Mr Hand asks: What is Shortbord?
Its an easy question to answer, but you have to know who your audience is.
1. Are you a celebrity on the web? If so, then you are a Surfer. This means you use Facebook or Twitter, publish blogs, comment on websites and friends’ photos, write on their walls, email, chat, post status updates, etc… You do a lot of different things on a lot of different websites, but everywhere you go on the web, its always you. You literally surf across web applications, cultivating massive followings of friends, family, coworkers and acquaintences (all of whom must think you’re pretty cool, or else why would they follow you?). Hundreds of companies want to pay you to promote their brands to your legions of fans. You already spend hundreds of hours each year using your favorite websites, isn’t it time you started getting paid for it?
2. Do you have a great web app that has lots of members / readers / followers? Does your app incorporate user-generated content? Do you want to monetize your traffic but don’t want to overload your users with ads? If yes, then you are a Partner. Partners are the owners and operators of social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, etc…), blogs (Wordpress, Tumblr, Blogger), micoblogs (Twitter), comment platforms (Disqus, Cocomment, SezWho) and any other social media application that lets Surfers form connections with their peers and express themselves. You’ve been looking for a revenue model, and here’s how we can help: instead of selling ads AT your members, why don’t you try selling ads WITH your members? It sounds crazy, but by letting your members make money for themselves on your website, you will finally create a sustainable source of revenues for yourself. How does infinite return-on-investment sound? There is zero cost to Partners to join Shortbord, and zero risk of joining “too early.” Join the Shortbord network, let your members show you that they want to make money for using your service, and start earning a percentage of their revenues today.
3. Do you want to drive sales or increase your brand’s awareness? Are you watching people spend more and more time on the web, but haven’t figured out how to effectively advertise to them? Are you overwhelmed with staying up to date on the current “hot” platforms (Facebook and Twitter, anyone?) and don’t really know how to engage your target consumers when they’re on those platforms? Marketers know that social media is about having a conversation, but don’t know how to become a part of the conversation without seeming spammy or annoying. This sounds like most Sponsors we’ve talked to, and here’s how Shortbord can help: instead of sponsoring the websites that you think your target consumers will be using and hoping that they notice your ads, instead use Shortbord to directly connect with your target consumers and let them virally promote your brand to their hundreds or thousands of followers. There is no stronger (or older) form of advertising that word-of-mouth, and no advertising product is as effective. Endorse Surfers, become a part of the conversation regardless of the platform the Surfers are using, and create an army of brand advocates to drive sales on the web or in stores. Your main goal as an advertiser is to make direct connections with your target consumers; Shortbord is the best (and only) way to do this.
