Has anyone here tried advertising in Cybersocket magazine? They have called my a couple times but i'm still not convinced that printed ads are a good way to generate traffic.
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Has anyone here tried advertising in Cybersocket magazine? They have called my a couple times but i'm still not convinced that printed ads are a good way to generate traffic.
We've used Cybersocket for years. For what we are and what we do, it works for us.
Take care,
Patrick
Northstar, do a quick search of the forums for 'print' or 'print publication' and you should find a lot of info :)
Print advertising is good if you have an established brand name you want to keep in front of peoples eyes however, IMHO because the traffic gained from such advertising cant be effectively tracked, that is all it is good for, branding.
Of course we only ran one ad with Cybersocket but im sure that some others will be able to help you who have continually run advertising campaigns through the magazine.
Regards,
Lee
NakedSword advertises with great results in Cybersocket. I have advertised in Cybersocket which each of the companies I have worked for and had great success each time. Cybersocket is a unique magazine in that both consumers and webmasters read it.
The right campaign relies on both online and print advertising.
Print advertising works because people still like to hold something tangible in their hands.
Cybersocket is also an important staple in our industry as it brings people together, with it’s parties and events. The people at Cybersocket are wonderful and will help you pick out an package to suit your needs.
I have to second everything that Holly said. It should be noted also, that there are no other companies that do what Cybersocket does for our industry. Cybersocket was among the vanguard that defined the gay internet business and they continue to be on the forefront of every trend in our industry.
If you want to have anything to do with the gay internet industry, adult OR mainstream, and you have the budget...I would suggest advertising with them. If you don't have the budget, call them anyway and discuss other options. The people there are fantastic and always willing to help you figure out how you can best do business together.
I've booked ads in Cybersocket's Magazine and directory, AND sponsored all of their parties for over 5 years.
The reason I do that is that for the gay market specifically, print advertising is crucial to the success of one's branding initiative. The stats are out there; the gay marketplace is substantially more brand-loyal than the straight. So, while on the straight side, we can churn out sites and programs and convince every tom, dick and harriet to try them, on the gay it's crucial to build a strong brand with a good reputation (like Cybersocket has done).
As Lee mentioned, results are less quantifiable because the ad's in print... well, if we could just shut our eyes for a moment (just kidding, keep reading) and go back to a place in the not-too-distant past when there was no Internet (eek!) some of us may recall that even under those challenging conditions people still ran print advertising. Just because we cannot measure it per unique, does not mean it is doomed to fail.
If you want the gay market, build a strong brand with online AND offline advertising. This requires that you not run just one ad once, but many consecutive ads in a well-thought out campaign for gay business.
...and to do that, it stands to reason that one of the most effective places to run a campaign would be in a well-established, respected, and popular magazine about the Internet that's geared to the gay market... namely, Cybersocket.
Just my two cents... :biker:
Well said birthday girlie!
An extended advertising campaign could indeed produce some pretty good results.
But I don't think - and I risk stepping on some toes here obviously lol - that an immediate traffic boost is very likely when you advertise in a magazine such as Cybersocket. Your money would be best spent elsewhere.
BUT, Cybersocket offers an opportunity no other print mag around does that could in fact be a great investment in increasing traffic to your site. It's read by a lot of webmasters and industry folk. Do you have an affiliate program? Definitely consider promoting that through advertising. If you can reach out to webmasters and use Cybersocket to introduce new webmasters to your program and encourage them to sign up for it and send you traffic, then definitely go for it.
The direct traffic, i.e. an end user sitting there and reading the mag, seeing your ad and either going to the site immediately or recalling it down the line to then give it a visit, would be extremely hard to track and gauge though undoubtedly some of that exists (to how much of a degree is the question). Beyond just the traffic generation, there's the undeniable value of branding and increasing market exposure and name recognition, however.
But the indirect traffic, i.e. webmasters becoming aware of your program, choosing to give it a try, and the branding of that element of your business and then in turn sending traffic to you, is a very real opportunity worth considering.
Yes, print advertising works with the right ad campaign. Yes, the gay market is brand loyal, but something to keep in mind, which I'm sure you already aware of, is that the gay market isn't going to jump on board right away.
Be sure that you've completely saturated the market, and are able to continue - then you'll see the results you're looking for.
The gay market can be extremely hard to win over, but once you've got 'em, you'll never loose 'em!
Welcome to the board Matt, great meeting you in Florida. :)
Mark
Matt
I agree with what I have read. I use print as part of the long term branding strategy. And it is not something that I expect immediate returns on.
Good to hear that Cybersocket sounds like good place, I was just looking over print options and that seemed like one of the best that I could find. Nice to hear actual experience confirm that.
Hey Northstar,Quote:
Originally posted by Northstar
Has anyone here tried advertising in Cybersocket magazine? They have called my a couple times but i'm still not convinced that printed ads are a good way to generate traffic.
As your rep at Cybersocket and probably the person who has been trying to contact you regarding advertising, I was wondering if you were ready to talk print, now? :)
Hit me up...
:)
Suki,Quote:
Originally posted by sukime69
I agree with what I have read. I use print as part of the long term branding strategy. And it is not something that I expect immediate returns on.
Good to hear that Cybersocket sounds like good place, I was just looking over print options and that seemed like one of the best that I could find. Nice to hear actual experience confirm that.
Feel free to contact me with any questions!
Jake
Jake@cybersocket.com
AIM : jakemyers2001
Thanks Jake,Quote:
Originally posted by Socket2Jake
Suki,
Feel free to contact me with any questions!
Jake
Jake@cybersocket.com
AIM : jakemyers2001
Can you hit me up on icq?? I dont have AIM anymore. Would love to get your rate info.
Ya know *shameless plug* if anyone's at all spooked by print advertising and would rather pursue web-based advertising opportunities, there is prime, high traffic/exposure advertising space available on The Goo .
If you're interested, feel free to check out the info on that page and see if it at all conforms with a campaign along the lines of which you're seeking and let me know if you wanna work something out :)
October will be our first print ad and it's in Cybersocket. Compared to the other publications I checked, Cybersocket seems to be a great value, with particularly cool sales exec's. And, Cybersocket has been extremely helpful in the entire print ad process, from conception to design to placement. (Thanks, Jake).
I also believe that, especially when launching a site, choosing print or internet advertising shouldn't be alternatives. I think it makes sense to have both, to the extent it financially feasible. I should know in the next few months, but I think it makes sense to cover both mediums.