In between clicking links, your
members are going to get itchy fingers, so why not put
their desire to click to profitable use, by introducing
some prize games and contests?
There are a number of benefits to
be gained from adding features to the site, not least of
which is their ability to entice prospective members. You
will also get your members to stay on the site for longer
once the day's clicking is over, so that they can view
your sponsor ads.
A number of suitable plug-ins are
available, here are the ones that I have found the most
useful, and the most lucrative in terms of reducing site
debt.
This is my personal favorite,
because it is popular with members, it adds plenty of
extra value to the site, and it generates revenue in two
different ways.
Firstly, the members can pay to
enter for cash prizes. Secondly, each quiz can only be
taken after a sponsor web site has been shown for a number
of seconds. I run three quizzes per week on Archerfish,
and although I need to spend around an hour each week
setting the questions, the results are well worth the time
invested.
I theme the quizzes around the
sponsor ads, for example a general knowledge quiz would be
accompanied by a link to a quiz site; a quiz on animals
would be sponsored by a site that deals in pet products,
and sport trivia would go well with a sporting goods
website.
The webmaster can deduct a
percentage of the takings for administration costs, say
10% or so. The prize money is taken from the unlucky players' entry fees, so the
contest is entirely self-sustaining. I do, however, start each quiz with a jackpot
of £1.00, just to get the ball rolling each week - this
is easily covered by the administration charge.
There are a number of sites on the
web that supply free quiz questions with answers, a good
one that I use regularly is www.quiz-zone.co.uk. Check
that the questions can be used on commercial sites before
downloading them from other sources, as some webmasters
will only supply them free to private individuals.
This takes the form of an online
slot machine; members pay to play (or they can play for
free without the prospect of a prize, just for fun).
There are three different reel
symbols, in the form of lucky number "7's" in
three different colors. To win, the player must spin the
reels and align three 7's colored red, green and blue, or
three 7's of the same color, to win 1.5 times their
stake, and 3 times their stake respectively (these odds
are also adjustable, but I recommend that you stick with
the prescribed payouts, as they are designed to maximize your takings while providing a fair payout level).
The percentage taken by the "house" is
adjustable, and the amount wagered by the player varies
from 1 cent up to $3 (or it can be configured to work on
your local currency). The
winning amounts are taken from the unlucky players'
accounts.
As it is, the interface supplied
as standard is a little sparse, so there is plenty of
opportunity to dress up the slot machine "reels"
with some rather more realistic looking graphics, as I
did.
Everyone loves a freebie, so every
week I have a "Random Giveaway" on my site. You
can choose any amount in cash or points, to be given away
to any number of winners, and you can set the software to
distribute prizes every day, every week, or any time you
choose.
There is no need to go overboard
with the prizes, as you have to remember that the cash you
are giving away is taken from your profit margin. Several
small prizes will be more popular than one large prize, as
members will have a greater chance of winning each week.
Publicize the giveaway on your front page to act as a draw
for new members.
The winners are automatically
informed by e-mail, but I publish the usernames of the
winners on the front page as well, so that the other
members can stay informed.
If you do not want to go to the
extra expense of purchasing this plug-in, you can run a
similar random giveaway by going to the Paid to Click
section in Admin, entering the number of winners you want
to select, and clicking the "Pick" button. This
will present you with the usernames of the members
selected, which you click on to go to their account
details. That done, you can then add the prize amounts in
points or cash to their accounts.
