Guest Book Marketing.. any thoughts?

[Deb]

I watch a lot of people utilize guest books as a way to promote their web sites. I do always leave a link when I sign a guest book but have never signed a guest book just for that purpose.

I'm wondering if any of you have tried the guest book marketing idea.. and/or your thoughts of it when it happens on your guest books?

Some are quite bold about it leaving large banners in the guest book while saying nothing about the site they are signing the guest book on...

Others are more tactful thanking the site owner for the information provided but still leave the huge banners...

Yet others promote 'silently' by leaving a warm message and a simple link...

I assume that at minimum the 'simple link' gets at least one visitor (the guest book owner!)

Any views on Guest Book marketing? A good idea? A bad idea? The same as spam? I'm curious http://www.aota.net/ubb//wink.gif

Thanks for any feedback,
Deb

[pqwabbit]

hmmm well I never done that - sounds annoying to me if it's just blatent - if the site has similar content to yours that may be a good thing though I dunno - as long as people come to the site and sign the book cuz they wanted to *after* seeinghte site - well I dont care - but I'd be annoyed fi peole was just coiming to the guestbook to promote themselves soley - I didnt put my guestbook up there as a free advertising business for people. I liek getting feedback on my site and having otehr peole be able to read what others think of my site. hmmm
I have had some banners left on my site but by people who came to see the site itself - not come simply to advertise - although it was an added bonus - I dontmind if peoole leave banners - expeiclaly if they are similar in concept to my site adn in good taste as long as they arent signing for jsuthte advertising - they actually came to see the site http://www.aota.net/ubb//smile.gif

Lea

[Sandy]

The first time I paid for advertising my site was last week. Dreambook.com guestbooks had a low rate ($20 for 5000 impressions for a 468 x 60) but I only got 40 click throughs. I definately get more hits signing peoples books.
I think it's ok to leave a button or banner in a g/book.(if you also leave a message) I had to turn the html off on mine because someone kept leaving a huge banner AND a redirect code to his page (very tacky!!!)

It annoys me when people just leave a banner & no message

[pqwabbit]

I agre that is way tacky - never had that happen ti me - andif it dfoes I intend to take em righ out of there poo on that!

lea

[Bekariso]

Personally, I almost always click on text links left in my guestbook, especially if they say "you might like to read our page on topic X that you talked about on your page" or something like that. I'll follow small buttons links in my book if they're nice looking and interesting, and if the person clearly read my site and didn't just come to leave a link. I'll click on large banners with a very skeptical attitude, to check out the site and see if it's in line with my own content, or if presents ideas I don't agree with. If it falls in the second catagory, the banner gets edited out, but if there's a comment about my page, I might leave their text link. If there's no comment, the whole entry tends to get editted out. I also edit any entry that displays more than one button/banner so that only one image is displayed, I change the rest to text links, or if the amount of banners was really obnoxious, the whole entry gets scrapped.

As for what I would leave in other people's guestbooks, always a text link, but I only leave an image link if there are many other image links already in the guestbook.

Just our thoughts and such on the issue.

Faith

[Bekariso]

Another thought on using guestbooks to publicize your site:

If you've got a site with a guestbook, and want more people to link back to you, how about sending email to the people who sign your guestbook who have their own pages, saying "since you liked my page so much (maybe even quote their comment), would you consider putting a link to our page on your page?" Be prepared to link back to them in return, though. ;-)

What would you think of such an idea?

Bekariso

[Deb]

I think you're on the right track http://www.aota.net/ubb/smile.gif

Getting close up and personal has always been a great way to improve marketing.

We have become so used to 'standard' marketing that it takes going back in history to market for the future.. by that I mean.. get back to the basics.. be kind, be personal, be REAL http://www.aota.net/ubb/smile.gif

Deb

[auteur]

Anytime I am visiting a page that I find interesting or that targets my market, I always leave a message with a link back. It's never a blatant advertisement. I always leave my compliments first and then either my signature or a simple "check out my site."

I never go out searching for guestbooks to sign, though I've heard of people doing this. It's too much of a waste for time management enthusiasts. But if your there, let it fall under the "it can't hurt" category. http://www.aota.net/ubb/smile.gif

Elizabeth