SHAWN: Thu, March 26, 2020

I'd like to explain the structure of The Traffic Engine for two reasons:

First, if you're considering signing up for the course when it's available next week (April 1 – 7) it's important that you know what to expect.

Second, explaining my thinking process helps me become a better thinker (and exposes me to feedback that also helps me improve).

I consume enormous quantities of information, including more digital courses than I care to admit. Over the years I've realized that I have a very particular way that I learn best, and that is reflected in the way I teach as well.

I like to orient myself to the 30,000′ view of a topic so I can see the whole picture, see how things fit together (or notice if they don't), and confirm that the structure and flow of topics makes sense.

When that perspective isn't available I often go through the course material and then create the 30,000′ view. (That's not very efficient and it's no fun when the parts don't fit or the creators' logic doesn't hold up to scrutiny.)

One of my favorite phrases is “how you do anything is how you do everything,” and it occurred to me that I have created The Traffic Engine as a reflection of how I learn best.

To inform your decision-making, here's what you should expect…

Broadly speaking, The Traffic Engine is divided into three sections:

1. current reality,
2. principles,
3. and platform-specific strategies for Google and Facebook.

Current reality is a collection of important truths about digital marketing and paid traffic. For example, paid traffic costs are rising, platforms are increasingly demanding, businesses are systems and subject to the insights of systems theory, etc.

Principles are powerful, actionable insights that follow logically from thinking deeply about the second and third-order (and beyond) consequences of current reality.

For example, knowing that paid traffic costs are rising and platforms reward advertisers who provide real value, leads to the principle that it's better to focus on prospect quality rather than high-volume, ‘pray and spray' tactics.

Principles, at their core, are the exceptionally high-value ideas that frame our thinking so our actions are most effective. They're pressure-tested against, and follow logically from, a clear understanding of reality.

I'm anticipating that understanding current reality and the principles that follow will be approximately 40% of the content of The Traffic Engine which we'll cover first.

It's the foundation for everything that follows and, if I may say so with humility, I think this section alone will transform how you think about digital marketing far beyond paid traffic.

Once we understand a set of principles that inform our behavior, we'll turn to transforming those principles into strategies specific for Google search, Facebook prospecting, and Google Display Network + Facebook retargeting.

Those strategies will have two parts — costly mistakes to avoid (why and how), and high-value activities to pursue (why and how).

I'm expecting approximately 30% of the total content to focus on Google and 30% to focus on Facebook.

Again, the distribution will be (approximately) 40% current reality + principles, 60% implementation (half for Google, half for Facebook).

Content will be a mix of media.

Lots of written content, some screencasts (particularly for how to), video interviews sharing stories from people who have used this methodology successfully, and links to other resources I believe are important.

There will be live interaction with me as well (Zoom Q&A and hot seat calls at regular intervals).

This will be an intense, hands-on, action-packed adventure.

I will be using a real offer example for the training which participants will see me develop in real time for Google and Facebook in an ‘over my shoulder' format.

You'll see me assess results and make changes based on those results with an actual brand new offer in the real world (without any advantages you don't have like warm audiences, email lists, etc.).

My goal is skill transfer from me to you. I appreciate legendary coach John Wooden's dictum that “you haven't taught until they've learned.”

It's unrealistic to expect that I can externalize decades of experience, Matrix-style, with a direct digital download to your brains.

Instead, I have distilled what I've learned to its most important, actionable insights that you can internalize and use quickly and effectively.

I know many of you are anxious to implement as quickly as possible and I'm going to address that two ways…

First, some of the initial content will be available as soon as you sign up for the course so you can get started immediately.

This will help compress the time required to understand the first foundational 40% of the material (current reality and principles).

Second, you'll be able to begin implementing long before the course is complete (you don't have to, but that'll be an option).

I'm encouraging anyone who wants to follow along with me and my example offer to do that. (I think you'll find it helpful if I'm a week ahead of you to have a clear view of what to expect week to week.)

There will be additional options for freelancers, agency owners, and creative service professionals too.

Thanks to everyone who has been sending questions — I'll answer some of those in tomorrow's email.