Hello, I'm fairly confident this should be the correct forum, but let me know if I'm wrong. I have a website for independent horror authors (IndieHorror.org). First off, a little bit about the traffic flow of my site (which I know is still a little low): - About 11,000 Visits / Month - About 27,000 Hits / Month - Website was started in January - 700+ Followers on Twitter (Not that it really matters for this, but thought I would throw it out there) - Throwing a weekend long writing and contest event on April 1st to boost traffic and active users. - Advertising in the souvenir book for the 2011 World Horror Convention as well as stuffing the goodie bags with 300 cards about IndieHorror. This should also bring in more traffic. - Still currently a PR0. Since I am extremely dedicated to what my users get out of the website, I want to refrain from having obtrusive banners and large ads on the website. Upon brainstorming ideas for how to monetize the site (I've put in about $300 and gotten back nothing so far), I came up with this unique idea that I think my users would enjoy (and be more likely to click). I would have a "Virtual Convention" section of the site (ads would only be on this page) where advertisers could buy "tables." Each table would be about 155x60px. If you clicked on the image, an AJAX div would pop down under the table spanning 650px (width) with however much vertical space they would need at no extra charge. Here they could have more images, talk about whatever they are advertising, etc. You also could have the option of buying more than one "table" at discounted prices to get a bigger image. Potential advertisers would be: indie authors looking to advertise their book, small publishing houses, writing magazines, etc. So, what do you think? Would advertisers be interested in this? How much would you charge "per table?" Also, this may not go into effect until late April, right before the World Horror Convention starts. Thank you for your input! ~Matthew
Thanks for the input =) That's a pretty big range though, where do you think I should start to test it? Maybe $15? Anyone else have any opinions on the idea? Think advertisers would go for it?
Thanks for the input Lewis =) Around when should I price things higher? Let's say that people love it at $15, around what unique visitor count do I say, "Okay, more traffic for them, more money for me?"
Why don't you try something like this. Instead of asking for money outright, get some people to sign up and give them a couple days free. If they get the traffic they are looking for, they can stay signed up and be charged $15 or whatever you are charging. It's your webpage, so you can easily setup some software and find out where your visitors are going, how many clicks an ad is getting etc. you could even deliver a report to your customers. This is the best way to start out something like this. Instill buyer confidence...show them what you've got, then let them pay for it if they like it. There's a neat program called Focal Media Click Tracker that's free http://www.focalmedia.net/clicktracker.html Heck you could even hire someone as a consultant to split test ads for people buying your services. The possibilities are endless when you've got traffic. I could go on forever on this since I am a specialist, but I think this will give you an idea on how to offer a premium ad service. Good luck.
Thanks for the help =) For the first month of the program I was thinking of giving away the "booths." Then I will have some advertiser testimonials to work off of during the second month. Tracking all of the clicks etc. sounds like a great idea, definitely something I'll do. Our traffic is good, but it's definitely got some growing to do. Like mentioned in my first post, I'm hoping the IndieHorror Weekend event and the convention advertising will bring in a boost. Thank you! ~Matthew