lorax
msg:636510 | 9:19 pm on Nov 11, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Hello brina,
Welcome to WebmasterWorld and thanks for asking. You should probably post your offer in the Commercial Exchange Forum.
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rogerd
msg:636511 | 9:24 pm on Nov 11, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Welcome to WebmasterWorld, brina. I'm not sure from your post whether you are looking for evaluation of the idea or actually soliciting forum spammers. (If it's the latter: while I'm sure you could find some great ones here, this forum probably isn't the right place... ;)) Overall, I think the idea has quite a bit of risk. The line between helpful suggestions and spammy URL dropping can be surprisingly fine. I see problems with alienating some forum operators, and also difficulties in tracking commissions. Then again, maybe I don't understand the idea perfectly...
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brina
msg:636512 | 9:37 pm on Nov 11, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Hi this isn't an offer at all. This is an idea I was thinking about using on my web site. Tracking would be easy since we would just ask them to email us a link to the forum. I am not interested in spamming or spammers or eating spam or anything spam related. I would only do this if its an ok thing to do. I realize its a very fine line ... I actually do offer unique and cool stuff that brides would want to see. Any one else have an opinion?
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brina
msg:636513 | 9:39 pm on Nov 11, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Here is the promo text I would use:
****
Do you like the gift ideas you see at our store? If so, tell another bride and earn credit towards your purchase with [my web site]. Here's how it works: Visit any online wedding related online forum and reply to a bride who might be interested in our products. For instance, maybe someone is looking for a ring bearer pillow? Or themed bridal accessories? Maybe you could reply to a post on creative guestbook ideas? Or if someone is looking for groom gift ideas, tell them about our custom watercolors. For every endorsement you post, you will receive another 5% off your order up to 30%! Send a link to your post to info@weddingshowergifts.com. If your post is valid, we will ask you to create an account with us. Next, we will assign a 10% discount to your account. When you place your order with us, a 10% discount will be applied to your order total. Wedding related forums are a great way to research local vendors online wedding stores as well as pick up tips and advice from other brides. Here is a list of forums:
[list of wedding forums] Rules and Conditions: Remember, only posts that are relavent to the topic being discussed will be eligible for this offer. Similarly, we are not interested in any insincere promotion of our web site. Please limit your posts to one per forum. Only posts that state the web address will be valid. If you have questions regarding the relevancy of your post, please contact us.
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lorax
msg:636514 | 9:45 pm on Nov 11, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Holy Crossed Eyes Batman! Boy did I misread you post.. my apologies. Now that I've re-read it and you've explained I get the picture. Is it ethical? It could easily be considered spam - that's a gut instinct. It really depends upon the context of the post and how the poster presents your website.
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rogerd
msg:636515 | 10:10 pm on Nov 11, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Brina, those of us who spend a lot of time here at WebmasterWorld become conditioned to seeing URL posts as potential spam. Other fora are a lot looser (and get spammed a lot more). If you reseach past discussion here, you'll see comments on the difficulty of distinguishing a spam post from a "legit" post. Some forums couldn't care less, others may flame you or your posters. The more successful your effort is, the more the "paid" nature of the posts becomes apparent. In short, if the forums tolerate commercial posts, some kind of incentive may be fine. If the forums don't like commercial posts, I doubt if your customers will be sufficiently stealthy to prevent your campaign from looking like spam.
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brina
msg:636516 | 10:25 pm on Nov 11, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Yeah, I guess you are right. With my luck, someone would post "I was given 10% off my order to say...." Oh well, it was a nice thought.
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petertdavis
msg:636517 | 4:23 pm on Nov 12, 2002 (gmt 0) |
I'd say that it would definately be spam. It would be okay, though, in a lot of forums. Actually, some might consider it better to preface the statement with "I was given 10% off my order to say...." as you suggest. It's a double edged sword, to be sure, but take Paypal for example. They were giving $10, then $5 referal bonuses, and hoards of people spammed for Paypal throughout the net. A lot of people condemned them for spamming, but look at the level of success it brought Paypal. But, look at the number of imitators it brought too, and none of them reached (yet) the level of success that Paypal attained. Peter
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brina
msg:636518 | 4:44 pm on Nov 12, 2002 (gmt 0) |
It seems like most of the major wedding-related forums are VERY against commercial promotion. This is mainly because they all sell stuff is some shape or form. My frustration is when I see people on these forums asking where they can find my products specifically and no one knows! AHHHH! I'm over here! I'll give it some thought - maybe there is a way...
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ann
msg:636519 | 4:44 pm on Nov 12, 2002 (gmt 0) |
It smacks too much of spam for my taste. Why not just start an affiliate program to get others to sell from their websites...then working on seo to get high up in the serps, if you are not already there :). I used to have a forum on my website but it took up too much of my spare time so I scraped it. The thing that made me the maddest was spam posts, IE: free advertising! I also hate it when my guestbooks gets this kind of spam...the poster receives a hot email and if they repeat then their isp is notified. Just my thoughts on the matter...spam no, affiliate program, yes! Ann
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brina
msg:636520 | 4:50 pm on Nov 12, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Well, I don't know that it is spam. First of all, they only receive the 10% off after they have already shopped with us and if they want to buy one of our unique gift items, they must like it so it isn't a false promotion. If I asked people to tell their friends on the street about us, there wouldn't be anything wrong with it.
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ann
msg:636521 | 5:07 pm on Nov 12, 2002 (gmt 0) |
The spam is when it is written into someone elses website forum or guestbook....sheeesh!
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brina
msg:636522 | 5:21 pm on Nov 12, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Yeah, you're right... Man, this promotion stuff is tough! :)
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jackofalltrades
msg:636523 | 5:29 pm on Nov 12, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Brina, why dont you set up your own forum and you can post your ads till your hearts content! :) If you offer a good advice service for brides thru your forum, then i dont see any problem with pluggin your own products. Theres plenty of free forum software kicking about. JOAT
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brina
msg:636524 | 5:32 pm on Nov 12, 2002 (gmt 0) |
'Cause my traffic is miserable :(
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jackofalltrades
msg:636525 | 5:39 pm on Nov 12, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Thats what WW is here for! My sites traffic was pathetic pre-WW. Optimise your site! :) JOAT
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brina
msg:636526 | 5:48 pm on Nov 12, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Wanna help me, JOAT? ;) I'm trying, trust me. Very competitive business I'm in...
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jackofalltrades
msg:636527 | 5:52 pm on Nov 12, 2002 (gmt 0) |
Aw, its not that hard... ;) Sticky me your URL and ill take a peek, but i warn you, ive only been in this game for a short time! JOAT
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Crazy_Fool
msg:636528 | 2:00 pm on Nov 13, 2002 (gmt 0) |
>>My frustration is when I see people on these forums
>>asking where they can find my products specifically and
>>no one knows! show them how to do a search on google. use a relevant search term that lists your site top. sneaky, but it works. join the best of those forums and have yur contact details / web address in your profile. participate regularly, giving good advice etc. don't be afraid to promote other companies. by giving good advice about everything, you can earn a reputation as someone who knows what they are talking about. people may then view your profile and visit your site and maybe even purchase from you. i've done both of these a couple of times elsewhere and i advise my clients to do the same and it works fine for them as well. i don't do it here tho. and as jack says, optmise. spend a bit of time around here reading back through old threads and you'll pick up a lot of info very quickly.
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