Running out of promotional options - HTML Forums

Bob · 03-10-2007, 02:11 AM

Please excuse the long introduction but I feel it is necessary to give some background.

www.EditFast.com has over 1,300 registered freelance editors, proofreaders and writers. (Actually there have been over 15,000 registered but only 1,300 have passed the tests and survived the rigorous screening process).

Each member creates their own Profile Web page via a "Resume Builder" (contact information, education etc.) and a "Page Builder" (experience, software skills and availability, and a description of their skills and abilities as an editor, proofreader, or writer).

These profile pages are the pages I would like to have show up higher in the SE rankings. I provide some advice on meta keywords, meta description and the importance of relevancy so that each individual can choose their keywords, description, and write their Web page text to match the implication of their keywords and description, but without manipulating every page manually (which would be impossible), I find that these pages do not rank very high.

I also advise and implore the registered members to ask their acquaintances, friends, relatives etc. who own a Web site to add a link to their Web page to increase the number of inbound links, but again, without manually doing a promotion campaign for every individual (once again impossible for me), the results of my requests to get the members to acquire their own inbound links have not been spectacular.

I am wondering if there is anything else I can do by way of implementing an automatic process in the Profile creation stage that would improve the chances for each registered member's Web page on the SE results pages.

In addition, I spent a lot of time setting up a classified submissions section which would allow each member to submit to thousands of classified ad sites but after I set it up I realized that it might not be a good idea to have hundreds of people submitting links to classified ad sites all from the same site (EditFast.com) and would probably result in some negative reaction from the ad sites or from the SEs. I have not "activated" this process yet and may never do so.

I have also set up Google AdWords campaigns for "Editors in <CITY NAME>", "Editors in <STATE NAME>", "Editors in <COUNTRY NAME>" as well as "Proofreaders in <CITY NAME>", "Proofreaders in <STATE NAME>", "Proofreaders in <COUNTRY NAME>", but have not yet started these campaigns for the following reasons:

1) I have not discovered a way to allow direct contact between editors and clients without cutting EditFast out of the process and thereby losing a client and an editor at the same time as well as all future projects from that client. Thus, direct contact with my editors is not allowed. Contact is anonymous via the EditFast on-line message center. The problem is that potential clients who are searching for an editor in their area by using key phrases such as "Editors in Seattle" are most likely hoping to contact the individual directly or meet with the editor in person.

2) I have used AdWords campaigns in the past and discovered that they are not effective due to the competition and some unscrupulous people using up my AdWords budget with false clicks in a matter of days from the start of the campaign. (Luckily, Google has refunded my money (over $3000 US) but it took the infamous class action lawsuit and a wait of a couple years to get this money back.) Naturally I am leery of implementing another campaign.

The bottom line is that I am now at a loss as to how to promote the site in general as well as the editor profile pages any further. I have the cash, but don't know where the best (most effective) place to spend it might be!

Any ideas you have about this would be very helpful and appreciated very much.

charlesgan · 03-16-2007, 11:46 AM

as i see market grow toward 'escrow' service. refer to rent-a-coder.com for example. middleman earn 10-15% of the whole project cost. and your job is to make sure client paid the money, and money forward to freelance once job complete.

Bob · 03-16-2007, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlesgan

middleman earn 10-15% of the whole project cost. and your job is to make sure client paid the money, and money forward to freelance once job complete.

I am not sure how that relates to my business but it is true that there are a number of sites that provide an escrow service such as you mention above. My hope in posting this was to find "new" unique ways of promoting my site(s). Any ideas are welcome and I thank you for yours even though it would mean starting a new site in a different field.

megdilts · 03-19-2007, 09:09 AM

Your site is up since 2002. It's got a 5 pr. And you have 1300 editors. How did you recruit the 1300. Maybe you should keep doing what you did.

Bob · 03-19-2007, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by megdilts

Your site is up since 2002. It's got a 5 pr. And you have 1300 editors. How did you recruit the 1300. Maybe you should keep doing what you did.

Thanks for your response. I agree, I will continue to do what I am doing, but I think the site can do better. In addition, I would like to expand my client base, not just the editors. I am looking for unique and effective ways of promoting the site and any ideas that might help increase my client base.

megdilts · 03-26-2007, 12:32 PM

I can only think of google adwords. But you didn't have good experiences with them. If you work on SEO, then your pages will show up in the search results more often thus generating more clients. Have you tried offline method?

Bob · 03-26-2007, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by megdilts

I can only think of google adwords. But you didn't have good experiences with them. If you work on SEO, then your pages will show up in the search results more often thus generating more clients. Have you tried offline method?

Thanks for taking the time to respond, megdilts. I am in the process of setting up a direct mail test campaign right now, but I am not expecting great results because I have not heard of anyone getting good results using offline methods to promote a Web site. I doubt that there will be many responses, but I will have to wait and calculate the results to determine the ROI. The biggest drawbacks of direct mail in my situation are:

I am selling a service which is traditionally more difficult to sell via direct mail

There are several issues that need to be explained so the letter may be too complicated for direct mail which, ideally, should contain one item with a call to action

The potential client who opens the letter must save that letter, remember that he/she wants to go to the EditFast Web site, find the letter and take it to his/her computer (telephone option is also available, but because of the nature of the business, the client must eventually go to the Web site)

There are many offline options, but they all entail that necessary step of remembering to take the letter, postcard, magazine etc. to the computer to go to the Web site the next time the client starts up his/her machine (unless the client remembers the site address which is unlikely, I think).

However, this is my first attempt at direct mail so any advice is welcome.

Pegasus · 03-26-2007, 04:34 PM

Well, from a writer's point of view, have you tried submitting an ad to www.writersweekly.com ? You might get a few more editors/proofreaders that way, and your website link will be viewed by a lot of people.

Peg

Bob · 03-26-2007, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pegasus

Well, from a writer's point of view, have you tried submitting an ad to www.writersweekly.com ? You might get a few more editors/proofreaders that way, and your website link will be viewed by a lot of people.

Peg

I would rather not have any dealings with THAT site. I tried to place an ad with them but they were rude, uncooperative, and basically told me to take a hike. I don't know why, and can get no answers from the admin who wrote to me, called me a liar and told me never to write or phone again. Never have I had any problems such as the ones I have had with that site. I wonder why they still exist. Anyway I do not need to advertise for editors or writers as my site is well advertised for free through "workfromhome.anything" type of sites which pick up the info on my site and display it on their site. I don't mind that as long as they get the information correct and let me know, which has never happened. I do mind when these work at home scam sites are plunking me in with all the work at home scams out there and without any authorization. Then again it is free advertising and there is nothing I can do about their tactics so I just accept it as part of business on the net.

My goal is to attract more clients rather than editors or writers.