Paid E-mails

In this section, we will discuss the options available for paid e-mails, and from here we will assume that you have purchased the Auto Ad Manager plug-in, as it greatly simplifies the process of creating ad categories, scheduling e-mails, creating ad package deals, setting discount levels, and sending out notification e-mails.

You can still use the resident E-mail Ad Manager in Cash Crusader, but you will not be able to carry out some of the functions mentioned above, and will need to create each ad manually.

A paid e-mail to all members: E-mails in this category are sent to all members in the database, regardless of the targets chosen by the members in their preferences. If you advertise the fact that the e-mails your members receive are targeted to their interests, you should use the targeted paid e-mail option instead (see below).

The members may click once every 24 hours to obtain credit, although it is possible to set the delay period to anything you like (say 48 or 72 hours).

Setting the delay to "0" locks the ad permanently, once it has received one click from the member. This is handy if you only want the message to be seen once by each member of the site (unique visitors).

The time that the advertiser's site is displayed on screen is determined by the figure entered into the Duration field of the ad creation form. There is no particular convention for how long an ad is displayed, the durations I use on my site are as shown in the following table (you can use other currencies, and alter display times and click values as you see fit).

You are also given the option to allow Turing numbers to be shown for each e-mail you create - use these at your discretion, bearing in mind that having them show up on every ad will not make you popular with members!

Targeted paid e-mails: Details as above, but the advertiser can select subject interests, for example Search Ads, Freebies, Shopping, etc. May also be targeted by country, for example US only, UK only, US and UK only, Germany and France only, etc.

It is usual to have the repeat click lockout set to 24 hours, but again it can be changed to any value required, and offered as an option on your advertising page.

Pricing Paid E-mails

I have to admit, being mathematically-challenged, that I found this part of the process a little difficult, but stick with it, as good planning here will keep your site competitive and profitable for years to come.

If you set the ad prices too high, the advertisers will not place orders and the members will have nothing to click on (with the possible exception of a few of your own affiliate links). Pitch the price too low, and the site becomes unsustainable (for the uninitiated, sustainability is the ability of a Get Paid to site to create sufficient income from the sale of each advertisement, to pay the members the amount it is promising to pay them).

The WRONG way to do it....

If a webmaster (let's call him Dave) offers 1,000 x 1 cent e-mail clicks for $5 (each member receives 1c for the click) it is obvious that he is selling the advertising at a loss, because the cost to him is:

1,000 x 1 cent = 1,000 cents, or $10

But wait... it is even more than this, because he has to eventually pay any referral commissions due to members, let's say a maximum of 25% by way of example (his referral levels are 10%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2% and 1%. Just add these figures together to get the total referral commission amount):

10% + 5% + 4% + 3% + 2% + 1% = 25%

then find 25% of $10:

$10 x 25% = $2.50

this amount is added to the $10 thus:

$10 + $2.50 = $12.50

Therefore the total cost is $12.50 for the 1,000 ads, leaving Dave out of pocket to the tune of $7.50:

 $5 received in payment - $12.50 total ad costs = -$7.50

Initially, he will be bombarded with advertising requests, and his Paypal account will start to fill up rapidly, but later when the member payment requests start to pour in, and he will find that there is not enough money to pay the members. That kind of loss is totally unsustainable, and Dave's site will probably not be around for more than a few months.

Of course, we have to face up to the fact that there are some unscrupulous webmasters who plan it that way (unlike Dave, who is just a bit dim). They rake in the advertising money, then close down the site before the members reach the set payout level. I only hope they can sleep at night! Of course, you will do the right thing, and cost your ad packages appropriately….

Get It Right First Time

If you cannot face the prospect of calculating ad costs in your head, you will find a very handy calculator for paid ads here:

http://www.patricksears.com/calculators/adcalc.php

Just follow the on-screen instructions, and it will determine the cost per ad with the click of a button.

Remember to enter the amount per click as follows:

for 0.05 (1/50) cents, enter 0.0005

for 0.1 (1/10) cents, enter 0.001

for 0.5 (1/2) cents, enter 0.005

for 1 cent, enter 0.01

N.B. in the box labeled "Referral percentage total", you should enter the total of your chosen referral rates per level, as in these examples:

 

10% + 5% + 4% + 3% + 2% + 1% = 25%,

10% + 5% + 2% = 17%,

15% + 5% = 20%

etc.

Sending E-mails

It is wise to send e-mails one at a time, because sending two or more at once can severely slow down the server. This in itself is not harmful, but it could have unwanted side effects, for example the mail may not be sent out to everyone who is scheduled to receive it, or members may have trouble completing their clicks, especially at peak times.

The best method of dealing with multiple mails is to send them serially; send the first batch, and once the "Send Complete" message appears on the "Send Mail" page, continue with the next batch.

NEXT: Paid to Click