$xx,xxx | Your thoughts on its use.

I am currently developing a gambling relating website that is acceptable to be advertised within both overture and adwords. Please do not ask me more about what the site is.

I have managed to raise low $xx,xxx in advertising funds. This is my current layout:


Bulk Emailing
Overture / AdWords / adCenter
AdBrite
Affiliate Program ($$ per signup)
AdEngage (on their most popular sites)

What are your thoughts on how much of the money should be delegated for each method of advertising? What is the most effective for gambling related sites? Let's say my max budget is... $20,000.

I thank you all in advance for any feedback.

 

I`s say
Bulk Emailing - $2000
Overture / AdWords / adCenter - $10,000
AdBrite - nothing
Affiliate Program ($$ per signup) - $5000
AdEngage (on their most popular sites) - $3000

 

Here is your problem. I read that party poker pays out - in advertising - about $2000 for every new sign up they get. They bank off the fact that if the person signs up, they will start using real money and they'll win in the end. If you are sitting on a very limited budget ($20k), I'd suppose the chances of you making that back is very very slim. IMHO.

 

i don`t think it`s possible to pay $2000 for every member, they would never get on proffit
they`d better offer free $50 or $100 for every member that signs up and i think they`d get better results

 

they arent giving new members $2000. When you add up their advertising dollars, divide it by new members it equals about $2000. So, for each new signup, it costs them $2000.

 

Good luck.

Make a quick buck before the gambling crackdown gets worse, or see if your investors want to build something more long-term in a different niche?
An original vision perhaps?

 

That sounds like a really risky plan. I have seen tons of their commercials on TV.

 

please don't let the fact that i'm in the gambling market affect the way you perceive my "chances", i'm simply interested in your thoughts on the delegation of funds? thanks

 

Spend all of your money on SEO and content development.

 

i think SEO is a bad suggestion because there are way too many big players already in the field for me to ever rank high enough, even with a $10,000+ budget. i think the key is using other methods to spread word of mouth.

 

i have understood from the first post

 

I agree, SEO is a horrible idea. They have more money to throw at it then you, nuff said.
I also think that adbrite is a terrible waste of money unless you can find a decent gambling related niche site that you want to advertise on that has a very low PPC rate (so, what I'm trying to say is don't use adbrites general PPC network, just specific sites).
I would dump more into the affiliate program, and possibly try and spend a few bucks promoting that. IMHO spending money to get others to promote what you are doing will ensure that you not only take off, but have the cashflow to pursue that other marketing that you would like to do later on.
The email marketing is a solid idea, but unless you know of somebody with a relable list to market to, I wouldn't touch it.
Just my 2 cents.

 

Why are you only considering advertising online? You should advertise in newspapers and stuff too to make the most notice.

 

smart words. but how would i actually ADVERTISE the affiliate program?

 

also a great idea, but newspaper is by farrr to costly unless i hit the major ones in the major cities? how would that work? what other offline methods of advertising are effective on my budget? offline == expensive

 

There is less expencive stuff, such as just sticking up posters that you've made on PhotoShop or something, or leaving some leaflets in shops and giving them out in busy places. That sort of thing.

 

Also advertising in smaller niche magazines is pretty affordable. Good luck... Sounds like an exciting opportunity...