I'm thinking about placing an ad on WHT or other forums.
Would this be a good idea, or should I better advertise in webhosting directories?
I was also thinking about Google, but I havn't heard many good things about them.

Thank you for any advice.

people coming here are only looking at price. i have often to buy servers for my company or our customers and i come here to seek only if i'm looking for a good price...

so be prepared.

Originally posted by alain
people coming here are only looking at price. i have often to buy servers for my company or our customers and i come here to seek only if i'm looking for a good price...

so be prepared.

'tis true, 'tis true!

You can offer a personal server installed in the person home, with a 24/7 tech that lives in the same room as the server, and most people's reaction is "how much?"

If you are hoping to get most of your clients from WHT please be ready to offer $20 or $30 year plans.

One word of advice, we are currently spending a lot of money on advertising with Bravenet and we have been very disappointed with the reponse.

We are going to stick to printed advertising for a while - this is bringing excellent results.

I offer a $22/year plan so I would fall in the $20-30 range.
Thank you for the tips/warnings

Originally posted by Gyrbo
I offer a $22/year plan so I would fall in the $20-30 range.
Thank you for the tips/warnings

Then your plans would be perfect for the people looking for hosting here :)

Good luck in your sales...

Originally posted by Gyrbo
I offer a $22/year plan so I would fall in the $20-30 range.
Thank you for the tips/warnings

if it's for P4-2500 dedicated servers with 600 GB of AT&T bandwith you may be able to compete with offers posted here.

Here's a thought...

It's not that the people coming to WHT are looking for price - it's the opposite, the hosts advertising on WHT are in fierce competition which drives down the price.

Perhaps the WHT ad forums are more indicative of what the market would be like if an efficient marketplace existed - maybe the WHT forums are a small oasis where the market is efficient and the rest of the market is largely inefficient.

Originally posted by SuperDon
We are going to stick to printed advertising for a while - this is bringing excellent results.

What sort of printed advertising are you doing?

Originally posted by SuperDon
One word of advice, we are currently spending a lot of money on advertising with Bravenet and we have been very disappointed with the reponse.

We are going to stick to printed advertising for a while - this is bringing excellent results.
You'll probably find that your ROI on your AD $$$ will be less than spectacular. ADvertising may be good for branding or building awareness for your product, but not really good for the company looking for a positive ROI on their promotional investments.

IT's hilarious that back in the days when internet advertising was taking off, their claim was that you could measure the effectiveness of your campaign with immediete results from click-throughs etc. Now they say [noone is clicking] "let's not forget the branding power of your ad". lol :cartman:

Advertise at WHT Forum is a good way to start.

Originally posted by ktxhost
Advertise at WHT Forum is a good way to start.
If you're starting out, advertising at WHT might give you some brand awareness, but not many actual signups, IMO. Start with your family and friends and then promote to your "associate's circle". How many hosts that start out think they need to compete with the world on the global stage?

Look in your own back yard. There's folks there that need hosting too and they're easier to reach. Letterbox drops, advertising in your local newspaper etc. All cheap methods of customer acquisition. Also because you're promoting locally, you can charge more too...

Why not name your hosting business after your town. There's a good chance that noone in your town is running a hosting business with that domain name. "OakeyHost.com" etc. By identifying with your town, you create loyalty.

Originally posted by Gyrbo
I'm thinking about placing an ad on WHT or other forums.
Would this be a good idea, or should I better advertise in webhosting directories?
I was also thinking about Google, but I havn't heard many good things about them.

Thank you for any advice.

Here is afree way to advertise here.

1) Get some friends to register. Have them quickly post to build up their count. Quality can be crap like "I agree :D ".

2) After while when they can not be called newbies, have one say "I host with abd host" they are awesome.

3) Then have another friend come by and say "Me too they are great."

4) Finally, you come out of no where and say "Thanks guys. We are working hard to be the best..."

There you have it Free advertising. After awhile, you and your buddies can post in other peoples threads about other host and say "Sorry your host is down. You should try ABC host..."

After a while, you will get some "flies". (like a spider in a web). They will help you spread the word. Next thing you know, you are getting a good buzz and some clients for free.


**** Warning****

If you are a crappy host, this method will bury you. People will come back and flame you. So use with caution.


Edit - this was sarcasm.

lmao that's amazing

Dang! How did you know our advertising plan??? :D

Originally posted by UmBillyCord


Here is afree way to advertise here.

1) Get some friends to register. Have them quickly post to build up their count. Quality can be crap like "I agree :D ".

2) After while when they can not be called newbies, have one say "I host with abd host" they are awesome.

3) Then have another friend come by and say "Me too they are great."

4) Finally, you come out of no where and say "Thanks guys. We are working hard to be the best..."

There you have it Free advertising. After awhile, you and your buddies can post in other peoples threads about other host and say "Sorry your host is down. You should try ABC host..."

After a while, you will get some "flies". (like a spider in a web). They will help you spread the word. Next thing you know, you are getting a good buzz and some clients for free.


**** Warning****

If you are a crappy host, this method will bury you. People will come back and flame you. So use with caution.

Hmm, what kind of advertising can I do on WHT? Flat monthly fee, CPM, CPC, ...?

If you consider advertising on WHT for the sake of just earning money in one shot then you might not achieve your goals.

We advertised on WHT (and might continue to do so) to create brand awareness. The results have been good, if the current rate goes on we will recover the cost of ad itself in another week or so.

Now even if people dont buy a product right away, they will atleast remember that such and such thing exists and will be sure to check it out before recommending it to others or buying it themselves. Whether it is late or early, that doesnt matter.

Its a good investment I must say, worth a try. The advertising is based on flat monthly fees and they have two plans, you can choose the one that suits you. Your best bet is to contact Michelle for more pricing options.

Originally posted by Varun Shoor
If you consider advertising on WHT for the sake of just earning money in one shot then you might not achieve your goals.

We advertised on WHT (and might continue to do so) to create brand awareness. The results have been good, if the current rate goes on we will recover the cost of ad itself in another week or so.

Now even if people dont buy a product right away, they will atleast remember that such and such thing exists and will be sure to check it out before recommending it to others or buying it themselves. Whether it is late or early, that doesnt matter.

Its a good investment I must say, worth a try. The advertising is based on flat monthly fees and they have two plans, you can choose the one that suits you. Your best bet is to contact Michelle for more pricing options.
I still see your ads rotating. I think products that serve the hosting industry will sell well in that ad_space. Hosting products IMO are more for branding as there is so much competition in the forum itself etc...

yeah the ads gonna be there for another month or so and there are 90% chances we will renew.

I think you are right, there is a difference in selling hosting and products that serve hosting but the best way is to try, their plans start at $650~/mo so if one has the capital then there is no harm in trying. Even if you dont get a lot of customers atleast the brand image will improve.

Perhaps the WHT ad forums are more indicative of what the market would be like if an efficient marketplace existed - maybe the WHT forums are a small oasis where the market is efficient and the rest of the market is largely inefficient.

WHT reminds me of trading floors in the big exchanges, New York, Chicago, Tokyo ... and, if you do your research, you won't waste your money on junk issues.

Originally posted by Varun Shoor
yeah the ads gonna be there for another month or so and there are 90% chances we will renew.

I think you are right, there is a difference in selling hosting and products that serve hosting but the best way is to try, their plans start at $650~/mo so if one has the capital then there is no harm in trying. Even if you dont get a lot of customers atleast the brand image will improve.

So the advertising rate is $650/month? That's kinda "ou of my budget". I was thinking about $200 at most.

It starts at $650/mo for standard plan. Premium plan is for $1200/mo (What we opted for).

You should directly talk to Michelle in case you want to know more :D