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| | The Minding Your Own Business Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | | Advertising is not Working (or Networking) | Views: 1585 | | Nov 15, 2005 1:44 am | | Advertising is not Working (or Networking) | # | 
John Stephen Veitch | | I started out trying to help a Ryze member who said she had a problem. Checking out that problem I came across a remarkable series of letters (5) complaining about Ryze where the writers demonstrated little or no understanding of Ryze. Newbies I thought. But no, not at all. Months in Ryze: 12, 12, 15, 26, and 27. Two of them were network leaders.
Two of them were in lots of networks, but three of them were only in business or advertising networks. All of them had extensive lists of friends. All 100+ which is a lot. There was something I noticed about their Ryze Homepages, that they had in common. All 5 pages were business advertisements, followed by an active guestbook.
Looking at the names of the guests and the friends, there is hardly anyone I recognize. I've entered a new world.
So I check out six networks that were the common networks of the three people who joined only a few networks.
"Opportunities Now" - Closed
Was getting 70+ posts a month. "6" views per post.
Zero replies to any of those.
"Direct Sales Help Now" Stamatoula Stellas
135 Posts in a month. "16" views per post.
97 of those posts were replies.
"ADD your AD" Judy Gow
25+ posts a day. "3" views per post.
Zero replies to any of the posts.
"Sweet Success" Closed
About 150 posts in 30 days. "4" views per post.
118 of those posts were replies.
"Promote Yourself Now" Geir Haken Hansen
200+ posts per month. "5" views per post.
16 of those posts are replies.
"Person to Person Network" Closing. Going to Yahoo.
250+ messages a month. "8" views per message.
About 160 replies to messages each month.
Contrast those results with the following:
"The Network Leaders Network"
17 topics in the last month: "40" views per topic.
70 Replies (33 of those on one topic)
"Veech Innovation Network"
16 topics in the last month: "46" views per topic.
38 Replies
What's my conclusion?
Those who think of Ryze as a place to "advertise" are not networking effectively. The advertising networks are popular, (lots of posts) but they are ineffective (very low readership). Besides the people who are involved there don't learn much from each other. Remember I started here by following up on a clueless discussion.
The number of posts to a network is a poor measure of it's value. Posts that generate replies, and the number of those replies would be a better measure.
Interesting?
JohnPrivate Reply to John Stephen Veitch | | Nov 15, 2005 4:37 pm | | re: Advertising is not Working (or Networking) | # | 
Jill Henry | | Excellent post, John.
I totally agree.
I've seen the same thing happen with a few Yahoo Groups that I joined long ago.
Here's an example.
One of the Yahoo Groups is for work-at-home moms. The group goes along with a web site that is set up to get leaders across the states to volunteer and they set up meetings in their towns. The meetings are meant to get the business owners together to get to know each other and have a presentation each month on something business-related that will help the business owners out. It's not meant to be a time for folks to get together and try to recruit everyone to join their MLM, for example.
It's a great idea to have these little groups across the country. The main web site gets some traffic, and interested folks are able to look up their city and see if there's a group where the live. If so, they can visit. If not, they can start one without having to pay fees to the mother ship.
OK, back to the Yahoo Group.
Rather than using the Yahoo Group as a way to continue the dialogue, keep members pumped, point them to helpful articles or statistics or message board posts that would benefit these moms as they build their businesses, would you like to guess what the main activity of the Yahoo Group has become?
Ads are allowed on Tuesdays, so the only time there is ever any activity at all is when we're bombarded with ads once a week.
That's it.
Nothing helpful at all.
What's crazy about this is these moms aren't bothering to target their messages. The folks in the Yahoo Group already have a business. They're already working on something. They've already invested money, time, energy, etc., into whatever they're doing.
Spamming the group once a week isn't going to make someone say, "Wow! Look at this! If I pay $100 by this deadline, I'll get $15 worth of free candles. I'm going to chuck this business that I've been working on for five years and grab those candles. Yippeeeeee!"
They're preaching to the choir. It's a lazy way to go. If these moms seriously want to sign up more folks in their business, they need to get out there and find people who are interested in business but haven't made a decision yet.
Of course, there are exceptions. Maybe someone is already in a business but they're not happy with it. Maybe someone would like to add another biz to the mix -- possibly a business that complements what they're already doing.
But, for the most part, the Yahoo Group that I'm talking about (and I'm sure there are other similar examples) is full of moms who want to sign up more people under them in their MLM and that's that.
What a waste!
I'm active in other message forums and Yahoo Groups where ideas are constantly being exchanged. There's always a conversation going on. People are even willing to help out their competitors in some cases because it's a way to help build their entire industry.
Enjoyed your post, John. And you're right. If your sole purpose is to advertise your business, people will see right through it. What works better is to use the old "Pay it forward" approach.
Jill in MO
Special occasion? Send A Greeting YARD
http://www.AGreetingYard.com
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http://www.lawn-greetings.com/forumPrivate Reply to Jill Henry | | Jan 20, 2006 9:45 am | | re: re: re: Advertising is not Working (or Networking) | # | 
Leo Hanes | | When I joined RyZe I thought it was a place to network with like minded people,,,,NOT to advertize every time one enters the fray.
I, Like most networkers already have a business,,,,,all I really want is to share ideas how to make it work better,,,even what NOT to do can be a gift!
We have to give something before we get anything back
Leo Private Reply to Leo Hanes | | Jan 20, 2006 2:20 pm | | re: Advertising is not Working (or Networking) | # | 
Walter Paul Bebirian | | Dear John -
In the long run there is no telling just how effective anything that we are using today is or will be - From a certain perspective (let's say from that of a person utilizing the telephone or smoke signals utilized by the American Indians - I don't know if there is an equivalent medium to smoke signals where you or many other's outside of the U.S. live) there has not been much time to explore, create and implement methods with the Internet let alone RYZE which I believe is newer than the Internet and the World Wide Web and of course there will be fiurther developments along the way in addition to the fact that many of the tools that are available here on RYZE are not that obvious or it is not clear as to how to use themto some people exactly how to use - So I suggest to hold off the assesment as to whether something works or not a while longer and not to put too much pressure on any of these marvelous tools to produce anything in the way of what you are looking for - and to instead let yourself be surprised.
Of course some tools can be used in many ways and even what might seem an improper to one person may work out tremendously well for another (As an example I knew a man who did just about all of the renovation work on his home with a hammer where others might have utilized a screw driver, or pliers or some other tools in addition to the hammer - but as it turns out this fellow was probably also venting anger at the same time he was using that hammer for the reconstruction:-))
I myself have received quite a number of unexpected and substantial assignments from my web site recently and a great number of positive responses to the way that it was created - is set up - and functions as well as to the positive way in which it displays much of my work -
thank you!
WalterPrivate Reply to Walter Paul Bebirian | | Apr 15, 2006 9:48 pm | | re: Advertising is not Working (or Networking) | # | 
Audrey Okaneko | | I'm fairly new to this group but not to groups in general. I actually started as a Mac Girl many many years ago and co owned a community on the long dead eWorld.
When eWorld shut down, AOL gave us a contract and we ran the community over on AOL until they got rid of their partners several years ago.
As I stated in my intro post, I went MIA for two years. I've been somewhat blown away since returning. I've always loved message boards as a way of meeting other folks. I've been back on Ryze one or maybe two weeks now.
What has most blown me away are those groups that do allow ads. The folks who place the ads seem to be folks who don't post the other days of the week, only the ad days. The other thing that has blown me away are the amount of folks who answer every intro post with a "welcome to the group" and those are the only posts I ever see from these folks.
In the short time I've been back, I've copied several posts to my HD and have even emailed some to others I know, so I know there are many folks here on Ryze willing to help and willing to share their knowledge, but I'm feeling a bit like a person looking for the needle in the haystack weeding through the messages.
If I were looking for what the folks whose posts I've saved were selling, you bet I'd contact them. And like I said, I've forwarded several posts to others. The folks who say "welcome", I truly can't imagine contacting them for products, services, or even advice.
Denise, I'm loving that you gave me the "old posts" link to go through the archives of this group :)
Audrey
http://www.scrapping-made-simple.com Private Reply to Audrey Okaneko | | Apr 16, 2006 12:07 am | | re: re: Advertising is not Working (or Networking) | # | 
Reg Charie | | Hi Audrey, Welcome back to the group.
Oops did I say that out loud? Better not post again.
I have been watching this thread with interest as I joined this network to
participate and market my services.
If marketing is not working for you, it might be good to consider just why it is
not.
There are many more factors than just replies to posts.
First we must make some assumptions:
- Your business is online.
- Your business website presents your information concisely and
accurately, telling visitors what is in it for them, before telling what it
is you do.
- Your site has a definite "call to action" - E.G. JOIN NOW - BUY NOW
If you meet the above criteria, then it is time to look at how you are
presenting your marketing efforts.
Just posting a BUY ME - THE GREATEST OFFER SINCE SLICED BREAD
www.my_great_offer.com is not going to work for 2 reasons.
First, there are just too many newbies getting started that have identical or
similar offers.
Second, they are Preaching to The Choir as stated above. To be successful ads
have to be placed where there is an interest.
Third, the poster does not give an easy route to their website. (hey, I never
said I could count)
This is a key omission.
Looking through this thread, I see 6 posts, excluding my own.
Of these 6 only 2 people have included links in their signatures.
Of the 2 that included links, neither used "Anchor text" properly.
Let me take Audrey's link to her site as an example. Audrey used
http://www.scrapping-made-simple.com as a link.
Now I am not a scrap book user, so when I read the link, I did not know to what
it referred. Scrapping? Scrapping what? Cars? Recyclables? How to argue. (Ok I'm
stretching a point.)
To get a maximum "call to action" and search engine "Brownie points", the link
should be written:
See our site for a full selection
of scrapbook supplies. Binders, inserts, cutouts and pages.
Some of you are going to come back with "I am not a Ryze member, I cannot enable
the signature function".
Let me tell you a secret. You do not have to join to use a signature.
All you have to do is make a template in your favorite website editor and use it
to compose your Ryze posts.
When ready to post, switch to code view, copy the message and post in the Ryze
form field. It will come out formatted with active links.
Another factor to consider in networking is that you have to establish your
credentials.
Posting ads does not address this.
Answering questions and/or contributing to threads does, if your information is
on topic and sound.
Another way to use the network is to contact, (PM), individuals or businesses
that would benefit for something you have to offer.
This is best done as a joint venture proposal.
Joint Venturing is basically an advanced form of networking. Instead of a wide
network of associates that may or may not profit from what you offer, a JV
network is a close alliance of individuals with a common goal.
In proposing a JV you have to tell the people what you are willing to do for
them.
Explain how you can help the ones you are contacting make money, and be up front
about what it is you are proposing, and what you would require from them.
Let me give you an example. My JV network is close to bringing a new offer to
the table.
We are looking for people in North America with a talent for organizing.
In preparation to our market announcements, I have been PMing some Ryze members
that might be interested in making several thousand dollars in a weekend.
Response has been good.
Most of the people I contacted got back to me in an instant messenger chat where
I could lay out our proposal.
It is not a "hard sell". It is not a "pie in the sky" operation. It is a logical
extension of a real world business that is currently operating on a local only
basis. My JV partner is willing to supply a considerable amount of his time and
expertise for the organizer.
The net result is win/win. Both make money.
If anyone is interested,
PM me or go to
my website's contact
page for my instant messenger IDs or use the contact form provided.
Reg
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nothing. Private Reply to Reg Charie | | May 18, 2006 2:52 am | | re: Advertising is not Working (or Networking) | # | 
Michael R Clayton | | Hi John and all.
I am a paid member here. Therefore I can do a lot of private messaging and I find ryze community is working well for me.
I joined to make contacts with other marketers to network, share ideas and consider other programs I can join to increase my income.
You may say I am advertising in my posts because I tell people what I do and also I make many suggestions and on occassions link to my own pages to explain to readers how I get people to buy from them online or to make some point or expand on information.
One of my interests is getting traffic to web pages. My belief is if you can get enough traffic to your web page you can sell almost anything online. I'm not a big fan of products unless it is something you cannot get offline. To me services and webmaster type software or advertising are easier to sell.
Generally I read many posts but do not allways post a reply. I am looking to make contacts and work together with other members for mutual benifit. Even if it is only exchanging links.
This is an interesting post so I have been following it.
Regards Michael
My Communities http://www.networking.love-au.comPrivate Reply to Michael R Clayton | | |
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