is this spam?
 

I was wondering, and maybe someone here can tell me what they think.
let's say, hypothetically, I come across this really good TGP or LL. I check it out and see that they have lots of galleries and maybe even some banners for the type of content I have in my program. Now I know that their site and my sites would make a good match, and i am pretty sure they are unaware that I exist or that they are not signed up as an affiliate to my program.
Is it spam to just go ahead and send a friendly e mail inviting them to look at our program to see what we offer?
now what it is is 100 TGPs/LLs or 1000? Does that make a difference if i am taking the time to send each mail out individually. I am not talking about harvesting e mails and sending them all out at once with some bulk e mailer program, but actual individual e mails out to individual sites owners. I would really like to hear as many opinions on this as possible.
Thanks
Jim

5 years ago, I'd say that was a completely legit thing to do.

But these days, everyone pretty much just assumes it's spam (myself included) when they are sent an email like this :(

You need another option for the poll - "No, It's not spam, but it would be considered spam by the webmaster on the other end"

I'd say no, if you send mail out individually, it's not spam.
But that's just my 2 cents.
If I was to send a mail asking another webmaster with a TGP if he wanted to trade traffic, that's hardly spam either. Who knows if the webmaster never heard of you he might be glad you mailed him.

Thanks for the reply GG, I tried to edit the poll to add your suggestion in, but couoldnt find a way to do that. I can edit my post but not the poll. is there a way or can a mod do it?
just wondering. i want to give as many options for this as possible.

Jim

If it's a form letter then it's spam. If you use any tricks like trying to act like we're old pals or bull shitting me in any way, including telling me I'll make $12,000,000 just like you, then it's spam.

Sending a single hand written email to an address that's available is fine.

I just got an an email to 4 different email adresses which I never used anywhere (like: admin@domain.com) from a program I've never heard before so yes, I consider that spam. But I have to admit that I checked the program out :)

Poll updated :)

The problem is that I've seen so many "I just visited your site...." type emails that are 99% spam that bothering to find the 1% that's not spam is not really worth it.

Thanks GG for updating the poll. And i kind of thought the same thing. If someone cold contacts me i figure they are also sending the same e mail to 1000 other sites. I'd be a little more specific if i chose to do this... you know actually visiting the site, seeing if it would work well for any in our programs. I have posted this poll on a couple of other boards and will see what the general consensus is.

Ya know the hardest part, because i have sent out 2 or 3 e mails like this in the past, is coming up with a good subject line that isnt immediately deleted.
I dont know
"Make instant money by selling your organs" got my attention LOL

Jim

Here's a perfect example of what NOT to do. This came to my domain support address so I know it's SPAM but the email would put them on the shit list any way.


Hello Webmaster,

We just want to inform you about our new affiliate program.
You get 75% revshare and the billing partner is ccbill.
So you get directly paid by them each week.

We have lots of niche sites, from amateur to pissing.
If you like please visit:

.......


If you have any questions contact us on icq 234202629
Thank you

|club| I got the same one not 2 minutes ago heh heh

I agree with the timeline theory - a while back it would have been great if the email actually looked like you went to the site and knew a little about it :)

That said - nowadays, the problem you will run into is that so many tgps are owned by the same group or person, that the overlap of emails would make it look like spam

One suggestion would be to actually hit up the tgp owner on the boards they frequent and ask ahead of time as a friendly gesture - most of them wont bite :) (added - I guess that has two meanings - I meant in the physical way LOL - not "accepting" the email way)

I really don't think it would be spam at all. It's what most people would call marketing. If GGandJ only had sponsors that clicked on that link that says "Interested in Advertising on GreenguyandJim? Click Here", we would have about a quarter as many sponsors as we do. Just make the email personal to the person you are sending to and you should do fine.

And, I know when I was with Flashcash, the Rhinos were very happy that I approached Worldsex and got them to advertise their programs :)

This is where my life-long dream of being an affiliate rep comes in to play. |loony| If I were you, I would make an effort to find the site owner on a board first. If you can find them, PM with the specifics. This way you are addressing them with their board name, not "Hey Webmaster". Either way you do it, via board or email, make it as personal and detailed as possible. We've all received those letters from programs stating that they just visited my site and that my site and their program would mesh well. Tell them what it is about their site that makes you feel it would do a good job selling your sites. You know, something more than "Hey, I noticed you like naked chicks". |boobies|

Worldsex... yeah, one of my many holy grails Jim, how'd ya pull that off LOL


Jim

Yeah... ummm... Hi Useless, can I call you Useless? yeah well, I noticed you like nekkid chicks. So do I. Wanna join my program?
LOL

Jim
that was a great line and now i am sooooo tempted to use it hahaha

Get back to work for me SpaZ!!!

Those are never ending here too |badidea|

Marketing secrets my friend :) No really, I have talked to Pierre for years before then. Contacting webmasters that don't use your program is the only way you will survive.

Marketing is a little art and a little science. It just comes with practice, practice, practice. Certain things you don't do are to PM any boards members...that is spam. But, if you find a site that you want to try your program, write the owner or whoever is running the site and give them your best sales pitch. It has worked for me for the past 8 years.

Even with my first free site, I wrote to every pay site out there asking about advertising for them. I finally hit one that said yes. About a month or 2 later, Cybererotica came out with a program. And this business all began.

Oh yeah, never was I accused of spamming anyone for asking them to take a look at the program.

Just before GGandJ began, I went through all the trade mags and wrote to the owners of the advertisers. We had our advertising full before we even opened. And, there are still GGandJ sponsors still here from that time.

Of course, I always liked the idea when I was in the sponsor marketing business to offer large free sites an advance of $10k for advertising. I could never get Greenie nor Tommy to take it but, there were a lot of large sites that did. And, Greenie and Tommy both signed up anyway to programs I promoted :) That is what friends are for.

my finger to da bone brutha
to da bone


Jim

Not according to the law. :D

Anyway, honestly, when I receive emails from sponsors that I'm not signed with, to me - that's spam - I delete them unread. I don't mind PMs because I know that someone took at least two seconds to do it, didn't just purchase my email amongst thousands.

yeah I am not sure about sending PMs, that kind of comes across as slimey, like the only reason I am on a board is to harvest new webmasters ya know? dont know if i would do that

Jim.... i am jealous/envious/admirering right now... Marketing is NOT my specialty. I am a problem solver kinda guy. I like coming up with tools for webmasters to use or getting their problems solved quickly. I am just now starting to learn about marketing.
Zig Ziglar I aint :D

Jim

Some people say that any unrequested email is considered spam, personally I feel sending 1 personalized email to market your product or service isn't spam.

I do remember you talking me into Ultra buying 2 banners spots on LOR aside from the normal links that I had up :)

In fact, I think the 1st time we met face-to-face you handed me a nice check for the next few months |thumb

If the subject and message itself was clear that it wasn't a mass produced/mailed message, I wouldn't consider it spam.

But, with what the spammers do with subject lines these days, it's getting harder and harder to differentiate between the good and the bad |dizzy|

Well - youre definitely on your way as the first step is getting your name out and networking - just like you are now on the board :) Its a great way to get "known" - you'd be amazed at who lurks in these places

Yep, that was at my house. You mentioned it and I ran in the office to write the check before you changed your mind :)

That's why some of the highest paid employees in this business are the people that do the marketing. But, you only get the big buck when you do it right and produce.

For instance, I was paid really well with Flashcash. I think I brought them about 5000 webmasters in 6 or 7 months. But, I was told that I was a little too out there for them. And look what they have now :) Actually, they have no marketing at all anymore. But, they have plenty of PR.

The best marketer I ever met was Ron Levi from Cybererotica :) He would call many people and for some reason, we just did as he asked.

ONE of any email to me is not spam... its good marketing efforts. WM's that get 400 emails a day rightly may feel differently. Don't feel bad though if you don't get a huge response. Can't just say "check me out", if you are going to market then be real, entertain me, tell me something useful, share something important or that I might want to know, of if you are really convinced that the match would be good then step out there and offer something free or an incentive.

Good Luck with the efforts.

Would you list this site - No
Is this link blind - Yes
Is this spam - Yes...

If you have to ask.... then you already know the answer...


I get hundreds of these so called requests.. and they all get deleted...

Especially those that "invite" me to join a program THAT I ALREADY fucking sell.....

or the ones that invite... the owner of dangerdave.com.au to join... and then another email invites the owner of dangerdave.com.... etc. |banghead|

..and what do you know... every email says
they are the best new program,
and they have the highest payouts
and they are gonna have your baby for you,
and come and cook your dinner..

when in fact most are just another shitty little program..

If you want your program known....

Work on it
Make it good
Make it clean
Remove the leaks
Pay your affiliates
Don't change fucking linkcodes every three weeks..
Be honest
Be open
Have a community presence

All of these things work far better than a dumbed-assed lazy spam..

DD

I guess what I perceive to be a much more intimate approach seems more spammish to people named Jim. |loony| I may be alone in my perceptions. That happens a lot for some odd reason. Kinda weird though, that sponsors come to boards to make their program known, sig whore incesantly (not saying you, Jim), spend advertising dollars for noisy banners on boards, but would be afraid to PM the occasional board member because they thinks it's spammy.

All in all, DD said it best - if you have the slightest feeling that it is spam, it probably is.

yeah that is strange ya know Useless warrior, some of us would think receiving an isolated e mail is fine, but for me personally, if someone sent me a PM on a board I was frequenting it would be off putting. Some of us see things one way and others see them entirely different. Guess that adds flavor. I think my opposition to sending PMs is that I and many others give alternate ways for someone to contact us on each board we go to (like YM and ICQ as well as e mails) so its almost like the PM transgresses that system
geeeez, I hope that makes sence to someone other then me LOL

Jim

I don’t really think its SPAM, but when I get 10 of them to 10 different domains that I own, that all say “I just visited your site and I think it would be perfect to advertise our program……” Seems a bit insincere at that point, so I simply delete them all and I don’t give it a second thought.