Hi: I´ve launched a social neworking website, based on the ning platform , about a month ago. I have been using other social networks to promote it ( mostly I am using myspace and hi5 but I am also getting some traffic from topic related forums and message boards ). I now have around 340 registered members and I am happy with the numbrs, since this is such a specific social networking site, it is only one month old and I have not yet spent dime with it... The site is : http://hardcandyspace.ning.com I am planning to upgrade the site to gold membership, where I wil be able t use my own domain and run my own ads . Do you think this is wise as I will have to pay around $30 a month to be able to do those things? I have around 3.000 page views a day ...do you think it is a good idea to go gold or should I wait for the members and page views to increase? On the other hand I do have a few hundred $ to spend on marketing and advertising...what are your sugestions ? Thank you very much Vera
Do you have repeat customers? How long do they spend on your site on average? Do the users appear to be happy with the site and service? I ask these questions to gauge your viewership. I'd leave a buffer of some of your money to pay for the service for a few months, just in case. The rest could be used for a "media blitz", as you try to get a big jump in activity in a short period of time.
Do you have repeat customers? - what do you mean? You mean if the people who register keep coming back to log in to the site ? I am answering your questions with the info I get from google analytics so here it goes : Rejection rate is 23,68% How long do they spend on your site on average?-Average time spent on site is , according to GA 00:10:26 Do the users appear to be happy with the site and service?-absolutelly.the feeback has been the best possible. I ask these questions to gauge your viewership. I'd leave a buffer of some of your money to pay for the service for a few months, just in case. That might be wise, thanx The rest could be used for a "media blitz", as you try to get a big jump in activity in a short period of time. - i have tried that...but in a very specific niche...the network was featured on a niche paper magazine and some other niche portals, both very popular but the traffic did not convert that well. ahhh I also got a link from wikipedia two weeks ago...and wikipedia is now my #6 traffic source hehehe
That sounds like good traffic, both time spent and repeat visitors. That sucks that the traffic didn't convert, and it would be really nice to know why. That's the big mystery that we all face. Try to have an intriguing landing page. Maybe have a contest or special perks, like referral bonuses, revenue sharing, etc. Something to draw them in and keep coming back. Once lost, it's hard to get those visitors to come back. I think it may help for you to use your own domain. It would show more of a commitment on your part and would look more 'professional', I think. Wikipedia is an excellent source. Try also, the Q&A sites, like Yahoo Answers and wis.dm.com (or something to that effect). Also, list your site on Squidoo, Qassia, Hubpages, Google Knol, etc with an article or lens.
the contest idea is great and I have been thinking to do just that; to run contests inside the network, between th members ..best member profile, best photo of whatever, best theme movie..u name it. thanx for the suggestions on the squidoo type pages, will do that!! yes, the domain, I know..I allready bought the domain and everything, I was just waiting because I have to pay NING a monthly fee to use my own domain so I was waiting to see if the network would grow to justify the investment but I think I will take that step this week. Once again, thank you for the support. rep on its way