Today while I was surfing some of the promos that were out there, it was interesting how many different amounts were out there the amount of pages that were required to be eligible for the prizes so was got to thinking what is the difference in 50, 100, 125, 150 200.
Now I know many owners role is to get as many views to their sites that they can and I understand that most have their own preference. From an owners point of view I know it is important to get as many eyeballs on a members site as you can but I have been watching my promos and the amount of people that surf at these different amounts.
No I’m not going to bore you will all my stats but what I am going to tell you that when I do a promo where members have to surf 50 pages at each site – I see two things – I see MORE member surfing and most of the time they surf more than the 50 pages.
Now I have been trying to figure this out and think that the reason that this happens is that members don’t feel the pressure to surf that they do with the larger amounts. Also, I feel that when surfing at a more relaxed pace they view what they are seeing more.
With my stats, I have been seeing good results with surfing 100 as for the same reasons but see a drop in the amount of people that surf when the numbers go to 125, 150 and 200. I have also been watching the amounts with the promo codes and also am seeing the same results.
With all the promos that I have, I have also had a few surfers thank me for not having so many pages as their feelings are they belong to many exchanges and like when they don’t have the pressure of too many pages – that way they can surf at more sites in the long run.
So I thought I’d do a post and would love to hear from other owners and surfers on what your opinion is on the difference in 50, 100, 125, 150, 200.
As a surfer, it’s huge, because of the number of TE’s I’m a member of and trying to get seen in as many TE’s and other forms of advertising as possible. As an owner, not as big of a difference, but still definitely a difference. And again, not a lot stop at the exact amount like I usually do when I surf.
Thanks and as a surfer I know it can be hard to get to all that you want and as an owner I would rather them show up with a smaller amount to surf than to see a big amount and not show up at all as they don’t have the time in their schedule.
I agree with you Nancy… if you have too many clicks required people will just skip a promo because they don’t have time. I think about 100 isn’t too bad… and if you have more than one TE in a promo you could even make it less… 50 or 75.
But if you have a really good prize, then I can see having a higher requirement to qualify… we give a pretty nice cash Grand Prize for our promos, and I don’t think it is too much to ask people to surf at least 150 for a chance at some good cash.
Thanks for commenting – I know there have been times that I have had to skip promos that I really wanted to do because just didn’t have the time to surf as many as they were requiring
Very good post, Nancy! The goal of every TE should be lots of members surfing reasonable amounts. If they are surfing 50 to 100 pages, they are more likely to view the ads, than to just click and click to get a promo done or to build up their credits.
Linda O.
Thanks Linda and agree and should be a reasonable amount based on the prizes. I would rather have someone that is really looking at the pages than just click, click, click
Excellent Post Nancy! Love it you hit the nail right on the head. I generally will try to avoid anything over 100. I use surf 50 pages a day about 5-7 days a week and it keeps a nice steady flow of traffic going.
Yes MORE memers surfing is More Important than Few Surfing Too Many!
We have said this for years “its Quality Not Quantity”
So if my sites dont deliver 500 hits a day to your 10 sites..please say thank you cause i keep it simple and i keep it clean (no cheaters)
I will keep using my surf 50s which are my regular promos but I will also Keep Mixing it up with other Sites to get Fresh Eyes, New Members, Etc to make my sites the Best I can.
Love the post should have wrote this one myself..lol..tird of preaching to the choir on this subject..LOL
Kaye
Thanks Kaye and I agree from someone that has been surfing for years – I will be the first one to admit that after 100 – 150 pages I get bored and am not paying attention to the pages as much – I do think that many owners are trying to break that up with some of the games they have added – and that does help
I agree with you completely Nancy. I used to think the more you asked the members to surf was better, and was I dead wrong. I like having to surf just 100-150 sites for rewards. I then an able to surf many other sites and promos on the same day. That makes me very happy. 🙂 I love surfing and try to surf as many sites in one day that I can.
Great job in bringing this up to everyone’s attention. All the TE owners want more members to surf and this is the best way that I see can accomplish that goal. Kudos to you!!
Patty Powers
Thanks Patty and I agree that those amounts should be considered and pick you prizes accordingly as I have found that most really don’t mind what they get as long as they are getting something
Hi Nancy,
I agree that 50 pages surfed is more doable and therefore you are more likely to have more surfers actually paying attention to your ads. Which is why we are all here 🙂
Great Post, as always!
Thanks Christy for the comment and great to see you
I think the surf requirement should match the prize. Kristi touched on this a little when she mentioned: “if you have a really good prize, then I can see having a higher requirement to qualify”.
It is great to have some surf 50-100 promos to keep your ads out there and traffic flowing at the traffic exchange. But, if a site owner is giving cash prizes, then I feel it is reasonable to ask the surfer to commit a little more time to your site.
For example, the Benji Bash where each of the 4 sites give a $25 cash prize, the surf requirement is still ONLY 250 pages. Although surfing 250 is a lot for me, I think it is more than a reasonable amount for the prize.
So, for me, the bottom line is the surf requirement should match the prize pool.
Good point Cathy! Your post only appeared after I posted my comment, lol. But you are right, bigger prizes deserve more surfing to earn a chance to win them.
Excellent points Cathy. This is a good thread with several very nice points being made 🙂 Cheers! Tony
Thanks Tony and I agree – lot of nice comments
I agree Cathy and when setting up promos, people should keep that in mind. AND if the prize is a big one like you said then yes you should have to surf more – I mainly was talking about the smaller promos that sites have.
Hi Nancy,
Firstly, as a surfer I can agree that 50, 100 or even 150 pages is “do-able” for busy people like myself. I do get put off if I see a promo that requires 200 or 300 pages… I just think ‘Oh, forget it! I don’t have time to surf that many.’
Secondly, I do see the other side also, doing Admin for Mo over at Traffic Lounge and I notice too, that the days we get more surfers are the days we have promos that require only 50 or 100 pages to qualify. And they may well stay there and surf a few more since they are already at your TE.
Also, there is the attention factor as you mentioned; surfing at a more relaxed pace, they are more likely to actually SEE the sites as they click.
Yes I agree Annette and sometimes it’s hard because what most forget when they say 150 at each site well they forget to double that for the surfer – 300 pages or if there is 3 sites – 450 pages so does make a difference
Well Nancy I know when I’m surfing your promos they are easy to do, because sometimes you have sites on your promos I don’t belong to & you don’t count that against me & I’m glad to do your promos because of that very fact. As for as 50,100,0125,150, or 200 it’s a lot harder to do 150 & 200because of so many promos going on at the same time. But then that’s only my opinion, lol.
Thanks Susan and that is what I was looking for YOUR OPINION – thanks
I am a surfer who will normally surf the sites that ask for 200, 300, 400 or many more every day. I will surf the required amounts for the prizes, but I do much prefer surfing less. I get burned out quickly and have to take a break for a few days otherwise.
Now I’ve got a question for you…what do you think about an owner who requires the larger number of pages be surfed daily for prizes, then when you surf those pages every day and amass a large amount of credits you’re accused of penny surfing and stealing money from others. What about that?
Surfing so many pages every day was the reason I needed Turbo Tab because it really does help in cutting your surf time down to about half. And, I’m sure it would also help those who have little time to surf at all, it only takes one click and you move on to the next tab.
Nancy maybe you should remove my name and email from this if you post it?
Sheila
Thanks Sheila and love the feedback here and the points that you are making.
In regards to your question, I know some owners have some strange ways they want to treat their members and I personally do not surf promos or for prizes that want me to surf everyday – as I just can’t. I don’t mind surfing and love it but there are things that come up that you have no control over.
Nancy I need to hire you as my marketing campaign. You sure understand the marketing and your own business so well. I agree with all the feed back your getting. 50 to 100 is the sweet spot for all the reasons that being posted.
Another very in-sighted blog once again you got your figure on the people! Great read and always learning something from you….
Thanks Steve and nice to hear that you learn things yeahhhhhhhhhh
so true nancy with all the different exchanges out there and so many promos if ya ask them to surf a lot there is no way they are taking time to veiw the ads
Well that is what I see and hear from others as they are so focused on the amount vs what they should be focused on and that is the ad
Hi Nancy, Lot’s of great points being brought up here. My opinion, the surf amount required should be commesurate with the prizes. However, surf 50 helps keep more members involved…perhaps. But here is my point of view: Surf 50 means they will log in surf 50, and perhaps surf to the first Surfer Reward they can claim….but are they watiching the members’ promos if they are rushing to get done to get to the next site? I do believe this is a dilemma that will plague owners for a long time to come. My personal opinion is the use of special claim pages is the best option I have found to keep the members’ attention.
Thanks for a great post, and the opportunity to express different viewpoints.
Lori
Thanks Lori and I agree that the prizes should go with the required amount but I also do feel this is a problem that has been brewing and I just see my members liking the lower doable amounts and after surfing those pages I know after a certain time I’m not watching like I was the first 100 pages.
Great post Nancy. As a surfer point of view if I see a promotion with 100 or more and that you have to be one the Top 10 surfers to win prizes, I will not even try for that promotion…Maybe someone can address that question, why is Only the Top 10 board get the prizes?
If I know that I might be eligible to win a prize I will surf the promotion but anything over 100 gets so boring.
Thanks, Lady V
Thanks Lady V and I think it’s just the site wanting to get as many views as possible and that is why they do the top 10 and like you I don’t do those either.
Once again, Good stuff Nancy!
This post has me looking from at least 3 different perspectives.
As an owner I haven’t done any promos less than 100. I appears I have been ignoring my inner surfer/marketer, so look for some in the future:)
As a surfer I too feel less stressed when surfing a lower requirement and I do enjoy getting to more exchanges more often.
As a marketer the prizes are more of a bonus than a reason to surf a particular site that day. I find that often it is better to spread my efforts out over 10 less busy sites versus 1 or 2 very busy ones. I’d certainly would rather get 10 hits at 10 sites where the surfers are paying more attention than 100 from 1 site where they don’t really look at my ad at all. From this perspective I’d say surfing less can be better as well.
Happy Surfing!
Thanks Jim and totally agree on all 3 perspectives – thanks for the comment
I prefer the promos with a smaller required number of clicks. Giant requirements scare me away. I think we should all surf enough to keep our sites in rotation, but past that is a waste of time. Encouraging mega-surfing by asking people to surf hundreds of sites for a promo isn’t very productive or the best use of anyone’s time, so only the die-hards will do it, to earn more from promos than from actually promoting anything, and unfortunately, those who chase the promos are probably the least likely to actually read and act upon the sites they are viewing.
Of course, I could be entirely wrong ;o)
Thanks Kimberly and it’s sure been interesting all the comments and thanks for adding yours
Well said Kimberly!
Informative post Nancy!
Great and informative responses also.
As an owner, I do not encourage over surfing.
But with that being said, I also agree that the surfing amount should be determined in accordance with the prizes being awarded.
As a surfer, I have no problem with surfing 150 sites per exchange.
But then again as a surfer and a marketer, I am not per se chasing pennies.
My goal as a surfer and a marketer is simply to keep my sites in rotation based on each individual exchange.
I enjoy being both a surfer and an owner. So I constantly strive for a happy medium.
Onward & Upward,
Cheryl
Thanks Cheryl and I think it is finding the happy medium and that will be different from each
As usual you have done your homework.. I like 50-150 promos, now I have to go see what mine require.
Great comments everyone!
Shielda Wheaton
Thanks Shielda and wouldn’t call it homework – guess I just watch things that others don’t see sometimes and I listen to others – I pay attention to chat rooms and lurk to see what is being said.
Very good post Nancy! And I see you have many good comments and points here. Anyone who surfs my sites know that most of my surf requirements are low. I normally ask my members to surf 50-60 and as Cathy pointed out, if the prize is larger I ask for more surfed page views. I think it does remove the pressure and when surfers are using the surfbar in a more relaxed environment they do tend to surf more. My goal with the 50-60 was to get more surfers to come out. And it has worked! Thanks for being such an active part of the traffic exchange business. You have brought a lot of things up in the past that I have not thought about. 🙂
Thanks Jon and I have to say that I see when people don’t have the pressure of a big amount they do pay attention more – and I found that out by testing it with the find the text link ad contest that I have each week where they can win a referral. It has been amazing the emails that I have gotten from members about the Treasured Site contest and because of these they pay more attention to the site being viewed.
As an owner, setting the small amounts gets them in the door and I also see that they are more apt to surf more as the stats show on the promos with 50 pages – most will surf at least 100 or 110 to get that sticker even. This has just been a great hearing all the comments from owners and surfers – love it 🙂
Great inf I think as a surfer that a 100 sites is plenty there are to many that are
doing the 150 sites that’s top many for me. I have a lot of sites so if I’m doing a
150 sites I can’t do that many and that’s not right.
Thanks
Barb
Thanks Barbara for your comment and so nice to hear from surfers like yourself and I do see you all over
As others have mentioned, I definitely prefer low amounts – the lower the amount the more people that feel like they can do it – if you say 200 pages or something you’re going to lose half your audience before they even get started — I’ve done promos with 250 pages surfed and with 50 and at the end of the day the 50 pages amount actually generates more traffic than the 250..
..now another spin on this is to make it both! Say you get a ticket or entry every 50 pages up to 250 or 500 or something, then everyone can still have an easy entry point but the over-achievers will also have something to work towards
Thanks John and the comments have been wonderful and I know when there are less amount then I don’t feel as stressed when surfing.
I like your suggestion about the every 50 pages – something to keep in mind for the future – thanks
As a surfer, I go more for the low numbers 50-100. I don’t have the fastest online connection and anything more than that usually means I get less done.
Some times I can do more but will not do high numbers for a chance to win something.
Oh good point Janie on the speed of your computer – sometimes we forget about that also – thanks
Great Post Nancy
ROFL it’s awesome that everyone’s comments are totally in line with what your
Test concluded.
I agree with all comments made. Less is better, unless the prizes are considerably larger, as Cathy mentioned with the Benji Bash.
I sometimes will have 250 to 300 pages for a surfing event, but that’s only when it’s a 2-day promo, and surfers can spread it out over the 2 day time period.
btw my TE’s stats are the same as your findings, in that lower required # of pages, has more surfers participating.
And More Viewers Seeing our member’s promotions is what it’s all about. NOT burning up their hard earned traffic credits.
Keep up the Great work buddy!
Randy Fountain
Thanks Randy and it was interesting to hear from so many and them saying what I had been seeing in my test.
Thanks for such a fantastic Post Nancy
I’ve learned a great from the very valid comments, opinions, and points made.
From a Surfers points of view, I definitely have issues when the Surf Requirements are higher. Especially when there are so many other places I want to surf.
From a TE Owners perspective, it’s a question I’ve posed to several others when we are hosting a Promo together. What I’ve learned, and from asking other TE Owners is that the lesser numbers produce more responsive member activity than the higher surf requirements.
I wholeheartedly agree, that the Surf Requirements should also match what the Prize Amounts for a given Surf Promo should be. Especially, as Randy pointed out, if it’s a more than will be extended for more than one day.
Though I’ve learned through trial and error, and through asking other TE Owners their point of view, which resulted in their also agreeing, as Kaye mentioned, Quality over Quantity, always works best.
Eagerly anticipating more and more of your fantastic posts.
MarQuette
Thanks MarQuette – and totally agree