Time to get a job?

[cots]

Hi Everyone

I am slowly coming to the conclusion that I may have to go out and get a proper job. After seven years full time on the web the downturn in sales is becoming serious to the point my lifestyle is suffering.

No this isn't a belated April Fool's prank, it's how I feel right now.

From our peak year of 2007 sales are down 50%. Traffic is the same etc so it can't be that. Our star performer for the past three years has been www.glamourimages.net but now even that is starting to suffer. Sales for the last two weeks are 30% below average for that site - despite higher than average visitors and clicks out. Sites, even my normally reliable Top 10, just ain't converting. To compound things finding new sites that perform consistently is also getting harder.

Now I don't blame CCBill entirely for this state of affairs but they certainly "seem" to be at the centre of it as I am not getting the same experience with non CCBill based sponsors. In fact they are holding up reasonably well. Sadly they are only 10% of my sales.So what is it with CCBill sponsors?

I said to Astrid at the start of 2011 that we could not carry on going down. And yet we have. I would say that so far this year, the business as a whole is down by another 10% on the same time last year.

So maybe it's time to change careers again and move on.

I would be really interested to get some feedback and insight, especially from those of you who run sizeable affiliate type operations.

[somona]

Well Geoff ...I am really surprised of this post, certainly becoming from You, as I know how popular is Glamour Images ans Also because Astrid stay ( for me ) one of the most glamourest model of the Bizz ....so it's quite a chock .
Surprised is not the good word, because times change and so many models left the business and it seems to be quite strange now

I am still thinking social networks andd too many freebies everywhere on the net ( Porntubes ,....) and some unfair practices ( as I wrote yesterday ) killed something .....

And it's so sad ....

[cots]

Thanks for your kind words Somona.

You can rest assured that any decisions won't be taken lightly.

Astrid isn't really the problem. We know the main reasons for the downturn there. Mainly ill health, meaning updates have been hard to come by, plus the site is dated. We are currently completely rebuilding the Astrid site. Even if I say this myself, the content (including Emma, Angel Of Tease and Angels) looks stunning in it's new environment so we are hopeful of a new life there. I am even prepared to invest what little spare cash we have in new tech or models but it HAS to work!

I am becoming totally bemused and frustrated by the huge ups and downs we seem to see every week now. I know Toby has said in the past "things average out" but they just aren't anymore.

Last week was a great example. We had one phenomenal day (our best for many, many months) immediately followed by two where we hardly did anything at all. Then a great day, then nothing.

On Wednesday this week we did the equivalent of 2 days business in just 1 hour - then not another sale for over 24 hours! It is just so bizarre. But it all still adds up to being down overall.

If I had hair I would pull it out!!!

[somona]

You know your websites are stunning, and Glamour Images a reference for all of us .... and I feel times will be better really soon ... economic probs will be past soon ... I feel it

[jscott]

Yes I agree with Somona, your Glamour Images is a front runner for sites in our niche.

- Have you tried everything, from an advertising perspective? Try new sites, find new and hot sites.
- Have you cut your expenses, if you've had the same hosting plan for a long time, find a better deal, then show your current host that deal, ask them if they can price match with the lower cheaper deal

Man, I hope things get better for you, (and us) really soon. Last month I had a wonderful sales month, but once April began, my sales hit the shitter bigtime

The business is changing ya'll, try to keep up, keep working, building everyday, building content (paysites and freesites/tgps/blogs all), keep on seo'ing building unique texts, keep find links, whether it's buying links/traffic, trading links or submitting sites/galleries to forums/directories

I don't want to witness anyone in our community having to get a "real" job!!!!!!

[somona]

I agree ...The think is it's quite the " last 9 yards " till the business start again so .... don't give up !

[Toby]

Overall, my sales are good. Solid numbers since last September and that's from about 80% CCBill sites.

However... I have noted a steady decline in sales from a number of stocking glam sites that I've done fairly well with in the past.

Red-XXX, Vintage Flash, Roni's Paradise, Stiletto Girl, Lana Cox, Lady Lucy, Hot Wife Rio, Nylon Candi are all well down in sales over what they were a year ago.

[cots]

Originally Posted by Toby

Overall, my sales are good. Solid numbers since last September and that's from about 80% CCBill sites.

However... I have noted a steady decline in sales from a number of stocking glam sites that I've done fairly well with in the past.

Red-XXX, Vintage Flash, Roni's Paradise, Stiletto Girl, Lana Cox, Lady Lucy, Hot Wife Rio, Nylon Candi are all well down in sales over what they were a year ago.

Hi Toby

Appreciate that honest feedback (as I do everyone's ) but have to dash out now. I will give you a fuller response tomorrow!

[js69]

Good luck Geoff, you are one of the good guys in my book.

[Suckerpunch]

Hey Geoff,

Sorry to hear about the experience and the difficult decision you’re up against. I understand it perfectly well as I’ve had similar discussions with other webmasters looking at that proverbial fork in the road and not knowing what to do.

My experience with CCBill sales are up and down like a toilet seat for me but I haven’t experienced an overall downturn. I am looking at flat sales year over year despite my belief that I was actually down (I really need to pay closer attention to those damn numbers) but I have done quite a few things to help keep the income steady.

Probably the best thing I did was drop some dog sites that just weren’t performing anymore. I was paying for hosting, updating, traffic, redesigns, etc before realizing that I could either sell them cheap or shut them down entirely so I didn’t have to worry about it anymore. Last 12 months I have sold or shut down 8 smaller sites and man, what a damn relief.

I also branched out big time into consulting and freelance stuff which has allowed me to avoid the whole day job thing. I come from the newspaper industry (which has been hammered far worse then the online adult industry) so I shudder what it would be like to try and re-enter the workforce.

As for Glamour Images I still love that site… lol. Sometimes old school works. If you look at Winnie’s Pantyhose, it’s been the same since its launch and I know that site converts like mad.

I hope you find a way to avoid updating that resume and putting it to use. If you ever want to do some brainstorming, shoot me a PM. I’d be happy to help.

Cheers!
Chris

[sabrina]

we found the second half of last year very good, the first rise in sales in any serious direction in a few years.

This year sales to our sites have fallen, but most ccbill sponsors are steady.

Last year was quite a good year, if not the best for ccbill sponsors we have had in many years, though our own sites were down over all on previous years

[cots]

Thanks for all the feedback, very much appreciated, as were all the kind words.

I have been giving everything, especially the feedback, quite a bit of thought but since my first post on this thread, things have deteriorated further.

The thing is that it was so sudden. The first few months of the year were ok, if fact good. It looked seriously like things were on the up. Then BANG!

CCBill week commencing 27th March was when it started. The previous week had been a cracker. We had good/bad days but at the end of the week it was our best this year. Then the following week we were 35% below average, last week the same. I daren't even look at this week. So far we haven't reached an average days sales in three days added together.

So far today we have had nothing from Glamour Images and let me say before the "slump" we averaged 12-15 sign ups a day plus rebills. My last sup was nearly 36 hours ago!!!!!!

As I said, this was no slow decline. It was an overnight slump and has stayed that way, in fact is getting worse.

JS it's not the "constants" that have declined. Traffic is good and clicks out to sponsors are up. It's conversion that's gone tits up! I can't find a site that sells to save my life at the moment.

Toby I have mentioned before that payment is a key issue for me. Checks are no good (cost and time) and wires too expensive in Europe. I have to pretty much stick to CCBill sponsors or those now offering Paxum. So my choice of sponsors is severely limited.

The paysites are holding there own but Glam Images was and is such a big part of our revenues.

I am going to get onto CCBill, even though I know it will be a waste of time, to see what they have to say. The answer will be - we can't see any problems here. But that's what they always say.

Oh well ......................

[somona]

Well ... I think I mentionned this before, but since Social Networks and all free pltforms are up, there are MANY traffic coming only to see ... they even will build a collection of all the pics of a model, gallery per Gallery .. and 12 pics are quite enough 4 them
The story of the weddding were U invite many persons .... they eat all 4 free and U have to clean up the mess day after day to invite other persons and surprise them !

[nichednet]

Think outside the box, don't let the typical techniques webmasters use to create profit be your guidelines for your own biz. There is alot of money out there and lot of new people on the internet each day, ready to spend. What I see alot of people doing is the same thing, for years, and not understand why it is not creating the same revenue stream it did in years past. Ask Myspace that same question. Change it up, evolve, those of you I see using Twitter are stepping it up, and doing things that relate with how users are spending money and interacting with the internet. Just my 2 cents, but I will say, income has not went down in the last years, has went up, and will continue to. As they used to say in my 5th grade class, "Time to put your creative hat on"...

[/rant]

Cheers,

Shane

[cots]

Hi Shane

I agree in principle. I am a statistician and strategic planner by training - all learnt in the direct marketing industry which is very, very similar.

It was the suddenness. It was like someone switched the lights out. A great business does not become a bad one overnight. There is normally a period of slow decline. All my other sites are holding up. It's just Glam Images that has seen the significant slump

I test new sponsors whenever possible (most don't work for my normal traffic profile), I am on Twitter, I analyse everything as much as possible (maybe too much ) so I didn't see this coming!

Despite all this I do agree with your comments though