Custom Sortfolio ads on The Deck Jan 05 2010
19 comments Latest by r4 cards
Yesterday we alluded to a new Sortfolio promotion we’ll be running across The Deck Network. The promotion started yesterday and will run for at least the next 60 days.
How it works
We purchased a slot on The Deck for Sortfolio. That gives us somewhere between 2,500,000 and 3,000,000 ad impressions across over a 30 day period. We used to run a static ad in that spot, but what we’re doing now is splitting the ad display 25% static and 75% dynamic. The dynamic ads feature our Sortfolio Pro customers.
25% static
25% of the time, our ad will look like this:
75% dynamic
75% of the time, our ad will be generated dynamically and feature a Sortfolio Pro listing ($99/month). Currently about 140 companies have Pro listings. The ad will feature a crop of their primary screenshot as well as a link directly to their Sortfolio page. Here are a few examples:
This means the companies paying $99/month to be highlighted on Sortfolio are also getting roughly 15,000 highlighted ad impressions across The Deck Network too.
This means your web design company could get prime exposure on sites like Daring Fireball, A List Apart, 43 Folders, Kottke.org, The Morning News, Ze Frank, Twitteriffic (in app), Design Observer, etc. There are currently 40 high profile sites that run Deck ads.
More exposure = more potential business
We hope this added high-profile exposure leads to more business for your web design firm. If you aren’t listed on Sortfolio yet, get listed today. It’s free to list your company, but if you want have a chance at having a featured ad run across The Deck Network, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro plan.
Got a web design project in mind? Find a web designer on Sortfolio. Browse by visual style, portfolio, budget, and geographic location.
Over 1 million people use 37signals' simple web-based software to collaborate on projects, track contacts, and organize their business with an intranet.
19 comments so far
Christian 05 Jan 10
Hi, I just wanted to let you know that in the little purple ads under the post it still says Haystack.com.
Chriztian Steinmeier 05 Jan 10
That’s an awesome bonus – very cool!
JF 05 Jan 10
For the record, credit for this idea goes to Jim Coudal. One of the many benefits of sharing an office with the folks at Coudal.
Rob Giampietro 05 Jan 10
Smart, guys. Very smart.
Travis 05 Jan 10
What happens when more people sign up for pro… less ad listings for everyone else? Though it would take a lot of people to get a significant drop in their listings.
JF 05 Jan 10
Travis: Yes, the ad impressions are spread across all Sortfolio Pro members. So the more there are the fewer impressions each one ultimately gets, but everyone still benefits from the added traffic to the Sortfolio site.
Josh Williams 05 Jan 10
This is a really elegant idea. It has the side benefit of keeping the Deck ads looking fresh. Gotta collect them all!
Mark 05 Jan 10
Sounds like you’re breaking the spirit of The Deck to me (if The Deck is in fact picky about who advertises).
So a seedy, bottom tier web shop could appear on The Deck.
Jonathan Nelson 05 Jan 10
Great idea JF. You guys rock!!!
Garrett Winder 05 Jan 10
Mark: They’re accepting advertising from Sortfolio. Which is made by 37signals. Who shares an office space w/ Coudal. Who made The Deck.
Soah Nsug 05 Jan 10
Garrett: Are you dismissing his point or agreeing with him and pointing out that the rules are being bent for 37signals?
Surely Coudal hasn’t used the services of every designer that purchases space on Sortfolio. Just as surely these deck ads are for the designers as well for Sortfolio.
37signals is basically reselling their ad space on the deck to anyone who buys space on Sortfolio so Coudal’s “hand picked” pitch goes out the window.
JF 05 Jan 10
The rules aren’t being bent. The advertisement is for Sortfolio. We’re just using some of the content from inside Sortfolio to make the ads. All ads link back to Sortfolio, not to third party sites.
Soah Nsug 05 Jan 10
JF: So an ad that says, “Need a car? Buy a Ford!” and links back to a Ford ad on Edmunds isn’t an advertisement for Ford? I guess it just depends on what the meaning of the word “is” is.
Mind you, I don’t think anybody is doing The Wrong Thing here. It’s just that the deck is going in a new direction that seems to conflict with their stated guidelines for accepted ads.
Mark Nutter 05 Jan 10
Mark has a point (and a great name). Sure, it’s advertising Sortfolio, but it also is advertising the pro firms, which aren’t necessarily approved or filtered by The Deck. That said, I hope my seedy, bottom tier web shop shows up consistently on the Sortfolio ad :)
Scott 06 Jan 10
I’ve wondered occasionally who the “we” is in “We won’t take an ad unless we have paid for and/or used the product or service.” At first I thought “we” was the owners of the sites that run Deck ads, but soon realized that’s not it. My initial assumption was that if you see an ad, the people that own the site where you see it “have paid for and/or used the product or service.” But, I realized a while ago that’s not the case. Who is “We”?
JF 06 Jan 10
Scott: We are the Deck partners (Coudal, 37signals, Zeldman), but we consult other sites that run Deck ads if a controversial advertiser comes along.
JDVS 06 Jan 10
Half of your advertising will work. The Deck shows ads on sites that are mostly read by designers, chances are they are not looking for web designer.
Garrett Winder 06 Jan 10
Soah: I’m dismissing his point.
r4 cards 08 Jan 10
Classic exposition, I have also mentioned it in my blog article. But it is a pity that almost no friend discussed it with me. I am very happy to see your article.
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