TopSixforSex – Dating Campaigns Landing page.

[olleper]

Okay friends - let’s kick off this little project.

A bit of background;
(Check this blog post, for more elaborate background on my affiliate marketing struggle. MEPSTAR)

I have been running a few dating campaigns as direct linking, have had some conversions but very poor ROI. The campaigns have been running on 7 Search only, have procrastinated the larger traffic sources while I've been busy setting up tracking and understanding campaign optimisation.

And in the process I had some questions that kept popping up;

When to use landing pages - and when to use direct linking?
Are landing pages a part of the campaign optimisation?
Can dating campaigns be significantly improve by a pre-selling landing page?

Well, I guess I answered some of the questions, as I know have commenced the mission of setting up some landing pages for my dating campaigns.

You will find the empty website here; The web site is under construction
The idea is to use a combined website for multiple landing pages, using the home page as an illustrated menu directing to the different campaigns. The actual campaign landing pages, could then be basic website pages with menu removed. (Or hidden) Alternatively, I could make them as sub pages, thus be able to use the campaign or the destination URL in my own URL;

www.TopSixforSex.com/LatinoDating
www.TopSixforSex.com/Be2
www.TopSixforSex.com/AsianDating

QQQ
Which alternative is preferable, which should be giving the best result?
How about building it as a normal website, enable visitors to go to different dating options through the standard menu?
(I’ve heard the saying; “If you give the visitors options - they choose none of them”?)

Another angle on landing pages;
Straight landing page - or should I integrates a squeeze page option?

I need to build databases and get going with mailing campaigns.
But is dating the right niche to creates databases and mailing campaigns?
I guess a list of potential clients is always a great asset, one can always come up with suitable products to market - if you have captured audience on your list.


Final question for today;
What CMS to use?
I have been using DNN “DotNetNuke” for probably 10 years now, I’m quite familiar with it and they do have a great technical support through DNNcreative.com. I have occasionally been playing a bit with WordPress as well, and at the moment I’m running two very basic WordPress blogs.

DNN is a Microsoft ASP platform, using the “*.aspx” file format. Looking around the affiliate marketing community, it seems to be predominantly “*.PHP” files and code that you’re producing?

Do we have any Microsoft ASP gurus here?



OK my friends - the project launched.

Looking forward to hearing from your, feedback and advise.

Have a Tremendous day! – And week!

Olle...

 

[crysper]

So you want to create one general LP and the users to choose from other sub-pages? I never heard of this approach on the situation you described and frankly I don't know if it will be effective. It's an extra resistance(letting them choose) and mostly may leave instead of making a choice. You better say them exactly do this to get this. Personally I think you are over-complicating things. Just focus on a traffic source, one offer and start driving traffic to the LP.

About mailing list for dating? Hmm...if you want to sell dating advice ebooks it may be a good idea. There are lots of CB products for dating, but you need a different angle, not one used for getting dating website leads. So if you are focusing on getting leads on dating sites, the instant conversion method may work the best....if you want to sell dating advice related stuff like pickup mastering programs or how to get your ex back ebooks, a list will be very useful.

I've been using Joomla for a few years and Wordpress. I think almost everyone here will suggest going on the Wordpress route. It's the most popular CMS and has the most extensions and plugins. It worths the switch.

PHP and Ruby On Rails here

 

[olleper]

Thanks for your response and feedback Crysper.

You are right about the complexity, I probably have a tendency to complicate things more than they need to be. - And to see things more complicated than what they are.

I have been running quite a few dating campaigns, and doing so from a few different affiliate networks. I kept it as simple as possible - direct linking - some have hardly converted at all, and the once who have given me conversions have still been on a negative ROI.

From this I came to the conclusion that I need to run landing pages to be able to pre-sell, to motivate and to explain the process.

Would this be a better option, and will it give me a chance to improve the conversion?


Having said that Crysper;
You did misunderstand my approach a bit, I am planning to use dedicated individual landing pages. The destination URL in each ad has to direct the visitor straight to the specific campaign landing page.

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Initially I would keep it simple, just ignore the home page, develop one page as a landing page - and then run a campaign towards that.

Then do the same with a second and third individual campaign, all on separate landing pages without displayed menu. ie; no options but using banners and links provided.;

To be continued….

Thanks again for your input Crysper, much appreciated.


Cheers

Olle.

 

[crysper]

Pre-selling looks like this.

scenario 1:
If you pass near a car dealership and you see a very nice car, but you don't really need it, you have an old one which is enough for you and you pass by without buying..

scenario 2:
you pass near a car dealership, you see the nice car, you don't really need it, but somehow the dealer appears in your face and starts selling the car. He turns the whole situation around and you are thinking to buy it...and you will.

That's how I see the DL and LP approach. Of course, you don't have to complicate things on the LP like a salesman, you get the idea.

OK, I got it wht separate LPs. My idea on this: maybe make some kind of blog/website talking about differences between dating websites, pros - cons or reviews that direct to these pages AND still keep them individual to drive outside traffic separately to each LP. However, the dating LP should be very simple...if it doesn't have a high signup fee.
For the blog you can drive SEO traffic and for the individual pages, from the ads...something like that if you want to go with this approach. But firstly make sure you make the individual pages convert, otherwise you won't get the most from the main website traffic.

 

[K]

When to use landing pages - and when to use direct linking?
Test both on everything! But more times than not I use one!

Are landing pages a part of the campaign optimisation?
Of course yes, intact optimising your lander can make the difference....In the future looking into Visual Website Optimiser.

Can dating campaigns be significantly improve by a pre-selling landing page?
Yes. You need to pre sale the offer instead of just shoving a dating lander down their throats - put an angle on it...for example a girls page with some sexy images and say "Click to see more" - "Sign up and search for profile xxx69" for example. Put it like this, you send a user to a sign up page most of them will click X in 10 seconds...send them to a page full of naked girls and you have their attention.



Hows this coming along anyway?

 

[olleper]

A good analogy Crysper.

And I like the idea about a bit of nudity K, it always catch attention. But to avoid copyright issues, do I need to find a dozen hot girls and persuade them to strip off for my camera? (Just joking, or dreaming, there’s images enough available.)

I did put up my dating blog HERE, but as it is one of 6 to 8 blogs that I need to maintain - it certainly haven’t got enough attention. (Will do a post about the “work load for a newbie Affiliate Marketer” when I feel like whining a bit.)

The SEO bit was one of the reasons for a combined full-blown website, even though I intend to “hide” the individual landing pages for each campaign. If I can have a homepage, a blog page and maybe another content or article page for the SEO purpose - I just might get some free generic traffic as well one day.

I will stick to your first advise Crysper - keep it simple.

For now I’m gona get one landing page up there, and start getting some traffic to it.


The Visual Website Optimiser looks like a great tool, but I guess I have to get organised and have a few good landing pages to monitor - and improving. For now I’m testing the AffKit tools, seems to be quite a lot of good stuff there too.

And I have tested direct linking, but as you say K, it seems like they have a quick review of the registration page - and then are out of there in 10 seconds maximum.

And how is it coming along?
Embarrassingly slow, - always something coming in between. Beside from a few other businesses that I’m still attempting to keep alive, I might need to prioritise a landing page for a fitness magazine before I commence these dating pages.


Thanks for your help guys.


Olle…

 

[olleper]

Hi Guys.
I haven't forgotten this one - and the website is now live.
(Probably shouldn't be without content - but it's there anyway.)

I'm desperately short of time - but will start building the individual landing pages as I get a few hours available.
(The menu's will be removed to have them as dedicated landing pages.)

Cheers

Olle...

 

[azgold]

Anything new with your landing pages site? Have you found that it's working for you?

I recently used a private page on my existing site to house two landers for A/B split testing. Didn't want the offer to show to regular visitors. Can't tell you how it worked because the offer got paused before it received 7Search approval. Sometimes it happens. But I plan on trying it with another offer.