To answer several of the questions that I have received in response to my recent article on Sponsorship Program Basics, I would like to touch on the importance of using sponsorship programs on single-model amateur sites. The bottom line is simple: If you really want to make more money from your "real amateur" adult site, then you will need to have a great sponsor!
Many "real" amateur site owners neglect to have a sponsor, believing they should focus all of their efforts on selling memberships to their own sites. This works against them however, as it leaves no alternative for profiting from those surfers who visited their site, but did not join.
Why You Need A Sponsor
Imagine that if instead of an adult web site, you ran a corner bookstore. Wouldn't it be foolish to just stock one book? Sure, some folks will visit your store, pick up your one book, and perhaps browse through a page or two, but most will then put it down, without making a purchase. Now, one of two things is likely to happen: your prospect will either leave directly (since he's already looked at your one book, and it didn't interest him enough to pay for it), or find something else in your shop, something that he wants enough to purchase it.
Perhaps you only have that one book, but you have room in your shop for someone else to place products for sale on consignment. It's simple: they make a sale and you get paid a commission. Now you're using all your virtual floor space, and maximizing income from your store's visitors.
This isn't an issue for amateur sites alone. Just visit any major paysite; if you do not join, you are likely to be passed along using exit consoles from site to site until you find something appealing. Because most paysites today are members of a "family" of sites owned by one parent company, the first few sites you are hit with are often other "family members." The last console, however, will usually advertise *their* sponsor's site. So if the "big boys" need to have sponsors, then so don't you!
Choosing A Great Sponsor
What makes a great sponsor? A great sponsor will offer a variety of sites tailored to specific niches, allowing you to "filter" your traffic. Their web sites will load quickly and be able to convert visitors into members, and retain members through regularly updated, high quality content.
A great sponsor will offer an array of high quality marketing tools, including fresh banners and ads, and helpful assistance when you have a question or problem. They will provide on-time payments, and reliable statistics to measure your sales.
Having a sponsor whose offerings are targeted to your specific market (in our case, surfers looking for amateur sites), will enable you to maximize the income you generate from your traffic. You do not need to focus on sites within your niche exclusively, however. Amateur traffic will often "bite" on "complimentary niches" such as teen or mature sites. You might also offer different sites on an exit console (such as Asian, Ebony, or fetish for example) in order to profit from traffic that may have entered your site by "mistake." A great sponsor will offer an array of high quality marketing tools...
Last, look for recommendations from other webmasters. Most are not shy about offering advice, and they'll be sure to tell you if they've been "screwed" by a specific sponsor.
As you can see, having a good sponsor or two for your amateur site is not difficult, nor does it need to take away from your primary focus, which is to sell memberships to your own site. It will however help you to dramatically increase the income from your current site. Good Luck!
