the new letters I am preparing now.

Unfortunately, SFI does not provide an autoresponder functionality and you can't schedule the transmission, so I wrote to all my affiliates that because of lack of the autoresponder feature they are going to get the same letters over and over again each month for which I am sorry. Nobody objected :)

Of course, I also reply ASAP to any questions or problems my Affiliates ask me about.

That's it. The rule of the thumb is not to bombard your Affiliates with a letter after letter since there is no need to do so. Once a week is just enough.

I would also advise to copy your letters onto your blog on your leadership page and put a short not in each of the letter you send: "If you missed the previous training letters, please have a look at my blog on my Leadership Page at (URL) where you'll find the whole series".
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In my opinion there are no worse or better ways to contact your affiliates, but I'd rather use Group/Genealogy Mailer instead of writing to each of them separately unless you have a real movers and workers that you would contact in person. Generally, however, the group mailer is the best option here in my opinion.

How often? It depends on what you want to communicate. I, for example, have a series of 9 training letters so far and still writing new ones. I send the first letter (the welcome
...more