Profantasy Affiliate: For the Future of Guild Contests

[Robbie]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

You may have seen in the past that on the front page of the site is a banner for Profantasy. Its been there for a while but we've never had any hits from it, yet I'm sure several of you already use Profantasy products.

Well, we're thinking about instituting an occasional mapping competition or contest that WILL actually involve a prize...And this of course will cost money. And money does not grow on trees.

I've already spoken with Simon from Profantasy in the past and he is willing to offer a coupon code for their site for any of our contest winners as a prize. Here's a good chance for you to help us out with that prize money.

It's very simple, all you have to do is click on OUR Profantasy link if you intend to buy any of their products. The credit it would give to us will of course help fund the future prize pool for the guild.

Here's a direct link right here...click here to purchase Profantasy mapping software

[NeonKnight]

I will be buying City Designer 3 when it finally appears, and I will use the link.

[Gamerprinter]

Strange I've got an affiliate account for ProFantasy with a link on my site, as well, but nobody ever clicks it. Strange because I have an affiliate link to Xara Xtreme on the same page - and at least one person a month clicks on that... I get affiliate orders for Xara all the time.

Ah, NeonKnight, beat me up if you want to, but Profantasy gave me Dungeon Designer and City Designer... after having purchased CC3 and then visiting their booth at Gencon (I met Simon and Ralf there...)

Right after that happened I visited NBOS booth and got Fractal Mapper free too.

[Midgardsormr]

I suspect that's because most people who start looking for fantasy cartography resources run into Profantasy's website first, order the software, then start looking around for help and find the CG. I doubt very many of us discovered PF software as a result of coming here.

I tend to go directly to a vendor's website when I want to order something from them, but I'll try to remember to use the affiliate link to order CD3 when it becomes available.

[Robbie]

I've actually had the affiliate link up since the inception of the website...it was there when I opened the doors here...and have not had a single click...figured I'd push it.

I also heartily recommend clicking the google ads too, but thats just shameless plugging on my behalf...Gamerprinter has a great banner that appears on the site there.

Edit: I just noticed the google ads aren't showing up

I'm gonna have to get on that when I get home from work....bleh.

[meleeguy]

I used it to buy a few things!

The link was hard to find but search worked.

[Jkaen]

I have to admit I have never seen the front page of the site before, I got linked to the forums, and have never noticed a link to the front page (the big banner on the top of the page just takes you tot he forum)

[Robbie]

Hmm...I may have to make some changes for that then.

[mogul76]

With all due respect, ProFantasy are not generating new revenues, if existing customers purchase optional modules by first clicking the banner on the front page of www.cartographersguild.com. These customers would buy those add-ons anyway, wouldn't they?

ProFantasy can address two possible target groups through advertising activities on this website: (1, the primary target group) people who are new to cartography and visit the website i.e. forums in order to obtain information and advice on mapping software, (2, the secondary target group) existing cartographers who currently use other software programmes to create their maps but who would switch to the Campaign Cartographer suite, if they saw and appreciated its advantages.

For the primary target group, only doing banner advertising may be sufficient. However, as previously mentioned in this thread, people are not likely to click the banner and purchase the software right away... I therefore believe that the number of "clicks" shouldn't be the only criterion when measuring the activity's success. One should also take visibility into consideration and I therefore hope that ProFantasy does not only pay you on a per-click basis...

Arcana, you may want to have a look at ways how to get www.cartographersguild.com appear more at the top of Google searches. When entering key words such as "RPG" and "mapping" or "roleplaying" and "maps" in Google, the cartographers guild does not come anywhere close to the top (contrary to rpgmapshare.com, for instance).

As for the secondary target, I believe that ProFantasy should be much more active on the forums by, for example, providing exclusive downloads to registered users or participating in the mapping challenges (I don't remember reading a rule which says that ProFantasy are not allowed to participate)...

I'm not a web advertising specialist but do work in a product marketing department and, hence, have experience in acquiring new customers.

Once again, ProFantasy are not earning an extra dime, Eurocent or penny, if their current customers purchase add-ons through the guild.

Mogul76

PS1 By the way, one really needs to scroll down to find the banner.

PS2 The idea of offering coupon codes to the challenges' winners is pretty cool

[waldronate]

It might net more sponsors if the sponsor for a particular month's challenge gets a banner under or next to the Cartographer's Guild banner at the top of the forums list. Such a tactic might result in me being more likely to click that link as I almost never go to www.cartographersguild.com, but instead go straight to forum.cartographersguild.com when I want to participate. Having to scroll to the bottom to find the ProFantasy link doesn't help, either.

I am not saying that the forum page should become a mass of blinking advertisements as so many others are. But if someone is generating revenue for you, it might not hurt to put them somewhere that folks are likely to see.