$50 To The Person Who Suggests The Most Impactful Marketing Plan

Hi Andy,

OK, here you go.

Not knowing what niche you are talking about I can't be specific, however what ever niche you choose will probably have a charity it would support.

Examples, The health niche = The juvenile Diabetes society, Dr. Mani's kids, or one of the many Cancer societies, or even a famous hospital, children's or otherwise.

Almost any niche could support a "Green" charity.

Anything to do with animals of course has dozens of charities.

Anything that doesn't fall under one of the above would probably support their local schools, so your support could go to the school fundraisers.

Now give a BIG part of your first month's/year's/season's (you choose) profit to the cause of the niche you are targeting.

Contact the powers that be and show them you are serious by contributing something just to show good faith. If you deal with the right people for the right cause they will give you a ton of free publicity, not to mention the good will you will build on blogs and forums you post to with the sig file "I support the ......"

I know this works because we did it with local schools in conjunction with an offline business.

This helps others while helping you build something good. Win/Win.

George Wright

Hi George,

We already have a charity we support and my brother (who in this case is also my business partner) is a trustee on their board, so I appreciate your comments on that.

I guess it won't ruin peoples efforts if I give away the niche - it's the Quiz niche.

Andy

Do a contest/giveaway.

Since these have been done a lot, the item(s) would have to be significant, but consider the splash the #moonfruit contest caused with a handful of Macbooks.

Imagine what you could do with something crazy like a car (the "Quizmobile"). It could even be a vintage car... =D

-K

I didn't hear about the Moonfruit contest, but I like the idea. The one issue with that is that I'm not too inclined to start spending significant money before the site is up and making money.

There's actually going to be a unique twist to the way quizzing is being approached that would lend itself to focusing on, so I'll let my brain stew over how your comments could be incorporated.

Andy

Quiz as in just quiz, or logicall prolems and puzzles that kind of stuff Andy?

Steve M

Since they integrated the contest with Twitter and you had to tweet the #moonfruit hash to enter, it became of of the ranking terms over the course of the contest (which made it even more viral).

Others have done the same thing with blog posts. Each blog post with a link to the contest is one entry to the contest. Builds massive backlinks as well as having a viral effect.

Just imagine if you could harness both...

Steve - Quizzes specifically (at least for now).

I don't want to get too specific and have the focus be on the details of the niche as opposed to a powerful strategy that others could also benefit from because it uses effective components which can be tailored for the niche.

Kymi - You know me well, but I do think there may be some nuggets of powerful wisdom out there which will help me too

Andy

Irrespective of the niche...

1. Identify the people within your target audience
who have the greatest influence. The people with
the largest number of followers on Twitter. The
people with the most popular forums. The people
with the authority blogs. The people with the
biggest lists. The people with the most "friends" on
Facebook, Myspace, Youtube and other relevant
social sites.

2. Invite them to participate in a pre-launch review
event where you explain your concept. Listen and act
upon their feedback.

3. Offer those people "Charter" membership or other
elite status with suitable rewards for partnering with
you. Give those people a specific number of private
invitations.

4. Make your pre-launch by invitation only.

5. Initiate a press campaign announcing the launch
and make it clear that invitations are limited and
only available from key players.

6. Encourage your charter members to use their
invitations wisely. Build on the buzz through blog
comments, forums, Twitter, etc.

7. Watch your site/sales/membership grow as
people clamour to get an invite.

John

Make sure you come up with a name that does justice to your overall ideas.

Too many people brush this vital step under the carpet and wonder why their idea doesn't go beyond the trundleing along stage.

They spend weeks, months or years trying to market something that does not communicate much to anybody.

The right word or words can literally earn you a fortune and also save thousands in marketing, advertising and PR costs.

I'm a huge fan of quizzes/games on Facebook so maybe you could make an app for that with a quiz or two. Then have your link to you website for additional quizzes. Since you weren't specific as far as how you're monetizing the site, if it's paid then have a few free quizzes to draw people in and the rest hidden except for members. If it's a money maker some other way, well from Facebook people will follow the link.

I know not many are fans of FB advertising but the apps are very popular. Between FarmVille (or maybe it's Yoville) and Mafia Wars I'm constantly getting sent invites for them.

Good luck!
Teresa

You asked for a solid marketing plan that would catapult any new site to the top of its niche quickly. I have a few ideas, but first let me set the foundation as I understand it. The following components are essential to craft a complete picture and strategy for the new site. My apologies if any of this has been said before, but for those who are interested, you can use the "question and answer" style approach to fill in each section.

And no I don't think this is overkill. In fact it serves the bare minimum to produce a starting point for your own marketing plan, since every situation is unique and requires a customized plan.

If you want to dominate your niche area online, you might consider outsourcing search engine optimization (SEO) work. This will give your site a small set of backlinks, and the appearance of being an authority. You can build on this with your own social networking efforts, or continue to pay for ongoing SEO packages to boost what the search engines will see.

For your quiz website, I like the idea of growing your membership using incentivised cost-per-action (CPA) offers. You could create your own affiliate program, and run promotions to gather leads for new members. Payout to the affiliates is tied to actual member signups. Your CPA offer can be added to the pool of existing CPA offers on other incentive websites (get paid to complete this survey, etc.). Put a time limit on the promotion to keep the level of participation high.

Your advertising purchases might include a mixture of text ads and small banners on related websites. I like the idea of using offline advertising in quiz magazines and those small quiz/game booklets you see at grocery stores in the checkout line. Perhaps low cost classified ads in college newspapers and local community newspapers. Running coupons and discount codes will help you to track the source of these different marketing channels.

Very interested to hear what you decide to do. This could become an excellent case study from start to finish. Looking forward to it!

I never could resist your $50 specials, Andy

Here's a step-by-step plan:

1. Set up a network of blogs (4 or 5, on separate servers)
2. Interlink the blogs through Blogroll links
3. Post similar (same?) keyword-rich content to all blogs, daily
4. Ping all blogs
5. Post links on social networks (Twitter and Facebook + niche-specific ones)
6. Social bookmark them using OnlyWire.com
7. Have a link from each of the blogs in the network to your main new site
8. Write 5 to 10 articles, each with links to main site - publish on Ezine Articles and then others
9. Write a free report, offer it on the site, with giveaway rights, and links back to your main site
10. Write and distribute a news release with a suitable 'angle'
11. Create a short video with a catchy theme, post on YouTube (with link back to your site) and other video sites
12. Work on a systematic backlink program (like Angela's) for 4 to 6 weeks
13. Ask bloggers in your niche to write a review of your site/product
14. Set up an affiliate program if you're selling anything - and recruit affiliates
15. Convert your blog posts/articles into audio, and submit to podcast directories
16. Use directory submitters to post links on major directories/niche specific ones
17. Build backlinks to each of the blogs in your 'feeder network'
18. See if you can add relevant content to Google Knol, eHow, Yahoo Answers, Google Answers, Wikipedia
19. Launch an email newsletter, ask for referrals from all your subscribers
20. Run a contest to giveaway something of value - pick a winner from the ones who are most active in spreading word

All success
Dr.Mani

By far offline marketing with postcards!

Best way, buy a targeted list (do demographic research)

Check out:
NextMark - Buy Mailing Lists, Sell Mailing Lists, Learn About Mailing Lists

Pick out your demographic, blast the campaign, and get $$$

Cheers,

Also, facebook groups, PPV, PPC, Forum/blog/twitter posting (for backlinks)

Article Marketing, Torrent sites, Youtube traffic, Auto Blogs, Media Buys,
"Moving the free line", CL, Cork boards....

I'll get back with more when it comes to me!

Hi Andy,

I thought you'd retired to paradise until I received today's Twitter product mailing

One of the more unusual tactics that we often employ in similar circumstances is to hook up with a white label competition based lead-gen company.

Some examples off the top of my head are:

White Label Competitions - Home
Affiliates - White Label Competitions | getmeaticket.co.uk - the home of free UK prize draw competitions

They will produce all of the creative and run the competition on your behalf. You simply allow a pop up or prominent feature on your home/relevant page.

As it is an affiliate program you get paid per sign up/competition entry.

If you can prove your worth (ie with other successful sites that you run) they will even set up a specific program for you and market it to their affiliate database.

Alternatively you can set up your own affiliate program paying out based on results of your white label program and market it in all of the usual ways. Either passing on all of the commission or a proportion to your affiliates.

If you don't have your own in house development department this can be outsourced or again, if you can prove your worth, the white label company will set all of this up for you.

Generally, we do a combination of both options.

The obvious immediate benefits of course are,

Links
Exposure
SEO
Ranking
Listbuilding
Income!

Which are just what the doctor ordered for a site launch.

Tom.

*update*

Having re-read your post *properly* I wouldn't call my response a "marketing plan" but it is an effective tactic - particularly in your niche.

*update update*

Of course *they* pay for the top notch prizes - everything from iphones to widscreen tvs. Generally, these prizes are given away every month. You can also use entry to the competition for building your own highly targeted list. Or, again through the white label competition partners, go down the co-reg route.

Hey Tom,

No I'm not in Paradise - I'm in Boston

You're right about your tactic, it can certainly work when done effectively.

Thanks

Keep em coming.

Andy

Hey Andy,

Here's the easiest, least costly in both time, money and flat out work. Since you're niche is "quizzes" your market boils down to two types of focus groups.

1. People in an educational setting. Meaning, somebody who is taking or giving the quiz for training, learning, evaluating, etc. This is a pretty good sub niche if your product is some kind of tailorable software or something along those lines.

2. People who have the time to take the quiz. This is a much wider and easier to reach audience. This is Facebookers, MySpacers, Social Media butterflies.

I don't know if you want to give away something or if you want to sell something but I would look into market #2 and drill down to the stay-at-home, work-from-home mom crowd.

Therefore, I would search Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc for something like "coupons". Find any big blog that gets decent traffic, email the blog owner and offer up your product for them to review.

If you're selling something, tell them that you have an affiliate program and use it as a joint venture opp.

If you aren't, tell them that they can put their own CPM, CPA offer, etc on your page or wherever you decide to market this from.

Either way, give them a reason to push your quiz.

If that's not your market, then I may go ahead and practice what I preach on this one

Good Luck.

Seeing as your niche is the 'quiz' niche i have the perfect strategy that won't be a short bust of traffic but instead longterm and establish you as an authority in the quiz niche however does cost a bit to implement!

Now the basis of the idea is making a memorable quiz flash game!

This method has been used for many movies and also tv shows as well as cocacola and other products and brands.

Currently on the 'market' for quiz flash games the most well known one would be 'The Impossible Quiz'.

On the main leading games website with an alexa rank of 755 (addictinggames.com) the game has been played 41,914,344 total and averages 12,654 plays a day!

Now if say 10% of those people go to your site everyday then your looking at about 1,266 people a day just from the one game!

Only 1% and your still looking at 127 people extra a day which still isn't bad everyday!

Now im not sure on how you are going to be making money with this quiz site as generally these flash games type things are for people who don't want to pay for anything so your looking at freebie cpa offers and adsense as a basis for earnings here!

Now the main reason that this game is soo successful is because it is hard and enjoyable to play and people come back. Which then ties in perfectly with the whole 7 times before they buy phrase you see told by many marketers.

Plus with the whole traffic stats that i gave you they are a huge understatement as the game automatically goes viral if its good and will be shared on many sites, plus it is possible to have an extra level only accessible from your website as well as having your link and graphics though out the game itself.

If you were to submit the game to say 10 big hitting flash games sites then automatically the traffic would stack up and you would get traffic from day one but even better those smaller sites grab the embed code and add it to their sites! Soon creating an upward spiral until saturation point which is when if your game is designed well and is hard and brings people back then you will keep on getting 1000's of people to your site a day.

Now this is very un-conventional and different and in my opinion perfect for the quiz's niche! Almost too perfect.

However if you end up making any substantial money from this method i want more than just $50 LOL....

Nah do you research on this Andy and see for yourself but ive never heard of this being mentioned on the warrior forum at all and was a method i used way back and i re-branded a simple flash game which then brought me in about 100 more visitors a day to my flash games site and made me a few $ more income from adsense back when i first started.

Hope you enjoyed

Tom Brite

Hi Andy,

Since you are in a QUIZ niche, here's my suggestions:
1. create a QUIZ app on Facebook, Myspace and other Social networking sites. Don't forget to link to your site that tells it is powered by YourQUIZ product or it is just a bonus App on your main Quiz product.

2. Create an account on those Social Networking sites and ask your friends to do the same. Let them use your quiz app.

3. Re-create or install several quiz apps (different questions, different topic).

4. Add several friends with large friends count.

5. Make several groups and fan pages and let your friends join the list of groups.

6. Invite all of your friends to send you what are their favorite questions that most likely other people are intrigued to check it out.

7. Let all your friends invite all their friends and ask them to be co-admin of the groups you created so you could create teams for FREE to introduce the groups and let them email your members using a template you will provide.

8. Bookmark all groups and fan pages.

9. Create videos about the group and use tubemogul to send it to video sites. Don't forget the link.

10. Open a yahoo account and subscribe to a group with big list. Upload a video or report to the group and send a message to the group that you've uploaded a video that you think they have interest.

11. Create several articles about your product and post it to article directories using several article sites...example is the Articlebot of Big Mike. There is a member here named kabong who create accounts for ArticleBot, Tubemogul and onlywire for only $8 each account.

12. Create an account with Onlywire to bookmark your sites, groups and apps. Onlywire is free with a link back on any of your site. The only hindrance is the account creation because you'll have to signup to the list of sites on the onlywire bookmarking sites.

13. Create several press releases and submit to several press release sites. There are several press release submission software lately in the WSO. Just check.

14. Use a squeeze page on your landing page and create few autoresponder emails about your launch and your product. Similar to my quickminisitebuilder.com video squeeze page or create your own style. The important is the optin form.

15. Use a twitter plugin to your blogs to retweet your post to win a prize like a report or access to one of your membership sites.

16. Create several marketing materials for your affiliates and JV partners.

17. Create at least two salespage and ask your friends to which salespage is their favorite.

18. Create several jokes and funny videos that could create a viral approach and let them forward to their friends. Example is the tagline ==> Here's the face of my BOSS when I resigned! and linked to your site. Have you seen my BOSS face when I submit my RESIGNATION letter? Go and twist it!

19. Create a contest about a logo design and make it viral by sending the email to your friends and ask them to rate the designs. The most referral will win something.

20. Joint venture, affiliates and potential customers join together...imagine the impact when you build a community of those interested on your niche. Always give a teaser like sample chapters, first article is free, first month is free, $1 trial, tell-a-friend, forums posts and sig, classified ads like craigslist, wso, solo ezine ads, ppc, giveaway sites, viral reports to torrent sites, plugins for traffic, ping using pingomatic.com, comments, reviews, create thousands of sites using my quick minisite builder , thank you pages of your JV partners, banner ads to adbrite and adengage, etc.

Always think VIRAL! Create BUZZ!

Ross

There are some great ideas coming, I'm sure it's the first time I've seen some of them on this forum - so keep em coming..

Some interesting ideas in the answers so far - I wonder how many more interesting things will get posted before I pick the winner. I'm sure there are more warriors who would like $50 for 60 seconds typing a post.

Build a Quiz module on wordpress or plain PHP if not wordpress (the budget should be around $200 on oDesk or else) and distribute it freely.

That module would show some interesting stats on the publisher site and would allow the user to click on a link to take that survey from your site, something like that.

Patrice

1. Set up the quiz site as invitation only. Send invites to YouTubers who have big followings, but aren't so big that they're beyond reach. Ask them to try it out and give a video review of the site in exchange for their special invitation.

2. Rent signatures from top posters on forums (this usually runs at $2-$5 a month) that say something like "I scored 248 on Flash Quiz Site. PM me if you can beat that." Update the score every week or so.

3. Make a list of the 15 most addicting internet games, with lots of funny quips and screenshots. Include your site in the list. Digg and stumble.

4. Send special invites to blog owners with large followings in exchange for a blog review.

5. If they beat a certain very high score, put their picture in a Hall of Fame area.

6. Run a contest asking users to write a trivia question to be included in the site. Pick a winner once a day or week, and if they win, they get free credits.

7. Give "refer-a-friend" credits. They're credits they can give a friend to use when they sign up. Make sure you have it set up so that the same person can't use them.

Do a viral video "Slap Chop/Sham Wow" Style, attached with a giveaway.

James

Andy, you seem to know everything of Internet marketing. Anyway thanks for the offer and wish you good luck for this viral campaign.

What you need to do is to find Dr Evil and borrow his 'Interrupt TV show technology' as used on numerous Hollywood productions to so you can simultaneously cut live into TV shows all around the world and announce your new quiz.




Disclaimer;

I didn't have a genuine idea so thought I'd have some fun with it, which has to be better than just being negative for no reason.

Doesn't it?

OK, I will try harder.




Rich

Andy is a true pro...

One of the few guys I've met in person off here and been really impressed with.

His understanding of IM is top notch. Great thread!

If it is in the quiz niche then why not let people do the marketing? Viral concepts. You create your own quizzes and people can then share those quizzes with people, and create a community around it... "most voted quiz", "top quiz" see what your friends are quizing about,.. I don't know. That would just be thought on top of my head.

- Chris