Well I have held off on this post for long time now and have been chatting with members and other site owners and I’m going to take a big STEP here and stopping the insanity.
Earlier I had put in an email that there were some changes coming down the road for Zaney Clicks – well I have spent days behind the scene looking at stats, I have went back thru all the members emails that I have got with suggestions, new ideas, and I’m listening.
I know it don’t seem like it sometimes but I do – and I thank all the members for being honest with me – and I was going to wait till the first of the year but when I looked back at the calendar of events, the stats etc. I have decided that the time for stopping the insanity is NOW.
AND what better time to write this post – Halloween – so for some of you this will be a treat and some of you will think it’s a trick. Beginning November 1st – ALL regular monthly promos will be canceled. Shocked you didn’t I?????????????
Well before you get all hiper – let me tell you what I have been hearing from members and they are right – we spend all this time setting up daily promos when that time could be spent working harder for YOU helping you get the traffic that you need, getting the referrals that you are looking for and earning the money that you are wanting to. So in the future that is what I am going to be doing with the new things that just started at Zaney Clicks – they are going to be a bigger benefit for you as a member and help you the way the site should be helping you..
A few of the new changes have been started with some pages in rotation that has a code and only upgraded members can see and claim – they have a week to make the claim and each get a prize for claiming the codes. After claiming the code all those members are put in a drawing for a referral and the other a week start page.
WHY in the world would I do this – well the reason is that these members have invested in this site by upgrading and I feel that they should also be able to have a chance to build their list. So this site is going to help them do that by giving away more ACTIVE random referrals, login spotlight pages, start pages, etc. There will be codes, bonus pages, hangman and other ways that free members can keep earning but I’m also going to take the pressure off you with trying to surf the most.
See I know from experience that these forms of advertising work – when a person can build their list they start making more money, when they can show their pages to everyone for a week they are more likely to get more referrals and also earn more money.
NOW the bottom line here as I know some people are thinking what about the cash that I am earning as of right now this site has paid out some great commissions and will continue to do so. You will just have new and different ways to earn those commissions and the one that I will be keeping is when I catch you promoting as I surf.
So just wanted to say to all the members that have been in touch with me since July 2012 when the daily promos started – thank you, thank you and thank you for finally getting it thru my head that you DO NOT want to join anymore sites just to win some prizes. I heard you when you said that you want to surf the sites that you like and stick with them. You have also said that you are tired of the pressure of so many promos, you are tired of them and want something different. Well you are going to get something different.
Will this all happen overnight – the answer is NO but I also felt that is was just time to stop talking about it and go cold turkey. So as of November 1st the only promos that will stay on the calendar Money Monday and Take A Break Tuesday. We will still have the events that are already set up with Magical Journey and will continue any events that we are in as of now but the others will be canceled. I will be getting all the promo prizes caught up and then starting the “NEW” events that have been planned for Zaney Clicks..
Another change that I have listened to is the upgrade that I give away to the person that surfs the most for the week – and thanks members for telling me that I’m wasting your credits for allowing that one – so that one has been changed and it will go to the person that has the most sales.
So we will still have 3 upgrades given out each week and they will go to the person that finds the Treasured Site, The Most Referrals and Person with Highest Sales. We will still draw a winner from the list of people that submit the site to the Text Link in the email.
So wanted to get this out tonight so that when you see the calendar clean in November you will know why. All site owners that are reading this I will be personally chatting with you on this matter. I would like to personally thank everyone that has hung in there and put up with so many promos, and thank to all the members that have come to me with your suggestions, new ideas etc. – this is going to be fun to get these started.
Thanks Nancy That is great I have so many sites I can’t possibly sur them all
and the amount that is requiired to get anything is too much. So thanks again for stopping the insanity.
Barb
Well I just heard from so many members the same thing and I know being a surfer I didn’t even know where to go anymore
Hi Nancy.
Thanks for a great and timely post.
I have been wondering how long you would keep it up, having so many
promos.
I have realized it quite a while ago, that our members dont like too many
promos, and certainly not having to surf so many sites.
So we do just a few and mostly with our Leader Group TE’s and
a Guest. these are well liked.
I am so pleased that you are making all these good changes. It certainly will
induce me to surf Zaney’s more often in the days to come.
I am sure I will now get a better return on my credits too. 🙂
All the best to your success.
Monika
Thanks Monika and I agree – it’s not that I will not ever have something fun with other sites
but it was just way too much right now and was time for change.
Morning Nancy,
This is the best post yet.That you are not pressured to join a site for a one time surfing day.I told everyone I think its not fair to the owners or members.Glad you made this move.Thanks
Don
Thanks Don – I just had too many members tell me the same thing and I listen to my members. I have worked very
hard to open the door of communication with them and it works – yeahhhhhhhhhh
Hi Nancy,
I must admit I was shocked and very surprised at your decision. I must agree there are so many different promos going all of the time, and I would like to surf some of them but not willing to join another site just to do so. I belong to so many now, I can’t keep up with them all.
I love Zaney and will be happy with whatever you do. I know it will be to the benefit of everyone involved. Keep up the awesome job that you do, you have my full support. Kudos for taking a stand.
Best Wishes,
Patty
Thanks Patty and that was good reaction as I know a lot of people probably were but change
I feel is necessary.
Hey Nancy: Good day to you. I support every move you make with respect to Zaney Clicks and everything else. This is one of the best blogs I have read in a long time. I totally agree with you. Sometimes I find myself joining a site just to surf a promo, and I too, like Patty, have joined way too many TEs and to me it is not worth my time. You have full support, and as you already know, Zaney Clicks is one of my favorite places to surf when the day comes and to market my business/.
Way to go Nancy!
Have a great day.
June
Thanks June and when I think about it, I am so sorry that I put all of you thru that and
really appreciate that you put up with it for this long as my intentions when I started
and it just kept growing, growing, and wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww it just went crazy
I whole-heartedly support this decision.
Thanks Cathy
Hi Nancy
I have to agree there are way to many promos and sites to keep up with all of them.
I Think I for one will be following the lead and Stop the Insanity as well.
Thanks Doug – I’m sure others will as it just puts too much pressure on the members
an occasional promo now and then – this will make a challenge for owners to see
what they come up with to keep things moving
Thank you ‘wise’ grandma,..once again,..for not only saying,..but ‘doing’ what needs to be done in order to succeed or to stay successful!
I thoroughly enjoy reading your insightful e-mails and posts….
Victoria
Ahhhhhhhh thanks and I for one will know that the pressure of all that is taken
off members shoulders yeahhhhhhhhhhhh
Hiya Nancy, I don’t have a problem with your decision. I know exactly what you mean about the insanity. That’s why most of my promo’s are “in house” ones. This way I can keep MY insanty in check 😀
yep I agree and it just had to stop 🙂
Nancy,
That is great Nancy. I have always said there was way to many promotions going on. I could not keep up with it. I had to keep joining new sites for the promotions.
I am glad you are taken this step.
Lady V
Thanks Lady V and I do listen – there was quite a few that was telling me the same thing
Hi Nancy, I am so glad to hear you are taking this step… I think it is well over due… I have things i have wanted to do at Teacup but i have not had the time to start any of them coz of so many promos going on but if i did have time to implement them my members wouldnt have time to join in coz they are all so busy surfing promos .. not only that i have joined so many site this past year because of promos that i will never get back to coz i just dont have time to get to them all.. so im behind you 110%
Sissy
Yea I hear you on all that and that is me also – it was a BIG STEP but think it will be better in the long run
Nancy I applaud your decision and I do hope other owners follow suit. Promos are fun and can be beneficial when they’re done sparingly. But like everyone else here has stated, it’s gotten way out of hand and it just makes your head spin lol. They also lose their effectiveness when they’re done every day. I also think it gets people surfing for the wrong reasons (to win a prize). This is a great step in getting back to surfing for the right reasons (to get your ads seen). Great decision!
Thanks Jackie – I do feel it will take the pressure off of members now and I am just going to be doing things on the site to ensure that they are paying more attention to what they are looking at
sorry slow net Just getting cached up on every thing But i am also glade
to see this change most of the time i only do promos if i was going to
surf both sites in the same day anyways i find that Joining Promos
with a site that i do not plain to surf that day just gets me behind on the
Ones i want to surf like some sites they want you to surf to sites at once
for a better surf rate making you surf faster and faster not even caring about the users ads in the surf maybe its time some other surf owners step their game Up some and go do the same way and fix things that are wrong instead of trying to change whats already right sure cash promos are fun for some people But lets Not Loose focus on why Most of us are here to start with witch is to advertise what we have to offer and not just clicking as fast as you can to get to the next site or prize page .and if people see a start page on a site Keep in mind some one paid for that spot on that site like the site or not that they are showing you. you can always leave a nice comment on them as Members who buy start pages earn you extra credits / and or cash and keep the site going that you love to surf. People is always crying that cost money to Buy start pages Here a (Hotflash) for you it cost money to run a surf site to and time so if people can They should upgrade buy something
every now and then if they can in the long run its worth it.best wishes Brotherlove13
Thanks Joseph and you are right I heard that from many member as how you felt that you had to surf faster and faster and
that is really not the purpose of a TE – the purpose is getting your ads seen and I really think this will be better in the
long run for everyone. Thanks for your support
Hello Nancy,
lol looks like everyone who commented here agrees with your decision. I guess we won’t hear in public about those who don’t, if any.
I must admit, even though I thought the cross promos were a feature that made ZC stand out, I didn’t participate in many, because I didn’t want to join so many sites. So, I’m with you all the way.
Now I will have to redo the ZC video I did recently, since the cross promos part is obsolete. 🙂
Philippe
Thanks and it was not an easy decision to make but guess time will tell on what happens
Hi Nancy,
I hear the reasoning behind your decision but I must admit I am torn as to the logic behind it.
First, members are supposedly tired of joining programs to participate in promo’s yet the premise behind a traffic exchange is to join programs. Granted you want them to join under you while surfing, but if you utilize downline integrity when implementing a surf promo this is an added benefit to help members build downlines in other programs.
Just because there is a promo with an exchange that I am not a member doesn’t mean that I have to participate. It does however mean that new eyes are seeing my ads in rotation that normally wouldn’t be there to see them. Sounds like a win to me, even if they do only surf there periodically. Hopefully in combination with seeing it other places will be incentive enough to join.
I like many other surfers am a member of 100’s of exchanges and safelists. I won’t though hesitate to join a new program if the opportunity to brand me and my business exists. The more the merrier. Do I get to all of them every month? Not even close, but I do have the option to go there and advertise if I want… and if they are having a big promo with other exchanges then I want to try and assign credits to get those new members that join in front of my ads.
There can be a healthy balance between in house promotions and cross exchange promos. We give 1000’s of prizes a day with in house promo codes, surf games, prize pages, etc. If we add an outside promo, well, that just adds to the totals… but more importantly gives ads the chance to be seen by somebody who just joined because of the promo and may not have seen those ads otherwise.
It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the games, prizes, bonus’s, promo’s, etc. At the end of the day though… my ultimate goal is to have my ads seen as many times as possible by as many people as possible. I believe promotions among traffic exchanges helps to accomplish that goal.
Perhaps my perspective is because I am not a surfer. Personally, I could care less about the prizes and bonus’s. I just want to advertise. I make a whole lot more as an affiliate marketer then I do as a surfer. If I earn a prize… its just that a bonus! If I don’t have enough referrals generating credits for me in the exchange and I feel the need to advertise there, I will buy the credits. If as a member you can’t afford to buy the credits and you are truly surfing to earn them in order to better advertise your program, then you welcome the opportunity to earn more credits and have more people view those advertisements through promotions with other exchanges. Not to mention that you might stumble across a new ad from someone else that can help you further your business!
DA
Well from the way I understand it from the members – promos were fine when I started them in 2012 but with all the sites owners that I was working with – it had gotten to the point that I was up to 4 and 5 a day and that was just getting to be too many for me and the members. Their other complaint was that when there is a group event – there is always one or two new sites that they would have to join to be eligible for the prizes and they didn’t want to be forced to join anymore sites. This was coming from surfers that are already members of many sites, have their favorites and have a routine of how and when they surf.
Then I also heard when they did try and keep up that the pressure that was put on them from having to surf 100 – 150 pages everyday for an event was way too much as they could not surf that many and keep up with their schedule that they already had. So that was frustrating for them – again causing them stress
Then the other thing they were telling me is because of all the pressure, they were not really paying attention to the ads – they had 5 – 6 windows opened at a time just to get all the promos done for a chance at the prizes that were being offered. So after listening to all the support tickets, skype messages etc. I just decided to take the pressure off my members.
It’s not that I am not going to be doing thing in house but I just am going to gear things back to what a TE was designed for – I am going to get little more creative with my in-house promos and keep making sure that my members are viewing the ads and not just surfing – there is a big difference.
Personally, I would have less views per day and people actually seeing the ad vs a high number of views to make the site look good and no one really paying attention to the ad. I have been experimenting for quite awhile with the Treasure Site and the Text Ad Hunt and it’s working great I feel. I have had members tell me they are getting better results – and even had a few tell me that I don’t get lot of views but what I get are good – and I like hearing that.
Hope this kinda clears things up more on the subject – I have worked very hard opening the door for my members to communicate with me and they do – so I’m just listening.
Four and Five a day is alot. I usually do no more then 4 or 5 a week, lol. Listening to members is great. I do polls in order to get feedback. Works great. To many owners don’t understand that the better it is for members the better it is for them…
Your a great owner, Nancy… hands on. I like that. Keep striving to be different with unique content. Continue to be in the forefront of your exchange where members can see you. That’s what makes a great exchange… an understanding, caring owner that realizes they are not successful unless their members are successful. Before you know it, you’ll have 10k members!
DA
Thanks DA – I agree – there are lot of owners that are bottom line numbers and that is all they worry about – I know lot call me old school but I have always believe a happy customer is more important in the long run.