After 3 years, Adgitize will be closing down. The owner, Ken Brown, sent out an email telling members that the site had become no longer profitable and explained what will happen next.
Account signups and new ad submissions have been closed, and on January 1, all ads will stop running.
If you have used Adgitize, make sure you have a valid Paypal address associated with your account. A prorated amount will be refunded for any ads currently running, and publishers will receive any earnings over $0.01, which will go out before January 10. If you do not have any valid payment method on your account by January 31, your earnings will become void, so make sure your Paypal is up to date!
It's a shame that the service hasn't been able to support itself. I've had some good experiences with Adgitize - it's brought me a lot of traffic on the several occasions that I advertised, and it's also brought me many payouts (which usually exceeded the cost of the advertising). I'm pleased that Ken did announce the closure and will be making the payments due and refunding the ads - it would be so easy to take the money and run, so this is very classy of him. It is a reflection of the same spirit in which Adgitize has been run - clear communication and class.
You can find Ken's full statement on the closure on the Adgitize blog.
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How much traffic does $20 bring you?
December 19, 2011 advertising, blogging, marketing, website traffic, websites
I just read a fascinating series of blog posts from Sodaware - about advertising, and how much traffic you can get for $19.95.
He examined a whole slew of different advertising and marketing methods, both free and pay - for the pay ad services, his budget was $19.95, and for the free marketing, he set a time limit of a half hour. This was a smart way to compare services, because as they say, nothing is free - your time is worth something too. A lot of times, it's more efficient to just pay for advertising than to spend hours on fruitless "free" ads.
Read part 1, the introduction and part 2, the results.
Many of Sodaware's results were as to be expected, but some lessons are worth repeating - like good targeting is key to successful ads. You'll get better results with ads on a well-targeted, medium-traffic side, than poorly-targeted ads on a huge-traffic site.
It's interesting to see the variety of uses and traffic that each ad service can bring - Stumbleupon users are low-attention-span, high-bounce visits that can spark a viral wave of traffic, while a well-targeted ad placed on a highly relevant site can bring in newsletter subscriptions and loyal readers. Which type you choose is up to you, or it could behoove you to diversify your tactics to get both loyal readers and viral bursts.
He examined a whole slew of different advertising and marketing methods, both free and pay - for the pay ad services, his budget was $19.95, and for the free marketing, he set a time limit of a half hour. This was a smart way to compare services, because as they say, nothing is free - your time is worth something too. A lot of times, it's more efficient to just pay for advertising than to spend hours on fruitless "free" ads.
Read part 1, the introduction and part 2, the results.
Many of Sodaware's results were as to be expected, but some lessons are worth repeating - like good targeting is key to successful ads. You'll get better results with ads on a well-targeted, medium-traffic side, than poorly-targeted ads on a huge-traffic site.
It's interesting to see the variety of uses and traffic that each ad service can bring - Stumbleupon users are low-attention-span, high-bounce visits that can spark a viral wave of traffic, while a well-targeted ad placed on a highly relevant site can bring in newsletter subscriptions and loyal readers. Which type you choose is up to you, or it could behoove you to diversify your tactics to get both loyal readers and viral bursts.
You Can't Do it All: The Upsides of Outsourcing
December 11, 2011 advertising, blogging, how to, make money, websites
When someone starts their own business, they quickly learn they have to take on many hats: web designer, marketer, graphic designer, editor & proofreader, accountant, customer service... and that's besides whatever the business is actually for! Some people are blessed with the skills to do many of these well, but there's always something that you're not good at, and once the business grows past a certain point, you're going to need an extra hand.
As your business expands, you just can't do it all. That's why you need to outsource some of your work. This doesn't have to mean a team of staff or a hired assistant, though it could. But, let's start small.
Just about the smallest you can start at is hiring someone through a Fiverr gig. Fiverr is a site where people post what they are willing to do for $5 - which can range from logo & website design to copywriting to photo editing and much more. If you need a quick hand at something you're not good at, browse around Fiverr and see who you can commission. Before selecting a gig, make sure to read through the seller's feedback. If the gig is a bust, you're only out 5 bucks - but if it goes well, it's often a great deal!
I've ordered a logo design and a blog banner from Fiverr for my business - the logo was returned to me within a day, and I was pretty pleased with the results. You can't expect the moon & the stars for $5, but if you're short on cash, it's a good start and it was way better than I could have done myself.
Remember that you can't do everything yourself - other people can lighten your load, and oftentimes do it better than you could have done on your own. You don't have to spend a whole lot of money for some extra help - a little bit can go a long way. Check within your niche to see if there are people who would be willing to barter for goods or services that you can provide. That way, you get the help you need, and they get something else they want, too.
As your business expands, you just can't do it all. That's why you need to outsource some of your work. This doesn't have to mean a team of staff or a hired assistant, though it could. But, let's start small.
Just about the smallest you can start at is hiring someone through a Fiverr gig. Fiverr is a site where people post what they are willing to do for $5 - which can range from logo & website design to copywriting to photo editing and much more. If you need a quick hand at something you're not good at, browse around Fiverr and see who you can commission. Before selecting a gig, make sure to read through the seller's feedback. If the gig is a bust, you're only out 5 bucks - but if it goes well, it's often a great deal!
I've ordered a logo design and a blog banner from Fiverr for my business - the logo was returned to me within a day, and I was pretty pleased with the results. You can't expect the moon & the stars for $5, but if you're short on cash, it's a good start and it was way better than I could have done myself.
Remember that you can't do everything yourself - other people can lighten your load, and oftentimes do it better than you could have done on your own. You don't have to spend a whole lot of money for some extra help - a little bit can go a long way. Check within your niche to see if there are people who would be willing to barter for goods or services that you can provide. That way, you get the help you need, and they get something else they want, too.
Free Promotion or Theft? The Fine Line, and treating your readers well
August 19, 2011 advertising, blogging
Sometimes, when someone is working to build a brand or promote a product, they can get anxious about anyone else encroaching on their territory. By trying to keep their audience close enough so they won't slip away, they actually have them in a chokehold - thus missing out on opportunities. With a bit more freedom, your true fans can be your greatest asset for free and effortless promotion.
Let me explain with a case study. The TV show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has become a huge underground hit on the internet, among a completely unexpected demographic - teenage and 20-something males. The entire first season is up on Youtube, along with hundreds upon hundreds of fan videos, Pony-inspired music, remixes, fanart, and so on.
Hasbro's main interest in the show was to sell toys, so it let the Youtube copyright infringement slide. And, in allowing the videos to remain online, they have gained a huge base of fans who gobble up every bit of merch that Hasbro can produce, and evangelize the show to other people, creating even more fans. If the show were not easily, freely accessible online, this fanbase would never have created. Only airing on Hasbro's premium cable channel, The Hub, the show would have languished in preteen girl obscurity.
Treat your audience well, with generosity and enthusiasm, and they will do marketing for you. Treat them with suspicion and jealousy, and you may very well end up losing them. This philosophy can be extended to blogging and internet marketing as well. If you desperately scramble for conversions, using tactics like popover advertising or not including full posts in your RSS feeds, you might alienate your readers. But if you are generous to them, you will be repaid with loyal readers who will tell their friends about your Cool Thing, whatever it is. If you love your readers, let them go, and then they will come back to you.
Let me explain with a case study. The TV show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has become a huge underground hit on the internet, among a completely unexpected demographic - teenage and 20-something males. The entire first season is up on Youtube, along with hundreds upon hundreds of fan videos, Pony-inspired music, remixes, fanart, and so on.
Hasbro's main interest in the show was to sell toys, so it let the Youtube copyright infringement slide. And, in allowing the videos to remain online, they have gained a huge base of fans who gobble up every bit of merch that Hasbro can produce, and evangelize the show to other people, creating even more fans. If the show were not easily, freely accessible online, this fanbase would never have created. Only airing on Hasbro's premium cable channel, The Hub, the show would have languished in preteen girl obscurity.
Treat your audience well, with generosity and enthusiasm, and they will do marketing for you. Treat them with suspicion and jealousy, and you may very well end up losing them. This philosophy can be extended to blogging and internet marketing as well. If you desperately scramble for conversions, using tactics like popover advertising or not including full posts in your RSS feeds, you might alienate your readers. But if you are generous to them, you will be repaid with loyal readers who will tell their friends about your Cool Thing, whatever it is. If you love your readers, let them go, and then they will come back to you.
Entrecard and Project Wonderful: Hidden Gems
April 30, 2011 advertising, entrecard, website traffic
As you're dropping Entrecards, you may notice that a lot of blogs feature Project Wonderful advertising. Project Wonderful is a pretty neat service, because it allows advertisers to compete for ad space in an 'infinite auction'. It's win-win for advertisers and publishers, because the publishers get a fair price for their ad space, and advertisers can get some good deals. If an ad space is in demand, the price rises. If it isn't in demand, the price falls, and advertisers can even get ad space for free.
When I spot free ad space on blogs, I tend to submit my ad, because why not? Extra exposure is always good. Project Wonderful shows you traffic stats, sortable by geographical region, to help you determine how much you want to bid. And herein lies the great combination of Project Wonderful and Entrecard advertising.
Inside Entrecard, blogs are sorted by how popular they are IN ENTRECARD. There are blogs with Entrecard widgets, that get a lot of traffic. But on Entrecard, they are low in the listings, because not many people drop on them. Entrecard statistics are totally irrelevant outside of the Entrecard community. But, Entrecard allows you to advertise on websites without any monetary cost.
So, the trick is this: As you're dropping, look for the low-EC-cost blogs. Check their traffic via Project Wonderful, if they have PW ads. You could score some fantastic deals, if a blog is not active on Entrecard, but gets good traffic! When you find these 'hidden gems' on Entrecard, add them to your favorites and then you can keep advertising on them, for a low EC price (which also means free, since ECs aren't money).
The reverse is also true: there are high-ranked EC blogs which get virtually no traffic outside of Entrecard and Adgitize. Don't waste your credits on advertising there, because it won't be worth much.
When I spot free ad space on blogs, I tend to submit my ad, because why not? Extra exposure is always good. Project Wonderful shows you traffic stats, sortable by geographical region, to help you determine how much you want to bid. And herein lies the great combination of Project Wonderful and Entrecard advertising.
Inside Entrecard, blogs are sorted by how popular they are IN ENTRECARD. There are blogs with Entrecard widgets, that get a lot of traffic. But on Entrecard, they are low in the listings, because not many people drop on them. Entrecard statistics are totally irrelevant outside of the Entrecard community. But, Entrecard allows you to advertise on websites without any monetary cost.
So, the trick is this: As you're dropping, look for the low-EC-cost blogs. Check their traffic via Project Wonderful, if they have PW ads. You could score some fantastic deals, if a blog is not active on Entrecard, but gets good traffic! When you find these 'hidden gems' on Entrecard, add them to your favorites and then you can keep advertising on them, for a low EC price (which also means free, since ECs aren't money).
The reverse is also true: there are high-ranked EC blogs which get virtually no traffic outside of Entrecard and Adgitize. Don't waste your credits on advertising there, because it won't be worth much.
Adgitize blog advertising network for traffic and money!
August 11, 2009 advertising, blogging, make money, passive income, website traffic
I love Adgitize! After mediocre results with other advertising programs, both as a publisher and an advertiser, Adgitize has restored my faith in running ads and in displaying ads. Adgitize is a program that works for me, and boy does it work great.
Adgitize for publishers is based on a points system, with a maximum of 500 points per day. You get points through clicking on ads, pageviews, ad views, being an advertiser, and writing a blog post for the day. Your points are converted into money, and at the end of the month you get paid.
To advertise for the month on the Adgitize network costs $14 - and every month that I have advertised with Adgitize, I've earned more than my $14 back. Usually I earn about $20-$25 advertising with Adgitize.
Adgitize also works especially great for people who are Entrecard members, because you can do your Adgitize ad clicks and Entrecard drops at the same time, with very little effort.
I highly recommend the Adgitize advertising network. It is growing every day and giving more and more bloggers success. Advertising on Adgitize has given me 2000 extra visitors per month, for $14 that gets paid back to me at the end of the month. If you publish blog posts regularly (write posts in advance) and do your clicks, you will probably make back the $14 Adgitize ad cost (that's 50 cents per day).
Give Adgitize a try, especially if you already use Entrecard. I find it hugely rewarding.
~Joy
Adgitize for publishers is based on a points system, with a maximum of 500 points per day. You get points through clicking on ads, pageviews, ad views, being an advertiser, and writing a blog post for the day. Your points are converted into money, and at the end of the month you get paid.
To advertise for the month on the Adgitize network costs $14 - and every month that I have advertised with Adgitize, I've earned more than my $14 back. Usually I earn about $20-$25 advertising with Adgitize.
Adgitize also works especially great for people who are Entrecard members, because you can do your Adgitize ad clicks and Entrecard drops at the same time, with very little effort.
I highly recommend the Adgitize advertising network. It is growing every day and giving more and more bloggers success. Advertising on Adgitize has given me 2000 extra visitors per month, for $14 that gets paid back to me at the end of the month. If you publish blog posts regularly (write posts in advance) and do your clicks, you will probably make back the $14 Adgitize ad cost (that's 50 cents per day).
Give Adgitize a try, especially if you already use Entrecard. I find it hugely rewarding.
~Joy
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