Need help with ad ideas for outdoor site

[DewChugr]

I'm hoping the great people here can give me more help than I got at SP (none!).


I'm building a large outdoor content/resource site and I need some help. This is the first site I have built that I am going to monatize and I'm not sure what the best way to do that is. The site is going to have features that will require free user registration, paid subscription is not something I am willing to do for this. It is heavy on resource information and I plan to regularly add self made content. I am working with an affiliate on a plan that will for at least the short term be unique to only my site, featuring a custom product. This will be specific to one particular part of pages, but a small part of the overall advertising opportunity.

In general, would I be better trying to find an affiliate with a place like Cabelas or go with an ad publisher or some combination of them? If I n affiliate with someone is it better to link to specific products or a more general link to their site? What ad networks would likely be best for this type of site? I know traffic stats would be helpful, butI can't give trafic info for this site as it is still in the works.

Help me Spock, help me....

 

[MisterX]

The first thing that comes to mind is that you should first get your content & traffic and only then think about monetizing. Do put your includes in place (tell me if you don't know what I mean and I'll explain), but don't worry about money just yet.

Regarding the affiliate link question, it's way better to link to a specific product - one which you do a little review of, if possible - then just putting a link to their main page. The more specific you go, the better.

Hope this helps a little, until others chime in...

 

[DewChugr]

Ok, what do you mean by includes, where the ads will go? :2drinkspit:

Do you think having affiliate links to products right away is ok assuming they are related to some content or talked about, etc?

Thanks

 

[CoRegisteer.com]

If you require the user to register in order to use the site, you should also consider Co Registration.

Co Registration is - when the user completes your registration form, they are shown some offers that they can subscribe to. If they do, you get paid. If they don't, no big deal, they move forward to your registration confirmation page.

A lot of sites are now using this model when giving away free products or services as its a way of generating revenue without placing ads on the front of the site.

 

[Rob_TID]

Posting deep links to specifc products will outperform a general link to the front page significantly.

For example, with the programs I operate as a Merchant, people who incorporate a form or drop down menu that deep links to a specific policy tend to get a far better conversion rate. Co-branded content also seems to do pretty well.

 

[DewChugr]

Co Registration is - when the user completes your registration form, they are shown some offers that they can subscribe to. If they do, you get paid. If they don't, no big deal, they move forward to your registration confirmation page.

I like this idea. What types of things do you think I would be targetting here, magazines?

BTW: your links in your sig are impossible to read on this dark gray background. :smokin:

Thanks, Steve

 

[CoRegisteer.com]

Thanks DewChugr for pointing that out. (re. font color)

Well, with the targeting, you actually dont have to worry abt which ads are shown. We automatically rotate the ads based on performance, and optimize, and keep the offers in the path that are performing. Regards to actual type of offers, it could vary. It may not be all outdoor type ads, but it would be ads that would cater to your visitor's demographics.

From the publisher's side, it really is Zero maintenance. Implementation is very simple, so if you want to test it out, let me know, or just sign up.

 

[DewChugr]

Thanks, I'll keep you in mind when I get the site finished.

It's nice to get some usefull info here, I didn't get anything useful at SP.

Much better links.

Steve