Help for newbie

[blueberry]

Hello everyone!

I'm a new here in the forum and also new in the internet business. I am looking forward to get to know you and learn new things. I don't have that much knowledge about this yet so I'm asking for your help. Hopefully I can soon pay it forward.

I have just launched a new wish list service which is free and includes apps. As the service is completely free I need to find free or very affordable ways to promote it, get feedback and develop it further. I know I need feedback about the service and also back links to be more visible.

What you think are most efficient free ways to move forward?

Currently I have tried to find blogs who would be interested in reviewing the service but the rates are incredible high although I have tried to find small blogs. Do you have any blogs in mind who would be interested reviewing new services?

Thank you for your help in advance.

Jane

[Lynn Terry]

Hi Jane,

What kind of services and apps do you offer, and who is your target market?

Have you set up a website, and social media channels specifically for this site/niche?

[moretrisha]

Hi Jane,

Beyond Lynn's questions - go to AllTop.com and dig there for targets.

Does it hook into WordPress at all? If so, that should probably be your first go-to. They're an especially lively community with very limited choices in wishlist apps (I've recently gone hunting for one and didn't find anything good and free).

In a fashion you've limited yourself because the service is free. If it were paid you could offer special perks and discounts to readers of reviewers, but as it stands you have nothing special to offer reviewers that wouldn't be considered a bribe.

There are plenty of bloggers willing to provide reviews for free though. You'll find them by searching for app reviews in the platforms you target.

Blessings!
Trisha

[blueberry]

Hi Lynn,

Thank you for your interest. It's a wish list service with mobile app for Android and iPhone. We have set up a website and social media channels but we are still at the very beginning. The service is basically targeted for anyone who wants to make wishlists and share them with friends or family. May it be Christmas, birthdays, weddings, baby showers or just for fun. I think the main target group would be parents or families makings lists for their kids or young women creating their wedding lists. Our goal is respect users privacy and provide service without adds or spam.

I'm not sure am I allowed to place link here? I would highly appreciate any feedback

[blueberry]

Hi Trisha,

Thank you for your reply. Alltop.com is a good tip. When it comes perks you are exactly right. It's very difficult to offer anything concrete as the service is intangible and free. However, at the moment service works "invitation only" as we like to gather first more feedback and develop it further.

If you have any interest in free wish list app and have time to try ours I would love to hear feedback from you!

[Lynn Terry]

How do you plan to monetize this venture?

[blueberry]

I am sorry for disappearing, I was taken very ill. We are planning to sell supporting service for retailers but not selling any user information.

[Lynn Terry]

I hope you're feeling better!

So you're releasing a free version for the public, but a paid version for corporate clients? Is that right?

[blueberry]

Thank you Lynn, I'm feeling much better now. Yes, that it is exactly right. However, we are going to first concentrate on the public and only after that to retailers. Would you be interested in taking a look at the site?

[Lynn Terry]

Sure! What is the link? :)

[blueberry]

The link is: https://wishsimply.com I created a code for you (since it's currently invitation only) WISHFEB which is valid until the end of the month. Thank you so much for your effort!

[Lynn Terry]

The website looks great! :) It's very self explanatory, given the general public is familiar with wishlists at this point. Nice job! I love that it integrates with your social accounts, and that you can add items to your wishlist from anywhere - I assume Amazon, Macy's, Wal-Mart, you name it?

Have you done any video marketing?

You really need some campaigns that will go viral - funny videos for example.

And big PR opps. Have you done a press release? You'll want to look into ways to get it reviewed in places that feature startups and/or fun, free services. I know I've seen them on Huffington Post, in the LA Times, on Fox Business, etc.

[blueberry]

How nice to hear such a positive feedback! Yes, you may add any items from anywhere from the Internet. We are still improving some details but in overall it's getting ready for the public. Our resources are very limited so we haven't done yet any video marketing but I think that would be great idea to consider. I have made one press release but maybe I could do a new one. Currently I have tried to find places who would be interested in reviewing the service but most of them were not interested unless they get a big fat payment or a lot of free stuff. No I have concentrated on contacting PR friendly blogs. Hopefully I found more positive response there. I think I will first start small so if there is something that I have overlooked I'll have time to fix it. We still don't have much experience about real users. News sites would definitely provide valuable exposure if they got interested in this small business. Thank you again Lynn for your interest!

If anyone else happens to read this thread and got interested feel free to use that code above. All feedback is most welcomed!

Hope you all have a nice weekend!

Jane

[Lynn Terry]

Hi Jane,

Hosting a contest for "best video review" would be fun, and have the contest sponsored by one of the companies or merchants you include in your WishList service. That's just one example. Consider how you can leverage your audience and your connections to get some viral marketing started! ;-)

Fiverr.com is a great place to get some nice marketing pieces done too, very cheap ($5 each) including videos, graphics / image content, etc.

[blueberry]

Thank you Lynn, these are all really good ideas! Sponsoring is something I have been thinking about too and Fiverr is really useful place especially for small businesses. Hosting contest is cool idea too but I think we have to grow our audience a bit more before doing it.

[Lynn Terry]

Building an audience is key - once you have an engaged audience or user base, everything else will fall into place. So definitely focus on that first and make it your highest priority. :)