Valid? Vote Please

Is Google+1 Idea A Valid Birthday Challenge Entry?

You may select 1 option

 
 
View results

BeautifulSunshine
Posts: 26721
Joined: Tue Sep 14 2010 8:23pm
Location: [The Finest City in the World: London]
Has thanked: 192 times
Been thanked: 3686 times
Contact:

Valid? Vote Please

Post by BeautifulSunshine » Sat Aug 13 2011 12:22am

i want to test this theory. Richard says and I quote "The bottom line - save money AND own part of a unique internet company controlled by its members."

I entered the iM Birthday challenge and feel let down by the decision to say ALL entries are INVALID. I strongly feel my entry was 100% VALID. As mentioned before i have a few websites and could have easily added a link there but thought that as Richard says "Original ideas for promotion (either online or offline) are most welcome :thumbup:" I would use my specialist knowledge to help US out.

MY ENTRY WAS:
(Found here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3357)
my idea is to utilise the latest innovation to give us an edge in search results. i personally cant do it but i am sure the webmaster @ iMutual can. iMutual are running google analytics. it is straight forward to add (i've just done it with one my sites)

Google is a monster and almost single handed gate keeper of the Internet. tap into this power and we get turbo boost. google have introduced google +1 metrics. It is similar to facebook "like". It gives google a personal recommendation for a site and not just the normal number crunching they use in the google search algorithm.

my idea is to add the +1 metrics button to our website. maybe even give a share or two for clicking it but check the terms and conditions before you do this as may invalidate.

some of the benefits include:
= better ranking in google
= better ranking in smaller engines that piggy back on google
= competitive edge in google search results
= more hits to our site in general
= more hits to our forum (very important in long term view)
= this should covert into more members
= this should convert into higher quality content

please add anymore that u can think of that i have missed.

iM BRITHDAY CHALLENGE:
(Found here: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3359)
Here's how it will work. Between now and the end of July, you need to find a way to let people know about imutual and encourage them to join (e.g. posting a recommendation of imutual on a third party website). This doesn't have to include your referral link (though obviously that will help you earn even more shares if it does) but you will need to 'lay claim' to your promotional act by replying here with details of what you've done (e.g. a link to the web page where your recommendation can be found)

At the end of July, we'll decide on which members have made the best efforts to promote imutual and we'll rank the top ten - the winner will get 1000 shares, second place 900 shares etc. down to 100 shares for 10th place. All other participants will receive 10 shares as a 'thank you' (+ whatever referral shares they've managed to generate for themselves, of course)

The ranking of winners will be determined by our judgement of whose recommendations we think will have generated the best publicity for imutual, using a number of criteria:
- Where measurable, the amount of visitors / new members generated
- The reputation and relevance of the third party site
- The permanence (or otherwise) of the 'plug'. i.e. how long the recommendation is likely to remain and how much interest it might generate as a result
- The likely effect of your recommendation on imutual's reputation (N.B. See "No spam, please!" section below)
- Any other relevant factors (e.g. affect on search rankings)

Note: you can enter as many 'publicity links' as you want and we will consider the cumulative effect of all your contributions in deciding on your prize

Example ways to promote imutual
- Post on your blog / Facebook / Twitter / etc account
- Post on a forum (preferably consumer/money related)
- Reply on a third party blog (e.g. attached to a newspaper article)
- Create an entry for imutual on a review or directory site
- Find a source of cheap/free advertising for imutual
- Instigate an article e.g. contact an editor / journalist (you may have to PM/email me with supporting evidence!)
- Start a forum topic on a topical subject (or even your own forum - contact us!) and publicise it to a relevant interest/campaign group

The above is by no means an exhaustive list. Original ideas for promotion (either online or offline) are most welcome :thumbup:

No spam, please!
When posting on a third party site, please respect that site's rules about promotional posts and don't go charging with an overtly 'spammy' plug. It will backfire on you (and us!). Remember that imutual's "100% cashback + free share" offer is unique and shouldn't require a hard sell - your job is just to let people know about it rather than twist their arm :eek: Inevitably, not everyone will welcome the information, so use your judgement. We reserve the right to suspend the account of any member who damages imutual's reputation through blatant 'spam'

Tips for promoting imutual
For most people, it should be sufficient to point out the basic attractions of the site (which, other than the shares, are similar to any other cashback site), i.e.:
- Join for free and get 100 shares in the company
- Save money at hundreds of top UK retailers
- Earn 100% cashback, protected by a Directors' Guarantee
- And get free shares on top

The bottom line - save money AND own part of a unique internet company controlled by its members.

The 'top tip' here is to post 'in context' and offer something genuinely useful. For instance, if there is a topic about a bargain at Play.com, it's an ideal opportunity to point out the cashback and shares available at imutual, given that we offer more Play.com cashback than any other site. Also, make it personal - "imutual is my personal favourite because ...." sounds more convincing (and honest) than something like "imutual is the greatest". Or even just ask people their opinion - "What do you think of this 'free shares' model?"

Another approach might be to link from a particular topic on another site to a related forum post on imutual. e.g. You could make an insightful post in our Life's little questions forum on a topical subject like 'Is the Euro doomed?'. You could then reply to a discussion elsewhere on the same topic and include a link to the imutual post

And there are other resources you can link to, such as the "intro to imutual" video on Youtube. If there is anything else you need to help in your promotion efforts, let me know!

No doubt we'll think of other angles along the way, and refine our approach. The idea of the competition is to:
- Help to get recognition for imutual and increase its membership
- Learn together about the best way to spread the word
- Have a fun challenge between shareholders
- Given recognition and rewards to those who perform best!

It's against the principles of imutual for us to spend large amounts of members money on advertising - so this is a much better (and cheaper) way to do it ;)

So get your thinking caps on! And the sooner you get started, the more chance you have of topping our leaderboard. Good luck and enjoy! :)

YOUR VOTE COUNTS SO PLEASE VOTE EITHER WAY
[imutual Cashback Investment Club]

BeautifulSunshine
Posts: 26721
Joined: Tue Sep 14 2010 8:23pm
Location: [The Finest City in the World: London]
Has thanked: 192 times
Been thanked: 3686 times
Contact:

Re: Valid? Vote Please

Post by BeautifulSunshine » Sun Aug 14 2011 1:06pm

thanks for the vote. :D :D :D
[imutual Cashback Investment Club]

richard@imutual
Posts: 6163
Joined: Wed Jun 23 2010 10:19am
Sharing: 2stars.png
Has thanked: 1880 times
Been thanked: 4097 times
Contact:

Re: Valid? Vote Please

Post by richard@imutual » Tue Aug 23 2011 5:02pm

Sorry for the lateness of the response to this one. Holiday 'n all that :oops:

Firstly, let me say that I'm always grateful for suggestions about improving the site, and enhancements such as the Google +1 button and Facebook "Like" button are going to be added, we just want to work out the best way to do it rather than dive straight in. So thanks for this :thumbup:

The competition, however, was specifically about getting members to do something to publicise imutual on other sites - which is not quite the same as asking us to make changes / additions to our site. Though I accept that steps to improve our search ranking can also be a good way of increasing traffic

So while the suggestion certainly gets a deserved 'thank you', I didn't feel that it qualified as a valid entry for the comp. I hope that makes sense :?
Thanked by: Mel, tashi500

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests