GAIN and other spyware

[daverx]

I'm looking for a way besides PPC and print advertising to promote my sites. Has anyone had any luck with spyware like GAIN? EZULA?


I understand it's not the classiest way to advertise, but neither are a lot of other ways some of us advertise, so I'd appreciate it if people wouldn't lecture me about how unethical it is. A lot of sites that let you download Kazaa and the other programs that come with Spyware tell people about it and mention Ad-Aware as a method of removing it.


Edit: Apologies if this is not in the right forum, but I wasn't sure where else to put it, and I assume you have to bid on the keywords?


Thanks,


-daverx

[phalaris]

I checked gator 2-3 months ago but never used thembecause upfront spending required was too big for me, $25000 minimum to start the campaign with GAIN/gator/claria.com as that is what I was told the minimum required spending is to start a campaign for an OP site.


From: http://www.claria.com/advertise/rates/


(Since each program is unique in design, program rates vary by category and partner needs. Programs start as low as $25,000.)

[Affiliate]

I would spam some blogs before working gator, whenu, etc.

[redex]

(Since each program is unique in design, program rates vary by category and partner needs. Programs start as low as $25,000.)


And it could disappear in a day and max your cc out in a heartbeat. Big audience, lots of impressions, a well known affiliate has ads on Kaaaazzaaa (however you spell it) I think there are better immoral ways to get sales besides phuking over fellow affiliates. RxMary can tell some war stories on how sales were ripped right out of her hands. There are so many untapped portals for advertising, we just need to think outside the box as soon as we know we have a future in this biz.


MSN wants min $40k a month spend so Gator is a bargain.

[Buzz]

How honerable of you. smileys/smiley8.gif


But seriously, I think it is a pretty bad way toget business. There has to be better ways to spend 25K.

[Affiliate]

Would the OPs allow you to work with scumware? I guess so if some allow spamming.

[iggy]

hehe, the bigger OP's are gator and Whenu's biggest clients themselves

[phalaris]

Since daverx asked not to slam him so I'll not. smileys/smiley2.gif


I never contacted ezula but ezula must be cheaper because they don't need to serve any creatives, they just need list of keywords and URL to send traffic to. They work by converting text like say Viagra on a visitor's page into a link to your site. So contact them if you are really interested in going that way.


BTW how many of you don't know that USAprescription is one of the biggest customer of gain?

[Star]

I don't think you can get on gain anyway- it's sold out!

[MedsDirect]

DaveRx,


Your biggest source of advertising is your local neighborhood.


Some suggestions:


Buy tickets for two to the local hot Holiday Balet/Orchestra/Theater, print 2 posters advertising the event tickets, as provided by yourwebsite.com, and get a local childcare, grocery, weightwatchers club, laundromat etc to releive you of the tickets, offer/raffle/donate them however they pleae in exchange for displaying your two posters and a business card/coupon bin for 30 days. This will cost you no more than 300.00 and result in hundreds of "impressions." Get six sales from it and you've made your money back.


Sponsor school fundraisers, via the PTA contact. Purchase and donate prizes for the holiday raffles at the school, and provide the above mentioned posters and business cards. Make sure your ad targets PARENTS and not children.


Sponsor a local softball team just like a bar does.


Put up prizes (cash or otherwise) with ads at local pubs for pool/dart tourneys.


find an individually owned local pixzza delivery restaurant (not a chain) and offer to pay $1.00 per delivered coupon, or, offer to do a co-branded coupon (half your ad, half pizza ad) at your printing expense.


Build a reputation as a reliable, ethical and legal alternative medication source.


I've seen times where spending $1,200 on PPC barely yields 10 sales, money is much better spent in local advertising with real people.


My bet is that $1,200 in cash and prizesgiven to local businesses and charitiesin exchange for prominent advertising will get you a nice ROI.


I'm not sure about other OP's, but we cut off affiliate accounts that use scum or spyware.


Not meant as a lecture, just some (in my opinion) sound advice.


Aaron Sallade


Edited to Add:


We sponsor a professional Harley drag race team. our cost: I built them a 5 page website.

[daverx]

Those are some great ideas, thanks Aaron!


I was just curious if people have been successful with scumware, as I need something better than PPC. I do think it is kinda sleazy, but I need to stay in business, and PPC just isn't doing it for me with all the lowballers. I've done some limited print ads and they were to targeted audiences, and even though it was expensive it payed off more than the PPC campaigns. With all the lowballers taking up the top spots on PPC, it's hard to get a decent profit margin.


What I also do is print up flyers, post them at the local colleges. Also I carry around business cards which are basically just ads (I printed them up on my PC using bizcard paper from Staples) and hand them out to people who I think will buy at parties and bars. Costs me barely anything and has given me some reliable customers.


Ah well, was just looking for an alternative to PPC, if anyone has any more suggestions please let me know. I am definitely going to try the raffle thing.


-daverx

[redex]

Those are some great ideas, thanks Aaron!


I was just curious if people have been successful with scumware, as I need something better than PPC. I do think it is kinda sleazy, but I need to stay in business, and PPC just isn't doing it for me with all the lowballers.


OK guys, put down the baseball bats, we're not going over to DaveRx's house. smileys/smiley8.gif


Those little tickler ads in the newspapers, generally in section A - one column inch or inch and a half are not expensive, run every day and are very effective. There are a lot of newspapers in the US if you think about it.


http://www.refdesk.com/paper.html