OK I need some help figuring this one out. I've got some great unique content. The content is short and sweet enough that it would make a great daily or bi-weekly text message. You can EASILY code a script that allows people to subscribe to your texting content service by entering their phone and carrier. Then you automatically send an email daily or bi-weekly to or whatever. Questions 1) Since it's very easy to do and costs me nothing should I make it free? 2) If I make it free how do I monetize it? I mean other than it being a nice marketing tool to keep people talking about my site how can I make money? I can't show them ads on their phone. Charge a small $1.95 a month fee? 3) Some carriers charge to receive texts and I don't want people seeing their phone bill after a month and getting pissed so what should I set the frequency at? Bi-weekly, once per week? I don't want to set the frequency so low that people barely remember my site. Your thoughts? Note: If you use this idea to come up with an even better one and don't share it with me via PM before you go on to become a millionaire... you suck.
I don't really understand what you're trying to say here. Maybe you should elaborate/clarify more to get responses from users
I explained exactly what I want to do and asked 3 detailed questions. You might not understand it because you've never done this type of thing before? Or perhaps if you don't understand what I'm saying you're not likely the person to be trying to answer it Looking for someone who has or has an idea how they would do it.
1) This really comes down to whether you want the publicity or a little extra income. Personally, I would recommend to keep it free. Not many sites are doing anything like this (other than subscription horroscopes, etc), so it could easily set you apart from your competition. 2) Why not sell the script on DP? Although it's easy for you, there are plenty of people who wouldn't know how to do this and would probably pay for it. Additionally, I would work hard on optimizing your site to get clicks from return visitors. 3) Send it weekly. At most, it will cost a subscriber $0.40 per month.
I read your post GeorgeB, and just after i finished answering each question, i thought of somthing else, and had to rewrite it (know what i mean?) Each option just has so many posibilitys. Should you charge? NO: pros: More people will use it cons: no money for you YES: pros: you could get a profesinal looking txt sent to the person (i.e no advertising from the company you are using to send the text) -- i.e pay for a sms gateway. Then i thought, well, make it FREE, then at the end of the week, have a message saying "Your FREE subscription for this week has eneded, visit www.yoursite.com to renew your free subscription" -- this is easily done with sql / php and it would make sure people keep visiting your site each week and seeing your adsense ads Then, what about a premium service, again, it would be easy to do, send money via paypal on the pc, how much they sent is store in a database, and each time the person recives a premium txt, the account on the pc's money goes down -- this stops you having to deal with "pay to view txts" which cost like £1.50. I wouldnt go with a montly fee -- make it very optional, so they dont have to take it one month if they dont want to. No. 3 -- i have no idea about, people dont get charged to recive txts in the UK, except preimum ones, which you are not talking about. I've had an idea for a txt based site for agess matey, but never got round to it, i carnt wait to see how you do. its a big thing now, and it will be great if you do it
If you decide to place ads in the messages, focus more on brick and mortar businesses than web based ones. Users can't click on the link in your text message, but they can call a phone number, since the message will be right there on their cellphone. Market your text ads to businesses with storefronts or 800 numbers, and make it clear that this is a unique way to reach people, as they have a phone right here and ready to use when they are reading your ads. Tom