Re: Sprinks/About.com

From: Steve Harrison <merlin_at_paypermaster.com>
Date: Mon 25 Jun 2001 12:18:36 -0500

HAVAH HOPE <havah_at_aperfectdealer.com> WROTE:

> Does anyone have a contact *phone number* for Sprinks
> or About.com?

Not to dodge the specific question, but to Sprinks' credit
I've always gotten relatively prompt (within 24 hours) and
sensible responses by emailing their "Customer Care"
address: <sprinks_at_about.com>.

On the down side, I've been obliged to post Sprinks Customer
Care more often than any other PPC engine.

An ongoing and sporadic "scripting neurosis" has occasionally
wiped-out bidded listings with no apparent cause for that
effect (hadn't touched them since they were last working).
A prompt "regenerating" of the account by Sprinks brought
our bidded listings back online, but until that strange
phenomenon was noticed (more than once) they were no-shows
in actual searches.

On a hopeful note, a recent conversation with a Sprinks rep
seemed to find a sympathetic ear regarding Sprinks' minimum
$100 deposit to establish a new account. The industry
standard is around $25 and some of my clients won't allow
more than $50 to set up a new account. Sure, it all goes to
click-thru costs, but some are marketing such niche items
that it would take a LONG time to deplete $100 by click-thrus.

95% of their keywords enjoy #1 positioning for a penny or two.

If anyone else has hesitated to establish an account with
Sprinks due to that weighty deposit, a friendly bit of
[potential] advertiser feedback can sometimes accomplish much.
When an individual gretch becomes a chorus, wheels can turn.

My current take on Sprinks is that there may still be some
scripting problems afoot, their browser-based report format
is a mess, and there's some awkwardness about the account
management system -- BUT -- they apparently do to take user
feedback in earnest and they seem eager to improve things in
general.

Despite their problems and the up-front hit of a hunnert
bucks, for some positive reasons, Sprinks is probably still
worth considering. For one client, Sprinks delivered 285
click-thrus in May for an average CPC just over $0.04. Not bad.

Steve Harrison ~ Pay-Per Master
http://www.paypermaster.com
merlin_at_paypermaster.com



Received on Mon Jun 25 2001 - 12:18:36 CDT