PPC marketing is no longer an option for our business. Help Needed!

Any suggestions?

This might be a time to work on fine tuning your affiliate program.

Creating a new campaign that works on converting all of your current clients into affiliates might be a way to leverage an asset you already have while you are losing your PPC avenues.

Also, have you considered going offline? Since you will have the ppc budget freed up, you might want to sponsor tournaments or go for magazine advertising.

Then, of course, you could purchase lists of people who have purchased poker or gambling products in the recent past and do mailings.

I know, offline marketing can seem like a gamble though. (get it, gamble. nevermind, not funny)

-Scott

SEO
Article marketing
Banner advertising
Rented email lists...

I'd say banner advertising on relevant sites and SEO would be your best options. I'm sure there are more though.

You had to of known this type of thing was bound to happen with PPC.

Have you worked on SEO at all over the years? The poker niche is very profitable but in return extremely saturated. If your starting fresh with SEO it will take you at least a year to rank for the competitive keywords and that is if you work very hard and smart at it.

Find sites within your niche and market there. If you can get media buys an niche sites converting profitable expand it into non related sites but super targeted to your demographic.

Also look into media buying with popular newsletters. I know there are loads out there in the gambling market.

I think you should check out Project Wonderful and find a niche related website on there to advertise with. They charge via pay per day rates and I've had a lot of success with them.

Here's one idea... do a JV with retailers who sell poker related items. Cards, decks, mats, etc.

Secondly, I'd find out why PPC platforms are turning you down. Then simply adapt for them (as a side business) and then use whatever it takes to funnel the traffic through to your backend poker products.

In other words, if Yahoo doesn't like "education" sites, then simply build a new site that sells poker chips (or something.) It's just an example, but it's another option to reach your target audience "under the radar."

Also, don't neglect social media. It could easily dwarf your PPC efforts over time.

we have twitter, facebook, myspace accounts.. and get traffic from there.. but we need constant targeted traffic.

Outstanding Poker Social Network and Communities | Outstanding Poker Training School - Online Poker Training Videos

I think we are doing a lot of things right just hate losing all the PPC advertising. that was direct targeted visits that converted into signups.

I don't gamble, but I will say this to a fellow webmaster, marketing is tough and getting tougher. Re-start with heavy SEO now and continue with it from now on. This is a must. It should be your bread and butter...everything else...supplemental.

If your PPC days are over (or at least temporarily, because other PPC networks will rise) start a blog on your site and start writing articles. Cover events, news. Give hints and tips and don't stop.

By SEO what do you mean? I have SEO'd every single page.. KEywords, alt tags, header tags etc. Submitted to all search engines and directories, to social bookmarketing sites etc...

Do you mean article marketing, building backlinks?
stuff like this?

According to google keyword search
Poker Training - Global Monthly Searches 22,200
Free Poker Training - Global Monthly - 2,900

I figure we cant get on top page for terms like poker strategy
246,000 global monthly searches.. Cause there are so many poker sites out there that use this keyword.

There is one solid recommendation in this thread that is getting no treatment whatsoever.

Regardless of whether PPC is out of the question or not, you need to create and leverage an army.

Who is this army?

One word: Affiliates

Just 10 super powerful affiliates can launch you into a new tax bracket - without slaving over SEO, PPC, etc.

How do you recruit said affiliates?

Well you have the first part down - you've proven the product converts. Get an affiliate recruitment program going.

Sounds like you are selling infoproducts, so offer as much commission as you can - 75% or more if possible.

Then provide quality affiliate support. Use your PPC budget and hire an affiliate manager and start recruiting.

You can start from your customers. Get them to refer friends with a website link.

Then move out - start with this forum and other IM forums. Put your affiliate program in your signature link.

Start contacting competitors in your niche...there is no reason why you all can't get together and co-op on traffic. It's what the big boys do.

Contact big forums, high ranking websites, and offer them high commission on sales.

Also, sounds like you need to expand your funnel.

Start offering upsells/downsells and bigger, more expensive products. If you just have one or two products you sell, you constantly need to feed more people into your site. If you have 10 products, from small and cheap to huge and expensive, then you don't need near the traffic compared to before.

Change this NOW. Start selling more advanced stuff, physically shipped DVD's - etc. Increase your revenue on the backend, then start running other paid campaigns.

THE ABOVE is the best way to build a business, period. You can slave away trying to do SEO and take forever to do, or you can leverage the army that is out there (affiliates) as well as leverage the power of more products and really kill it, a lot easier than with SEO.

Rob

Media buys and PPV traffic sources sound like your best bet.

Have you tried to use ADBRITE? They are more open minded and we can get real cheap clicks from main sequence star sites with big names. Paying a lot less than Yahoo for viewers. The only problem is that we get lower percent conversion.

Most big sites on Adbrite are no longer using Adsense due to content deemed improper. Yeah, as in casino. They are also good for people because you can get clicks for pennies. My guess is that advertising on a gaming site would be ideal for you.