New Website Features - Advice Sought

[BreakfastClubba]

Hi,

About a week ago I mentioned that I'm looking into adding new features to Freelove & Music (http://www.freeloveandmusic.com). A feature I'm interested in adding is mobile phone wallpapers and ringtones (as advertised in just about any entertainment magazine you can find).

I'm not sure how the best way to proceed with this will be - to set it all up myself (which means learning how it's done as I haven't a clue) or to find a partner that already provides the service and look to make some sort of a deal.

So, if there is anyone about that can offer guidance or suggestions on either of these options I would be most interested in hearing from you.

I am also interested in hearing any options regarding how to set up a free sms service on the site (either a partner company or otherwise). Martins advice on that previous thread was useful (many thanks), but if there is a UK company offering a solution I would prefer to deal with them.

I apologise if all of this is more techy than it should be for a general business forum, but I really don't know where else to turn.

Thanks again,

Stuart

[Netcomm UK]

The website I run, mobile antics, is automatically updated by the service provider who runs my website. This means i can just go out and promote the website.

Having said that, I don't know what Holly thinks, but DO NOT be fooled by all these companies saying they can make you £10,000 a month and so on.

Without a lot of advertising in the printed media, it is very hard to make any decent money from these sites. Very hard indeed, especially when you're up against all the 'big' ones who send out big catalogues every month etc.

If you decide to go ahead, please feel free to email me and I will give you a link to the company who run mine. I researched a lot of companies and these seemed the best IMO.

Paul

[hollyyetmore]

I have to agree with everything Paul has said, I run a ringtones site as a kind of 'sister' site to my music site and it's not a megabucks money spinner and nor did we expect it to be (if someone spends an absolute fortune on google adwords etc... they may get huge returns but it is a flooded market). I would definitely get a company to provide the tones and automatically update them (it's just not worth the hassle to do it yourself IMHO) then you can concentrate on promotion, which is the key to success. It also comes down to what you're prepared to put into promoting it, it takes a lot of work to get onto the first page of any search engine under search strings "ringtones" "polyphonics" etc and there are such an abundance of sites. If you feel your music site has enough traffic that you'll get a good response then go for it, don't partner with a ringtone provider that charges you anything (you don't want to be out of pocket and there a few good co's to choose from that don't charge) and consider carefully how to increase traffic to your site. Also consider how to ensure the ringtones page looks like an additional benefit to your website and doesn't make visitors feel they are being sold too primarily, content is still paramount.

Holly

[Netcomm UK]

Agree on all but one point Holly.

The companies I researched are a mixture of paid for and free providers. I researched quite a few.

The free providers generally gave you slightly less money per product sold due to them needing to make more money back, they also generally do not have as much content available. For that money, they also do give you a template site already running.

Also, even spending money on Adwords isn't such a great strategy, believe me......!

[hollyyetmore]

I know, I don't use adwords either! I was really just trying to say that to make massive amounts of money that people profess to they have to spend money and ringtones sites are not just a licence to print money (however much I wish they were!!). We use a mixture of free content providers but did consider fee-charging providers too (for the reasons you mention).

Holly

[BreakfastClubba]

To be honest, I'm not expecting to make a lot of money from these additional features. However, if they can be provided for a low cost I hope to increase web traffic to my site.

If I can make some money back from it directly though, that would be a great bonus! :-)

Stuart