By now, it should be obvious that I've been busy rounding up advertising for the site. Indeed, we have an entire page dedicated to our advertisers. You can find the entire list here (with more to come).
I've been very strategic in the relationships I've pursued. While I cannot control which ads show up in the Google ads, I can control which affiliate advertisers show up on this site (since I handpick them). I've made a conscientious decision to only pursue advertisers that I think you want to do business with. That may not always mean the largest commissions for me, but it ensures that I won't be putting a bunch of pathetic ads on the site that are only designed to enrich me. If I don't think you'll do business with them, they won't be an advertiser. If I don't believe in the product, it won't show up on this site. End of story.
A few of you are curious as to how I have procured all of these advertisers. There are companies out there that do nothing but round up companies who want to be part of an affiliate network. I've joined some of these networks. After that, it's a matter of applying to be an affiliate for the particular company that I want to be in a business relationship with. Because our site is small, and because we don't have millions of visitors every month, I get a lot of rejections. For example, a few weeks ago I submitted an application to be an affiliate with Meguiar's. Denied. I wasn't given a reason, but I imagine that it had to do with the traffic levels on the site (too low).
Likewise, some applications remain pending for some time. I'm a hustler, though, so I do what I can to expedite my applications. Indeed, two days ago I contacted the Advance Auto Parts administrator and asked him if he could take a look at my application -- since it was still pending. He took a look and approved me within a few minutes. Again, lots of hustling behind the scenes.
Because this is not my first online endeavor, I've taken a lot of what I learned from my other venture and applied it here. It's made launching and running this site a lot easier. This is, however, the first forum I've ever owned and operated.
My goal is to find more advertisers that we can do business with. I like finding these advertisers because it often results in discounts for us. Behind the scenes, I am constantly notified about sales and discounts that are available from my affiliates. When I see good deals, I make sure that the ads make it to ZHPMafia.com.
What I would like to do is reduce the amount of ads you see on the site, and just have you guys visit my affiliate page. The problem with that, though, is that the ads would be out of sight and out of mind. Every time a cool deal comes down the pike, I'd have to post something about it. That would get old and it would feel pushy (as though I was trying to make you guys buy something). That's not something I want to do. Therefore, I plan to leave the ads in place.
Affiliate advertising is cool because I only receive a commission if you guys buy something. If you guys buy something, then it means that the advertiser has something of use for you. That's a win-win in my book.
Anyhow, just wanted you guys to know where I am and where I'm going. I know you guys don't expect this much disclosure from site owners, but I've always liked to do things differently. It's what has set me apart -- in the past -- from similar sites. In fact, I have found that full disclosure builds up a lot of loyalty and trust between me and the users of the site. That's the way I've done business in the past and that's the way I plan on doing business here.
I think this site is chock full of great people. It's a real pleasure to come here every day and hang out with you guys. If we happen to make a few dollars along the way -- then it's all the better. Just realize that it's a secondary goal to what I'm doing here. The primary goal of this site is to provide a forum where we can interact with one another, exchanging ideas and information.
Please continue to enjoy yourself. And thanks for being a member of this site.
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Originally Posted by danewilson77
