How much content to give away?

[Gerco]

So, I keep seeing these threads about this site or that site taking video and using it to promo a side, 1 minute members area clips 25 minute clips etc etc. How much is too much? Take myself, I don't have any help, Im the sole person running the site, so I count on good affiliates to get me the traffic I need to survive. Now, I have been lucky in the fact that the site is more than known in the fetish it's in. But, allowing the affiliates to do whatever it takes to get them a sale seem to be the most important thing. Over the years I have allowed a few affilaites (after proving thet could send sales and traffic) to simply have access to the members area and let them pick the stuff from it that they would like to use to promo the site. These affiliates have become simpliy the bread and butter of my affilaite sales.

Sites like mine, don't have the resources to maintain (or in my case even install run) a true affilaite program like some of the bigger companies. I have tried, with both Mas and Nats in the past and there just are too much for a single site. I'm no server guy buy any means and the scripts are just above me. Period.

I'm wondering cause I seem to have hit a cap, 5-12 sales day steady now for the last 3 years, and have been wondering what I could do to try and raise that.

At the same time, I don't want to oversaturate and give everything I have away to 100 affilaites to do with as they please...

Right now I have a ton of affiliates, but only 4 that actualy produce. over 70% of my traffic comes from yahoo and google searches for me. So whats a good balance? Should I stay the current course and just let the site keep going as it has been since 2001, or should I try (Again) to maybe setup a new affilaite program, using say the free mpa3 from eproch. Should I test the waters and see if there is a larger affilaite program that would be interested in adding my site to their program? Or, should I just try to find 1 or 2 new affilaites and let them have full access to the members area content and let them pull the stuff they like?

Your thoughts.

[tranza]

Damn, man! You should really work on a new affiliate program and professional softwares!

Also I think you could play a little with your tour and join pages. It could really help conversions.

I thought you had merged with a big program btw...

[Gerco]

Originally Posted by tranza

Damn, man! You should really work on a new affiliate program and professional softwares!

Also I think you could play a little with your tour and join pages. It could really help conversions.

I thought you had merged with a big program btw...

Like I said in the first post, I have tried to use the larger affiliate programs avail to setup a new program... With Nats I had the domain gonzobucks, and with mpa3 I had (and still own) anotherprogram.com. Both got to about the same place before I finally had to pull the plug. They both got fully designed, both got the software installed, but when it came time to actually get the systems working on my server I was kind of left hanging. neither system was ever taken to the point of actually running. My fault, maybe as I don't have any server knowledge, and both these script and companys seem to assume that you should know what to do... Even though I thought I had explained it VERY clearly that the installs would have to be done 100% due to my lack of experience. Needless to say, the combination of the 2 failures cost me close to 10 thousand US.

So, I'm past that now. I never merged with anyone. I have thought about the idea, but to date never been asked to. I would consider it.

I was lucky with this site... could I repeat the success of it, today, starting from scratch, with todays internet... no. But I would like to of course see it's continued success and maybe even see it grow into something even better.

I look around my office, and I have so much content it's almost sicking... around 500 FULL dv's of content, all original, all owned by me. I don't even know where to start at this point. a 3rd of the content has never even been captured from the original tapes. If I had someone with edit skills, someone with affiliate skills etc, I'm sure that something pretty good could come about.

My personal background is in computers, NT etc. Was a system admin for years. Got laid off in 2000 causing a bankruptcy, happen to have internet access and a 200.00 camera from best buy and a cheap mini dv and started from there. Feel into a good deal that ended a little sour in the beginning, but was able to get my name out there almost instantly (I started with something like 35 sales the very first day the site was online due to a content set I did for another company that was back linked to me.) Over the years, I have been lucky enough to meet and work with some great people in the industry, I survived Ibill, and others that have owed my money and disappeared. Extremehole even survived by divorce to Samantha, albit it did put the site into a current limbo, but I have been continuing to shoot and have tons of new stuff.

I do need a new tour and join page, I would be interesting in talking with designers who think they could do something that fits the site etc. All in all I guess I'm just nearing a crossroad that I seriously need to look at the site and figure out what next.

[Gerco]

Anyone feel like talking about it at internex? I'm still bouncing around heading down for it.

[Gerco]

And.... que cricketes

[Gerco]

still nothing?

[Bama]

Gerco,

If you find yourself headed down to the show, get ahold of me so we can chat. I'll be talking to folks like yourself for a solution to your problems.

http://www.gofuckyourself.com/showthread.php?t=755320

[dev777]

Like someone else said, you should get some new tours up. The style you use is kinda outdated and probally hinders conversions.

im gonna try out your program, you'll see me

[Paul Markham]

Go for a very "Undesigned" tour. We all tend to design for ourselves and not the surfer. Think simple.

How much content do you have? If it's a lot (200+ videos 500+ sets) start rotating it. The length of rotation will depend on your retention. What you're doing is trickle feeding it to them. A new video has more value than an existing one. Simple psychology.

Do you have enough content to show the surfer and impress him? Most surfers are pissed off with tours that over sell the site. They sign up and find the tour was BS. Left us with 99.99% of surfers distrusting tours.

Get a forum going with posts from members. Good way of showing the surfer what others think. I bet you're getting the traffic, not converting and retaining enough is the problem.