PW:You have pioneered a very interesting concept on the Internet, a product called Web Cards. Can you tell us a bit about them?
CH: Web Cards are full-color printed postcards with an image of your Web site on one side and your custom message printed in black ink on the other side. They are used to promote new Web Sites, give out at trade shows and it seems as though each new client has a different use for their cards. We've done them for sites as diverse as the Empire State Building to the City of Munich.
PW:These cards seem to be gaining in popularity quite quickly. What techniques have you used to promote them?
CH: Business has boomed. We've been growing almost 25% a month. We've tried a wide range of marketing ideas--including opt-in email, banner advertising and practicing what we preach--sending Web Cards to our mailing list which always gets us great response. Our affiliate program brings us hundreds of qualified leads every day. We keep in touch with our list through a regular newsletter.
PW:You quite liberaly give away free samples. It is quite unusual for a company to give away samples like you do to anyone and everyone. Has it paid off for you to give them away like this?
CH: The samples we give away are from other sites we have done. Each time we get a lead, we send them sample cards and our brochure. We are very happy with the number of people who order after getting samples.
PW:You also offer a affiliate program, where you pay the affiliate a dollar for every person they get to request free samples! This is probably one of the most generous affiliate programs on the Internet right now... has it been worth it for you?
CH: We know, historically, what kind of response we will get from responding to leads so we know how much we can afford to pay for each one. We now have over 1300 affiliates and the number is growing by almost 75 per week. We have just introduced a new addition to our affiliate program that also pays a 10% commission on all orders. Our experience is that the more generous we are with affiliates, the more they promote Web Cards for us.
PW:I know a lot of people wish for your kind of success on the Internet. So in closing, do you have any tips or ideas for our readers to help their products to do better on the Internet?
CH: I think the key to the success of any business is good relationships especially with customers. Many of our clients order again and again so we try very hard to keep them happy. Keeping in touch with prospects and cutomers on a regular basis is very important. The Internet is just another tool for doing that . People who want to sell products should test a variety of marketing tools--both on the Internet and off--and see what what works for them. Hopefully, one of the tools they test will be Web Cards!
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