RE: Will you be here in a year

From: Sue Mosher <sue_at_slipstick.com>
Date: Tue 03 Jul 2001 11:18:48 -0500

ILONA JERABEK <ilona_at_queendom.com> WROTE:

> Just out of curiosity - is anybody out there who is
> still doing OK with 100% advertising model? By OK I
> mean at least breaking even.

I'm not happy with the 100% advertising model (more on
that in a moment), but we're doing much better than
breaking even. I attribute our success with ad sales at
http://www.slipstick.com to the fact that we have a
highly visible site in a niche where many of our site
visitors are decision-makers for purchases of products
in a very competitive technology marketplace.
Advertisers have come to us, knowing that the content
we provide draws the people they most want to reach.
We've never diluted our ad space with banner swaps or
low CPM affiliate arrangements, so all the ads we run
are directly relevant to site visitors.

My main problem with the ad model is that I'm a content
publisher, not a salesperson. Trying to wear both hats
presents both conflict of interest and time management
problems. Without devoting more resources to nurturing
the advertisers and seeking new ones, I expect that
source of revenue to decrease as burn-out sets in. At
the same time, the cost of maintaining the site grows,
as I want to add discussions, chats, etc. Maintaining
a decent ad serving engine also is a real pain.
(We're on our third.)

I'm exploring other revenue possibilities that would
leverage the web site's visibility and our expertise.
These may include online training (probably offered
on a subscription model), more noticeable details on
the consulting and development services that I already
offer, and maybe even a few downloadable utilities of
my own.

At the same time, I still think we offer a great vehicle
for advertisers in our niche who want to get their
message out to likely customers. I'm very much willing
to move beyond banner ads into new ways for sponsors to
present their story. And I'm willing to pay high
commissions to an agency or individual with a track
record who wants to take on the job of increasing the
percentage of sold inventory and helping the site deliver
a better service to advertisers. The site has been
online for 5 years and gets 5-600k+ views/month with
7,000 daily unique visitors. We have high search
positions, especially at Google. Since part of the site
comprises a detailed list of all the products in our
space, I already have hundreds of prospects for you.
Drop me a line if you're interested and capable.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
mailto:sue_at_slipstick.com
Author of
     Teach Yourself Microsoft Outlook 2000 Programming
     in 24 Hours Microsoft Outlook 2000 E-mail and Fax Guide
Outlook and Exchange solutions at http://www.slipstick.com



Received on Tue Jul 03 2001 - 11:18:48 CDT