Sales Question

[madleinx]

You might try sending to the trial then - would probably improve your ratio, but of course the payout on that is less. But you'd get rebills (hopefully!) to make up for it.

I don't think there's a concrete answer to the sponsor content question. (I almost always use it though) There are pros and cons to both sides of the argument. A mix of sponsor and purchased content is probably best, which one depending on the site you're promoting. All IMHO, of course

[Linkster]

Besides the already mentioned reasons for not using sponsor content - the content on "most" reality based sites and a heck of a lot of others nowadays is not real pictures, they are video caps - and most of the LLs will not accept free sites built with vid caps (they are usually really poor quality)
I've also noticed lately that even the sponsors that do provide real pictures are way overcompressing the full size pictures while making top-notch thumbs to go with them - again a major reason why free sites get declined.
Most larger LLs get many submits a day - sometimes hundreds (some even thousands) and in those submits you can see a group of 10 free sites built using the same exact content (whatever the fad is today). Again - a reason to turn them down.

Most LLs won't accept sponsor content if they already have the same content listed - kinda sucks for a surfer to wade through the same pic set over and over.
There are also some LLs that wont list sponsor content for some other reasons - like they build their own free sites to list on their own LLs using the same sponsors content (why would the want competition?) and last - some sposnors are not welcome at some LLs due to problems we have had in the past with certain sponsors like cheating, skimming, copyright infringement and the list goes on.

As you can see there are numerous reasons that a sponsors content would not be listed - and then of course there is the group of LL owners that think (and I happen to be partial to this side of things) that if you cant shell out $6 for a set of content you aren't really serious about the business - for someone just starting out, a daily expenditure of $6 towards making your business grow is nothing compared to what it costs to start a real business
Of course if this is just a hobby - then we dont want the submits anyway - 95% of them have to be removed in the first 6 months after listing, another 4% 1 year after listing and the 1% that stay listed are the ones that spent the $6 for the set of pics and are serious about making this their livlihood - sorry to be so blank about it but we just went through (and have already spent a few hundred hours over the last three weeks) removing over 9,000 links to hobbyists and the people that submitted sponsor content.

Last - most LL owners list in their rules whether ro not they accept sponnor content - should be pretty easy to figure out which LLs might list the stuff

[sue-fl]

Wow some great advice! I'm dead serious at doing this, though it not to pay bills on. I would love to make money at this what I make is more or less spending money. So I guess I'll keep buying content and building and submitting.

Can someone answer this for me though? With buying content, paying for hosting is it normal to spend more than you make for a while?? My first year anniversary of doing this is next month. I have made some money but not broke even yet. Is this normal for any one else? I just wondering if I'm wrong in thinking if I keep getting better at building free sites. And getting my (fake tgp, hub) filled up, and getting some traffic built up to my link site it will all come together?

Am I'm thinking right or should I be thinking that maybe I should hang it up? Would really like to hear some thoughts from all you on this....Thanks!

[Surfn]

sue-fl

That's probably about normal for a person with one year these days. I wouldn't hang it up. If I were just starting out I would find someone to mentor me on the skills I lacked. Sales techniques, traffic sources, etc.

You need to have a plan or goal. Make it attainable both short term and long term and stick to it. These days it all work work work.

They gravy days are over, I got fat in the 90's but they are long gone.

[ponygirl]

Sue...

I have been doing this for almost a year now too -although for a few months I was also working so I didn't spend the time like I have in the past 3 months or so...

I have noticed that my traffic is increasing, and a lot of my sales are coming from sites that were built months ago. I am finding my comfort level with sponsors, deciding which ones I like to promote and which ones work for me. I am also getting better (I hope ) at marketing and targetting my ads, so that makes a difference.

Long story short, I am making enough to cover my expenses - hosting & content. I buy all my own content, cheap stuff right now hehe, but mine - I can use it wherever I want, do whatever I want with it, and am not bound by some sponsors TOS or worrying if it gets pulled, etc.

I know the time & patience involved in starting up a business, and honestly I see more potential in this than the "real" business I started 2 yrs ago. I expect to start actually seeing a good profit by the end of the year.

Since this is more fun too, I'm sticking with it

See my sig - it's what I live by

Ponygirl

BTW - this is a great thread, lots of encouragement & support out there, it's great! |blowkiss|