My lifes passion! input please.

[kurtyordy]

A very long time ago I realized my lifes passion was to make a difference in the lives of children. This manifested itself through different facets of my life. Now, I have a vehicle at my fingertips that I think could have a great impact globally. For those following my fifteen months to turn 3k into 1 mill plan, this is completely unrelated.

To date I am almost completely maxed out financially creating this which is why it does not qualify for Russ' challenge, but if it can make an impact in childrens lives that I think it can, it will be worth it.

All this being said, here is a link to the edit: live site, http://www.feedyourfamilyfeedtheworld.com

I would appreciate any imput on how to promote this site on the web. Please no comments on some of the wording in the content at this point. This mockup is about one month old and some of that has changed. Once I have the site live, I will post it for content review.

 

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[Jorge]

Wow nice website! I really like the design and idea.

a few ideas:

1) Translation to other languages, at least for SEO (I can help you with spanish if you want to)

2) Could you make a simple "donate"? Or would that hurt the business that sustains the project?

3) Send a press release to all the newspapers that you can, I'm sure most of them will feature the site since it's a good idea to make the world better.

4) Maybe run a mini-ad campaign, Link exchange with non profits could be a way also

Well, gotta go, I'll write more ideas later.

Cya!

 

[kurtyordy]

Thanks Jorge. Currently we have slated 2k for off the web promotion. As far as other languages, that is great idea, I will talk to my web guys about that.

They will be given a link directly to the charity to sponsor a kid, but donations outside of sponsorship is not available to my knowledge.

 

[Yankees338]

I like the newspaper idea as well as the link exchange. Rep +++ Jorge.

Maybe you could try to affiliate with some local non-profit fundraisers as well that are actual events to help get your name out. Nonprofits should try to help each other out.

 

[Jorge]

Hey thanks for the rep!

Ok here are more ideas:

-Get the domain name up now, not much: Logo, description and signup. Get people to link to the site (this will help you get indexed by search engines before the release)

-Let visitors give you their emails so they can be notified upon release of the site and get beta accounts (for the initial buzz this will help)

-Get any blogger you know to write about the project and link to your site (you could also give beta accounts to "elite" bloggers to make reviews of the site)

-Setup a blog of the project (you could make a subdomain that redirects to a blogger blog) where you give news, tips and the overall project progress

Cheers!

 

[kurtyordy]

Thanks for the ideas Jorge.

The linking with other charities would not be an option. Our model promotes and funds a certian charity, so it would be similar to MJ putting a link to the purple rat on his website.

Getting the domain up early is not an option either, this idea started almost 1 year ago when I had no web knowledge at all, so I do not have direct control of the domain right now, I will within a week or two in time to launch

I like the early opt in idea, will talk to web guys once domain is transferred if we are delayed in our launch.

Blogger connections are limited at this point to only myself. Great idea but no resources at this point.

Blog idea I love, will start tomorrow.

 

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[kurtyordy]

Here is what I have planned so far:

Write a few articles and post on the article sites.

Post a bulletin on myspace hoping to generate some buzz among my friends and thier friends. My friend count is currently a substandard 60. I will have to work on boosting this in the next few weeks.

Post a video on youtube of me and my partner discussing our hearts disire in regards to the project.

Start a blog chronicling the project (thanks Jorge)

Adwords: very competitive, will have to work that into the budget somehow.

Considering advertising on philanthropy.com or similar site.

This where I am currently at, any more thoughts are greatly appreciated.

 

[CarrieW]

you have a resource of bloggers right here!!!! on this forum!

sending you a pm!

 

[CRBFL]

I'll write an article on my blog as well as put out a bulletin on myspace.

 

[kurtyordy]

Thanks guys I really appreciate it. I will let you know when we go live. Any other input is appreciated.

Another question for everyone- I was thinking of getting some of those colored bracelets that of some sort of rubber material, like the lance armstrong ones. Anyway, I could sell them for $2 and still stay with my theme of buying a day in the kids life. My hesitancy is that the seem early 2000's and I believe the trend is on a downswing. I wondered what others take on that is.

 

[CarrieW]

I still see them all the time. I think its a great idea. even if people dont wear them most likley they would spend 2 bucks to buy one to show support IMO.

 

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[kurtyordy]

Thanks Carrie!

Does noone else have any tips? I know there are some tried and true web guys/gals in this forum, where are you on this one?

 

[CarrieW]

A pleasure Kurt!

Looking at the site now!

 

[CarrieW]

you just want feedback on the overall design of the site?

search engine optimazation? tell me what your looking for and I will do the best I can.

Im not tried and true but I know some things!

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I would appreciate any imput on how to promote this site on the web. Please no comments on some of the wording in the content at this point. This mockup is about one month old and some of that has changed. Once I have the site live, I will post it for content review.

1) Press releases ... a great way to get FREE publicity. Because the cause is good and somewhat newsworthy, there is a good chance that it might be given airtime on major news outlets. If not, the release still might get picked up on news aggregators on other websites. The other benefit to good PR is you might get calls from media outlets that want to use your product in some sort of promotion (A cable TV cooking show for example)

2) Partner with websites that cater to your target market. Could be gourmet foods, chefs, recipe sites, or even charitable foundations. Obviously, the type of partner / joint-venture arrangement is dependent on your offer and what you are capable of supporting, tracking, and executing. It can be an extravagant arrangement involving revenue shares, product placement, or something as simple as link exchanges.

There are two entities you can approach -- 1) The product (jams, jellies) and 2) The good cause of helping disadvantaged children.

I think as you dive into marketing, you will see which entity approach provides you the most traction.

3) Traditional PPC campaigns targeting all your products specifically. I'd think that your keywords would be fairly cheap -- examples, "peanut butter jam" "amish family recipes" etc. When you start dabbling in the generic words "recipes" then things get quite costly and competitive.

4) Traditional SEO -- again, each product you offer should have its own page that specifically promotes that product. This will help your organic rankings for specific product searches which is how most people search.

5) Affiliate programs -- start your own affiliate program or join a management network. When your affiliates sell your product, you pay them a cut. To find affiliate networks that you can join, hit Google and type in "Affiliate Networks". Do your diligence on these as they can get costly and some have affiliates that are just plain horrible.

6) Attempt to create a community whereas users can see the benefits of their work. As with all donations, people LOVE to see their money at work. If people don't see their money at work they are less likely to give. I know this is a content issue moreso marketing, but creating community generates traffic and buzz. Word-of-mouth is the best marketing tools available. Perhaps a "Children who have been helped" and their pictures and what kind of help they received.

7) Free giveaways - Promote a giveaway, a contest, or something and promote it on your site, your MySpace/Facebook pages etc. Perhaps a "Jam of the Month?" or a contest? Giveways are great -- just an example right here -- the daily visitors here spiked 40% when I offered D. Kennedy's FREE book. While the traffic spike might be temporary, it surely will increase quality users over the long haul which is the long-term goal. Contests can also be promoted via Press Release.

8) Post articles to article websites pertaining to either Amish Recipes or charitable causes. Allow users to DIGG them. Same goes for your own website.

 

[kurtyordy]

Carrie- actually, I am looking for online promo ideas, critiquing of the site I will ask for when I have a live version.

MJ- thanks for the input.
1) paying someone to do this in my 200 mile radius, once done, I will take the story they create and put on prweb for national attention
2) this weekends research
3) was planning adwords, will expand to others,
4) currently reading seo optimization for dummies.
5) not enough profit margin at this point
6) love it, will begin soon after launch
7) so far I was thinking that at any news story type events, like radio or tv, offering to mach jar for jar till a kid gets sponsored. I will have to look at some other options.
8)DIGG???

 

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[kurtyordy]

Very exciting, got the full version last night to test. Fixing the bugs. Should go live in the next week or two.

Started blog.

Found out what Digg is all about.

 

[Andrew]

All the big stuff has been covered; go through MJ's list and you've got a good 3 solid years of work

I would suggest focusing on the public relations side and hitting it really hard. Ignore the advertising and SEO for now. Your business sells itself so you already have an edge. Build a contact list of journalists -- newspapers, magazines, cable news networks, local news networks, blogs, major web sites, and so on. Every single contact you make needs to be very focused and tailored to that specific individual. Look at previous work the reporter has written and figure out how to tie that into your first contact. Having the personalized approach is critical, and you will get responses, guaranteed.

 

[cynabyte]

checkout Food4Music.com

small Canadian project but might make a good link up

they are on myspace and facebook as well (myspace.com/food4music)

-Andrew

 

[kurtyordy]

Thanks cynabyte. Are you related to the cynnabun dynasty? I checked out those guys. I will contact them through myspace and see what options are available.

 

[kurtyordy]

The day has finally come. Right around 12 months in the works and today we finally launchedhttp://www.feedyourfamilyfeedtheworld.com

Any input on content/layout/ and function would be appreciated.

 

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[thenewguy25]

Okay, here are some free strategies that work. Social networks (more than just myspace). Get on these sites and network. It may take some time to build your friend list, but as you are adding new friends, you can keep in constant indirect contact with them (write a blog post and get them to come back to your profile each and every time you post). When you do this, this will keep your site in their mind more. You don't want to post all of your info in bulitins. You want to wet their appetite and get them to go to the blog on your profile. Make sure you link to your site in EVERY post.
Networking on these sites will help you start a buzz as well as help you with SEO (backlinks need to be keyword targeted)
Next, start a club centered around your site and once every two weeks invite all of your contacts to join. Start posting when you start this club to break the ice. Repeat blog process here also. Wet their appetites then invite them to your profile, which has your blog, which links to your site. Do you see how it works?
Next, I suggest joining a few food forums and add a signature file that links to your site. This equals a free high rank back link. Also make sure all of your post to the forums are relevant so you will not be blacklisted. This works very well. for seo and building a slight buzz around the site. Keep in mind when posting to any forum, DO NOT START OFF POSTING IN THE OFF TOPIC FORUM. You want to keep away from this area until you have a good number of post. Some forums you join will give you the boot if you start there.
Writing articles is a good idea. Make sure you link to different pages within the site and not just the home page. Over time doing this as well as link exchanges will get your site to authority status (when 1 keyword is searched on google, the result will show more than 1 page of your site together). I use article marketing strategies along with 3 way links to get my sites to move up in ranks. It usually takes 1-4 months for my sites to get on the first page of google.
I hope this helps

 

[Jorge]

I think it would be cool if people could select a child to "sponsor" in their order.

In the "your part, our part, Their Part" I would include a "more information" link telling more about the project.

Knowing a little more about this childrens could also get more people engaged... I don't really know if the organization gathers this info like "what are his dreams" and stuff like that.

My best wishes, this is a noble project :eusa_clap:

Edit, I just saw there's a "about the project" in and inside section of the site. I would put this link in the home

 

[Luke12321]

Just took a quick look at the site again, it looks great! You should be proud of yourself for creating a site for just a good cause. My only question is, is all the kids from the same country? If not, maybe adding a few kids from a different area would be good. Certain people may relate to certain countries over others....just a thought. Overall....great job!!!

 

[kurtyordy]

Thanks everyone.

I am looking at food forums, will join some next week.

The PR I outsourced to a pro. I don't want to risk blowing it due to my inexperience.

My plan for changing the site is to get feedback this month, and then in January start adding different elements.

Luke- Right now, the ministry we are working with is based in CAR. Once we gain momentum, we will be adding more ministries to give us broader representation.

So far I am looking at:
1. different languages.
2. creating pages with more info for the kids.
3. add a whole section about the community and the impact seen from the sponsorship
4. add more child sponsorship agencys
5. add 'about the project' link to the home page ASAP

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Okay, here are some free strategies that work. Social networks (more than just myspace). Get on these sites and network. It may take some time to build your friend list, but as you are adding new friends, you can keep in constant indirect contact with them (write a blog post and get them to come back to your profile each and every time you post). When you do this, this will keep your site in their mind more. You don't want to post all of your info in bulitins. You want to wet their appetite and get them to go to the blog on your profile. Make sure you link to your site in EVERY post.
Networking on these sites will help you start a buzz as well as help you with SEO (backlinks need to be keyword targeted)
Next, start a club centered around your site and once every two weeks invite all of your contacts to join. Start posting when you start this club to break the ice. Repeat blog process here also. Wet their appetites then invite them to your profile, which has your blog, which links to your site. Do you see how it works?
Next, I suggest joining a few food forums and add a signature file that links to your site. This equals a free high rank back link. Also make sure all of your post to the forums are relevant so you will not be blacklisted. This works very well. for seo and building a slight buzz around the site. Keep in mind when posting to any forum, DO NOT START OFF POSTING IN THE OFF TOPIC FORUM. You want to keep away from this area until you have a good number of post. Some forums you join will give you the boot if you start there.
Writing articles is a good idea. Make sure you link to different pages within the site and not just the home page. Over time doing this as well as link exchanges will get your site to authority status (when 1 keyword is searched on google, the result will show more than 1 page of your site together). I use article marketing strategies along with 3 way links to get my sites to move up in ranks. It usually takes 1-4 months for my sites to get on the first page of google.
I hope this helps

This is great info ... I'll get you out of parking for it. Speed+

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Thanks everyone.

I am looking at food forums, will join some next week.

The PR I outsourced to a pro. I don't want to risk blowing it due to my inexperience.

My plan for changing the site is to get feedback this month, and then in January start adding different elements.

Luke- Right now, the ministry we are working with is based in CAR. Once we gain momentum, we will be adding more ministries to give us broader representation.

So far I am looking at:
1. different languages.
2. creating pages with more info for the kids.
3. add a whole section about the community and the impact seen from the sponsorship
4. add more child sponsorship agencys
5. add 'about the project' link to the home page ASAP

Please Please Please keep us updated on this exciting project!

 

[Bilgefisher]

First I applaud you on your effort. Very few people actually do something to help others, let alone create a vehicle to do so. Please, only take the following as constructive criticisms.

-I see no indication of administration fees. Many people are reluctant to give when they find that only 10-20 cents of their donated dollar actually goes towards the child.
-along those lines- some sort of press links or ways to show you are legit and not a scam page. Perhaps getting yourself recognized by other larger charities on their websites so people can prove to themselves your not scamming them and you truly are trying to help these children. Also, I don't see any links to your site from the church you partnered with.
-Only orders can be made in the US. No point adding other languages if the US is the only country that can purchase the products.
-perhaps a small forum and/or blog on your site to generate continued interest and fuel new ideas.
-you mentioned your financial burden to put this all together, people empathize and relate to that really well. That could be advantageous if people knew your not some billionaire and just another Joe making positive things happen. That fact can really motivate people into thinking they to can help. They can relate to you.
-a straight donation button. A person may not need jam but would still like to donate.


Just some food for thought. Again, great job on this, I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Bilgefisher]

2. creating pages with more info for the kids.
3. add a whole section about the community and the impact seen from the sponsorship
5. add 'about the project' link to the home page ASAP

I especially like these ideas. #3 is important in my opinion. It shows folks they are making a positive impact through their donation.

 

[cynabyte]

Thanks cynabyte. Are you related to the cynnabun dynasty? I checked out those guys. I will contact them through myspace and see what options are available.

Actually it is my artsy form of spelling cenobite from the Hell Raiser movies

What is the cynnabun dynasty? I assume a period in Japan or China's history