Web Hosting Talk : Advertising Forums : Web Hosting Related Offers & Requests : Other Offers & Requests : Trying to generate Word of Mouth? Find out how we can help!

[ZBoca]

HostLook
HostLook is a hosting request system.

How do I generate Word Of Mouth?
As you know, the first step is to obtain customers, but for hosting companies with small/nil ad budgets, that can be very difficult.

With HostLook, hosting firms are able to bid on different projects, and acquire new customers. This is the best way to generate word of mouth, because its quick and easy to obtain a lot of new customers, and provided you give good support, you'll see a lot of referred sign ups coming in!

Unlike my competitors, I have advertising agreements set up with AdSensor.com, dkAds, and I have popups on RateMyHost and my other webmaster properties so quality leads are continually streaming in.

If you are a new web hosting company, or just a hosting company looking to obtain new clients, give us a shot for a month!

For an entire month, all WHT members will receive a reduced rate of only $79.99/month! Remember, 1 customer will make you x amount a month, but you're customer acquisition goes down when they start referring others to your service. In essence, 1 happy customer from our service could easily bring 10 customers for you.
1. What other benefits does HostLook have?
2. Sign-up

[bambenek]

So users have to pay $80/month to be able to bid on hosting requests, is that the deal here?

How is that different from eLance, except that one has to recoup $80 worth of business a month to NOT take a loss at it...

[ZBoca]

I'm not familiar with eLance.com, so I can't comment on how our services differ.

The deal is that users pay $79.99/month and are able to bid on hosting requests.

We have had 54 requests go through our system (1 week), and we have 2 web hosting companies signed up. In that way, I assume there is much less competition then eLance, and we will only accept 25 providers at the same time.

Zak

[bambenek]

Well if you keep only 25 hosts, how do you make sure they are good hosts, so that you will have customers that will go there expected decent service?

[ZBoca]

Originally posted by bambenek
Well if you keep only 25 hosts, how do you make sure they are good hosts, so that you will have customers that will go there expected decent service?

I'm not sure if I understand your question?

If the host is looking to generate word of mouth, but is having a problem due to slow customer acquisition, this is a good service that can bring customers in quick. If the host provides good service, the acquired customer will refer them in some way or form, or simply create word of mouth. Generate 30 of these a month, in 6 months, you not only have a strong customer base, but you're generating sales from word of mouth.

$79.99/month is a very small investment, especially if you consider that your acquisition rate decreases as one customer refers another.

1st month. --- 10 customers acquired
2nd month--- 10 customers acquired last month refer 3 customers
3rd month-- and on..

[AntiSpamHosts]

ZBoca, ignore him, $80 is a great deal. It's just some people on here don't understand the value of good advertising...$80, unless you are a immature kid who would rather buy a video game, can bring alot to your business.

[Taylor]

Originally posted by dreamHOBO
ZBoca, ignore him, $80 is a great deal. It's just some people on here don't understand the value of good advertising...$80, unless you are a immature kid who would rather buy a video game, can bring alot to your business.

bingo =) Looks great ZBoca!

[ZBoca]

Originally posted by dreamHOBO
ZBoca, ignore him, $80 is a great deal. It's just some people on here don't understand the value of good advertising...$80, unless you are a immature kid who would rather buy a video game, can bring alot to your business.

Thanks. Yeah- I realize some people don't have $80 to begin with, but I sure hope they wouldn't spend it on a video game if they are trying to grow their business!

[ATST]

Maybe I don't get it either.
So the $80 simply enables you to bid on aquiring customers. Wooopee. You could lose every bid, and totally lose the $80.
Or worse, you could win bids by cutting your prices so low you take another loss in addition to the $80.
I won't bid on customer aquistion. and I won't cut my prices so low to get customers that my business fails, and I lose everything, including the good customers I already had.

Also I think a good question was raised with the other 24 webhosts. What's to prevent a creepy webhost from being one of the 25 thus making all the webhosts look like creeps?

[ZBoca]

Originally posted by ATST
Maybe I don't get it either.
So the $80 simply enables you to bid on aquiring customers. Wooopee. You could lose every bid, and totally lose the $80.
Or worse, you could win bids by cutting your prices so low you take another loss in addition to the $80.
I won't bid on customer aquistion. and I won't cut my prices so low to get customers that my business fails, and I lose everything, including the good customers I already had.

Yeah- you don't seem to get it.

The $79.99/month allows me to pay AdSensor, dkAds,and whatever other methods of promotion I take to promote Hostlook. People that are actively searching for a host will put their requirements in for a host they are looking for, and the signed up hosts will be able to bid on the project. Woooopee

You could lose every bid, just as you could not acquire any customers while spending $300/month advertising on some hosting directory. I don't guarantee any results, but I do guarantee that you'll be able to bid on a steady flow of hosting requests. Thats my service, and its all I can guarantee.

Or worse, you could win bids by cutting your prices so low you take another loss in addition to the $80.

Should I also provide consulting for you? Listen- you bid according to your margins-- I have nothing to do with that. I personally would not mind selling small packages for a low price, because if you provide good service, you will have good referrals coming in. A $5.99/month account, instead of a $9.99/month account isn't going to kill anyones business, and if it does, you shouldn't be in business. Take a chance, work at a $4 loss for 2 months and watch that $5.99/month account talk about your services on forums, or refer friends and family to your site. It seems you're in it for a quick buck, so your views differ than mine.

I won't bid on customer aquistion. and I won't cut my prices so low to get customers that my business fails, and I lose everything, including the good customers I already had.

Yes you will- and you will sign up now!
No one is forcing you to sign up with my services-- this is an advertising forum, and I used it as that. I'm advertising my product. If you don't like it, don't waste your time, my time, WHT resources in posting in here telling me that you won't use my services.

Note: As mentioned in my earlier post, we have 2 hosts signed up. Your prices are most-likely too high if you're scared of competing against 2 hosts.

[rusko]

zboca,

this seems like a very good and innovative idea. the pricing seems to be fair as well.

with that said, do you know what percentage of those that requested quotes actually signed up with one of the hosts that quoted them? what i am getting at is whether the visitors are just window-shopping or actually ready to buy.

its not an attack, im not questioning your service, just asking a friendly question =]

cheers,
paul

[ATST]

The title of this thread said Trying to generate Word of Mouth? Find out how we can help!
It did not say "Pay us $80 to Bid on customers" which I find to be misleading. Those are two different things. I wonder how misleading your other advertising is.

Make fun of me if you like, but it's my money, and if you are trying to get it from me, you will answer my questions. If answering me bothers you, the only hosts you are likely to get will be the creepy ones I was talking about.
Also, I'm not worried about 5.99 plans. (nice job jumping to conclusions though) If you have checked out the request forums here, everyone undercuts the other host until somebody gets offered 1.99 or even .88 hosting. And it's free. Under your imaginary guide lines, I guess those forums should be changed to "Word Of Mouth" forums.

Gee, it only took one post by myself adressing your thread title, to bring out the rudeness in you. Good luck in your business venture.

[ZBoca]

Originally posted by rusko
zboca,

this seems like a very good and innovative idea. the pricing seems to be fair as well.

with that said, do you know what percentage of those that requested quotes actually signed up with one of the hosts that quoted them? what i am getting at is whether the visitors are just window-shopping or actually ready to buy.

its not an attack, im not questioning your service, just asking a friendly question =]

cheers,
paul

No- very good question.

I'm really not too sure, with my system its not possible for me to track conversion rates. I can say that the users that come to RateMyHost are in a "buying mood", meaning they were not sent to the site by incentive, and after they submit a request I believe the chances of them buying increase. Of course it depends on many other factors such as pricing, etc., but they have taken 2 voluntary actions in finding a host, which makes me think those users lean towards the the users buying, and not simply browsing-- I could be wrong.

My other ads are also placed on webmaster sites, but the majority sites are just that, webmaster sites and not hosting directories, so the traffic from there could be a bit of both-- window shoppers and users ready to buy.

Thanks,

Zak

[ZBoca]

Originally posted by ATST
The title of this thread said Trying to generate Word of Mouth? Find out how we can help!
It did not say "Pay us $80 to Bid on customers" which I find to be misleading. Those are two different things. I wonder how misleading your other advertising is.

Make fun of me if you like, but it's my money, and if you are trying to get it from me, you will answer my questions. If answering me bothers you, the only hosts you are likely to get will be the creepy ones I was talking about.
Also, I'm not worried about 5.99 plans. (nice job jumping to conclusions though) If you have checked out the request forums here, everyone undercuts the other host until somebody gets offered 1.99 or even .88 hosting. And it's free. Under your imaginary guide lines, I guess those forums should be changed to "Word Of Mouth" forums.

Gee, it only took one post by myself adressing your thread title, to bring out the rudeness in you. Good luck in your business venture.

Firstly, you just added the first question to your first post. Initially, you did not ask any questions, you merely said you were not going to use my services, and implied its a bad service. I am here to answer questions, and for the other posters, I'm sure I've answer their questions just fine. You, on the other hand, had no question in your first post, and you were simply flaming my service. I don't like McDonalds hamburgers, when I see their commercials do I run into their store yelling telling them I'm not going to eat there? Don't waste your time here either.

Make fun of me if you like, but it's my money, and if you are trying to get it from me, you will answer my questions. If answering me bothers you, the only hosts you are likely to get will be the creepy ones I was talking about.

I'm not making fun of you, I'm making fun of your first post that attempted to flame my service. For the record, I would rather you not sign up with my services, because you are in it for a quick buck, and the hosts I pressume will benefit from my services are looking to generate word of mouth in addition to their other marketing objectives.

Also, I'm not worried about 5.99 plans. (nice job jumping to conclusions though) If you have checked out the request forums here, everyone undercuts the other host until somebody gets offered 1.99 or even .88 hosting. And it's free. Under your imaginary guide lines, I guess those forums should be changed to "Word Of Mouth" forums.

eh?
Either you are posting in the wrong thread, or you skipped my entire post! Word of mouth is generated by obtaining clients and providing good service. (note: you have to provide the good service) New resellers are often complaining in "Running a Hosting Business" about generating word of mouth. A fix for this is obviously to find a way to obtain clients quickly. My service is geared towards assisting resellers (anyone) in quickly obtaining clients, even working at a small loss for a month, and then benefiting from the number of referrals.

Yes- in my dream world, or under my "imaginary guide lines", or perhaps from my business sense, Hosting Request could also pass as "Generating Word of Mouth"-- atleast from a web hosts view. Do you really think the guys taking packages as low as $.88 are making anything? No way-- they have some free resources, or they have a little extra money so they are going to take a cheap/small account, provide good service, and reap the benefits of referrals and/or word of mouth.

Gee, it only took one post by myself adressing your thread title, to bring out the rudeness in you. Good luck in your business venture.

My post was rude, and I have no remorse for it. I don't have the free time to play games back any forth with you. If you had asked questions seeking answers, I gladly would have answered them in the same manner I did with the other posts, but again to sum it up, do you go in McDonalds and tell them you're not going to eat there?

[ATST]

It was your false advertising in the thread title that lead me to read your post. Therefore I will assume it will be false or misleading advertsing that will generate your traffic, and thus, the webhosts that got suckered in to paying you $80 will not get much positive "word of mouth"

If Mickey D's said "Hungry for Steak - come in and see what wev'e got" I would definately give them a piece of my mind before walking out. I don't care that their hamburgers came from a cow that was also cut into steaks. I came for steak, and left because I didn't want what they offered instead of it.