Hey folks,
The topic in the Web hosting forum got me thinking about which companies who are active here actually advertise there.
So is it worth advertising there? In my opinion, I think my company would look out of place in that forum as the other companies there seem to offer terabytes of disk space and transfer at ridiculous prices.
Regards,
Mike

I have been considering the same thing ColdKill.
I ran a hosting business about 5-6 years ago now. Reselling was common, but not to the ridiculous levels it is now. I remember sitting down with a calculator, sorting out exactly how much space each customer could have without overselling and never crossing that limit. Now I think its necessary to survive.
BUT it obviously works. It's a risk, but it seems to be paying off for everybody else. You either need to get with the pack or have something different, such as specialist (ie your community angle) or a golden service team.

It is somewhat worth it but there will always be companies that offer services at ridiculous prices with terabytes, these companies probably have to add money should the client use allocated traffic and disk space to the max. Some clients don't want any service so these offerings will exist.

Why do you guys want to compete with those hosting giants?
I myself planned a lot to advertise on forums etc but to be honest its not for us. I read about certain tactics used by some good old WHT users like Bob [ dotable's owner ] and advertised in local market. It worked cause local clients does not have more idea about overselling / dirt cheap prices etc and they always feel good to do business with a company which is within their driving distance!

I do business with local clients mostly at the moment, along with some clients from the internet. Really there are pages upon pages of advertisement within the shared hosting forum and I'd feel like my name (both my id and my companies name) would take a hit if I posted there.
Thoughts?

I agree, advertising a hosting business is tricky, any advice is welcome to me too

Make a few topics in the offers board and see if it makes any difference to your sales. That's really the best way to know. I don't think you'll be taking a negative hit though.

One thing I like to do is scan that forum for which posts get lots of views. Mostly, those are the overselling kinds of offers. But not always. And you can analyze what's being offered by everyone else and come up with something different.

You need a catchy title.
Don't compete with the 'unlimited' or the terabytes upon terabyte hosts.
Try advertising, it will not hurt you.
Regards,

There's certainly nothing to lose, other than your time. Advertising here hasn't worked for me, but I've found my customers mostly by word of mouth, most of which originated from friends, friends of friends, associates, colleagues and so forth.

Like any business once you got your product online, advertise advertise and do it everywhere i.e. local market, forums, internet marketing, flyers, anything you can think of. once you establish your business word of mouth will kick in and you will be happy.