Advertising - What Works - What Doesn't

I've done a lot of advertising in publications in the past.

I've advertised in Specialty Publications magazines, Cybersocket, The Gay Net DIrectory Book by Cybersocket, Flesh4Men, and one other I can't think of right now.

Here's my experiences....
Cybersocket... Great for trying to get studios and webmasters for your sites. Anything else, useless!

Specialty Publications.... Didn't get a damn return

Gay Net Directory.... Same as Cybersocket

Flesh4Men... I signed a 1yr Contract with them about 6 months ago. I regret ever doing it. I haven't made a single return on it. My website hits... NOTHING! Not even a rise.

I did however purchase a full page ad in Freshmen, the anniversary edition last year. I advertised 4 sites on one page. Now that worked. I spent a chunk of money on it. But didn't reach a profit, just broke even.

One other thing that worked for me was last year around December, Cybersocket sends out a mass e-mailer to their subscribers. I advertised my old DVD sales site: GetGayMovies.com which is now a membership site... And I had competition with TLA Video, BuyGay.com, and Movie Mountain. And I did fucking great on it! Of course, I don't sell DVDs as high as others. But I made back 5 times of what I spent on the emailer in profit.

If anyone wants web-advertising. I suggest Cybersocket's holiday mass-emailer. My rep is Douglas Richter. He's so awesome! But anyways, that really works!

I just thought I'd post my experiences.

So what you are saying is, a bar rag is read by more webmasters than 'surfers'?

Interesting stuff, im sure their current advertisers would love to know that they are wasting their money on consumer traffic :thumbsup:

Regards,

Lee

When you say Bar Rag I think of "type"

Going with FL bar rags ...

411 is read by a lot of people in south FL
Buzz is read all over FL
Contax (not sure if it's even around any more) is mainly central FL
Watermark is central/north FL
Gazette is Central FL
TLW is central FL

Of all the listed, I would assume TLW to be the only real marketing magazine for adult sites.

Of all listed, TLW is the only one that talks trashy, has trashy bar ads and doesn't post news (well, not real news). What they replace the news with is a 3 page, 20 questions with the cover model about his cock and a series of semi nude, erotic-esq photos.

First off, I love Cybersocket. They are awesome people!

Here's what I've advertised with Cybersocket:
GetGayMovies.com - A DVD Sales Site - No longer in existance (now a membership site)
SebastianBucks.com - My webmaster affiliate program

and I've advertised my studio site.

I never received anything when I advertised GetGayMovies.com all I got was studios wanting us to carry their titles.

I Never received anything with Sebastian Sloane Productions

SebastianBucks... that's where I received my affiliate program.

Yes, advertising is good for branding in any way or aspect.

But if your wanting to make money from Consumers... I don't think its the best way to go.

Cybersocket appears to me as a consumer / webmaster publication. Cybersocket was great for me when I first started business. It taught me how to get started, what works, what doesn't. That's how I found out about Cybersocket.

But I think it's best means of attention is towards webmasters, but even then it's iffy.

I just don't think advertising in publications is your best means of attention. I think if you have an online website.... you should advertise online.
Like I said about Cybersockets mass-emailer, that worked great for me. I made a phat return!
BUt nothing else has really worked.

The best advertising I've made is:
Banner Trades (which I always do, if interested let me know)
Make an online website which markets your sites
Affiliate programs of course
Purchasing traffic
things of that nature
and mass-emailers.

it could mean simply that for whatever reason, people who read this magazine - or perhaps any physical magazine - are less likely to be online at home, or perhaps less likely to use a magazine to decide where to surf.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lee

So what you are saying is, a bar rag is read by more webmasters than 'surfers'?

Interesting stuff, im sure their current advertisers would love to know that they are wasting their money on consumer traffic :thumbsup:

Regards,

Lee

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Badpuppy has had great luck with Cybersocket, both webmasters and consumers. We bought their very first ad in their very first magazine, back over a decade ago.

Webmasters from around the globe get them mailed to them and at conferences and consumers pick them up not only at bars, but many, many other drop locations, including big consumer events such as GayDays, NY Pride, LA Pride, San Francisco Pride, Erotic Expos and all types of other consumer events.

Our best returns as far as paid subscription magazines is Allboy Magazine, Badpuppy Magazine, Freshmen Magazine and Men Magaazine. If you'd like to hit me up offline, I'll give you very specific numbers for the last 3 months that will tell you how many new member sign ups stated that they heard about us via a particular magazine.

I can also tell you other regional magazines that have done well for us!

Lisa :)

Lisa darling!

If you could email me that information it'd be awesome! My fear in advertising is that I may not get a return back. So that's why I don't explore too many options.

I may advertise in All Boy magazine as we spoke in the past. But it would happen after the first of the year. I have way too much on my plate right now:
Buying out 2 studios
My own studios
My 100+ membership sites
My download 2 own and VOD site
I'm now selling my studio content at SebastiansContent.com (launching tomorow)
The Mr. Nude USA National Pagent
so on and so forth.

So email me the info on All Boy Magazine, and what your returns like. I dont need to see money figures. I just want to be ensured that I'm going to at least make back what I spent on advertising and marketing.