TWCL

[smbhax.com]

jasonm wrote:

I have cued on the server material that will last until July, with 40 more pages that just need to be lettered)

O:

^that represents my jaw dropping

I have nowhere near the self-discipline for that--not just generating that much ahead of time, but restraining myself from posting it; I seem to have a deep psychological need to slap pieces up as soon as they're done.
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[smbhax.com]

Justin wrote:

my tactic for advertising the past few weeks has been only buying adspace on a comic on update days, only advertising on sites that get solid traffic, and only on sites that have the leaderboard (my biggest ad) close to the comic. I always check to see where an ad is placed on a website before i bid on it. still, i'm only brave enough to bid up to $9 for an ad on project wonderful. i usually bid on three or four, but i've been wondering if maybe bidding $20 on a single very popular website would be better than having several ads on websites with slightly more modest fanbases.

For months I've been running a single ad in multiple campaigns, running it week by week at different average bid levels. The returns have consistently yielded a better cost-per-click value running the ads on cheaper sites. A $20-ad site probably has a higher potential for getting you a ton of surprise hits when it spikes, since its spikes will be proportionally bigger, but the site would also be more closely watched and have its bargains that much more quickly pounced upon; it's a gamble that I don't think would tend to pay off in the long term vs bidding on lower-level sites. I've only been ranging up to about $5.00 bids, though; I've never gone close to $9 or more per day on a single bid, so I can't speak from experience at those higher bid levels.

Also, mine have been ads for a sci-fi webcomic, and I don't know of any sci-fi webcomics selling ad space at high bid levels anymore (not since Buck Godot ended), so that could be a significant factor in my own results, since I'm not tending to hit viewers in my genre on the more expensive sites. The campaigns I've been running have not been genre-specific in selecting sites, simply because there isn't a sufficiently large pool of sci-fi webcomics selling good ad space (and secondarily because Project Wonderful has no genre search feature, so you'd have to organize the target sites manually, blah).

I think there is still a value in hitting more expensive sites once in a while though, because you could be reaching different audiences than you reach through lower bids--so even though it may cost more per person seeing it and clicking through to you, they're potential fans you wouldn't have reached otherwise.
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[jasonm]

Ok, banner sizes...

This is just for me personally. I'm focusing on advertising with large banners, especially skyscrapers. They let me show off my art which is a big seller since it's a story based comic. My guess is size is less important if you have a good hook. Now there are exceptions to the rule, there's one site I advertise on with the size above a button and I get good returns, but generally those ads are easy to ignore for size alone.

As for expensive high volume sites versus the others - I've found the volume of the traffic from the site you advertise on is less important compared to the type of place you advertise. I'm hitting big with superhero and zombie sites as well as some dark humor. I tried basing it on volume alone and while I got some decent hits, there's one site that I'm barley paying anything for and getting a lot of clicks. In the end, spread your ads out there and see what common denominator the sites have, then use that to narrow your advertising focus. Set a click through goal as well. Mine is $.05 or less. If I'm paying $20 a day that's fine if my click through rate is still $.05 per click. This goal is important to keep your cost down and maintain a value.

So hopefully that helps!
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ELLIUM: A secret society determined to save the world - whether we want them to or not!

[jasonm]

If it's helpful, I've started writing tips like this from my experience over in the "socialization" section of http://asylumink.net.
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ELLIUM: A secret society determined to save the world - whether we want them to or not!

[Lord Pandar]

Quote:

Anybody who is already earning from his or her webcomics?

I take umbrage at anyone who has confidence in the likelihood of the outcome implied by that statement.
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S*P*Q*R

[jaygee]

Earned (until today): $0.71
Spent (until today): $350.-

Guess I need a "gubbermint" to bail me out...
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[jasonm]

I just want a student loan bailout, is that too much to ask for?!?
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ELLIUM: A secret society determined to save the world - whether we want them to or not!

[joeychips]

I can't complain about what I'm making from my comics.
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Joe Chiappetta - Read Silly Daddy comics at http://sillydaddy.net

[Justin]

jasonm wrote:

I just want a student loan bailout, is that too much to ask for?!?

seconded!

yeah i've noticed that in general the higher i have to bid on an ad, the cheaper it actually is per click. as the great yoda once said, spend money to make money you must. but i just haven't had the balls to throw down $20 bucks on a single ad.

what about merchandise? has anyone noticed trends with that? one of my friends keeps advising me to invest in some cheaper merch, specifically greeting cards and signed prints of my comics. but i have a dislike of greeting cards in general, and i guess i'm just being a negative nancy but i don't think prints would sell either.
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-Justin


now with huge banner!

Last edited by NO ONE on NEVER; edited NO times in total!

[TheDeeMan]

jaygee wrote:

Earned (until today): $0.71 Spent (until today): $350.- Guess I need a "gubbermint" to bail me out...

You ain't the only one. LOL!

Earning from the webcomic? Nah. Not much to speak of, I should say. And yet I should add. The Continentals is getting increasingly good work of mouth, folks are passing our link around on other forums, and being linked to my the various websites that are it's target audience (steampunk, LGBT, mystery/detective) so our traffic is slowly increasing because of it. And because of that the bidding on our ads is slowly increasing, going on average for 5-6x's the opening bid price of $.05.

So there are signs of hope that one day soon we'll actually make money off of it. Fingers crossed off course.

Dee
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It's like Sherlock Holmes meets the 60's tv show "The Avengers" with a dash of James Bond for flavor.
www.webcomicsnation.com/moniquem/continentals/series.php

[smbhax.com]

Justin wrote:

what about merchandise? has anyone noticed trends with that? one of my friends keeps advising me to invest in some cheaper merch, specifically greeting cards and signed prints of my comics. but i have a dislike of greeting cards in general, and i guess i'm just being a negative nancy but i don't think prints would sell either.

I'm thinking of going through Zazzle eventually, and for some reason I'm really stoked about the thought of their customizable postage stamps.
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[Dutch]

I think you need a following who are vocal, and a following of a substantial size to make anything running these. Just being around long enough isn't enough. If you're making a strip that fits what a (fairly) large portion of an audience likes to read, then you have a decent chance of at least recuperating some costs. If you're making something that isn't quite as mainstream (in regards to the net), then you'll struggle.

I'm making two thirds of five eighths of bugger all from School Spirit, but it's not the sort of strip that gathers your stereotypical internet webcomic viewer either, so you can't have it both ways
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[elbowmacaroni]

Unless you're using a print on demand service, it might take some time to actually earn money. I didn't want to rely on another company's customer service and quality control, so I only have 2 things for sale in my store. I have both in stock and know there won't be any delays in shipping or problems with the quality. I bought in quantity so the cost per piece would be lower, but that means I've got to sell more before I start realizing a profit. It would help if I didn't have random giveways, too, but I have fun with those and I like to think they generate more traffic.

There's another item I'd like to add, but I'm waiting for the economy to improve before I stock up on something else.
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