Lifetime Upgrades

[ViralAdStore.com]

I guess this is a question mostly for site owners...but what's your opinion on Lifetime Upgrades please?

 

I see quite a few sites offer 'lifetime' deals and they are becoming increasingly popular.

 

Personally though I can't see how they can work from a business perspective.

 

I have quite a few loyal members that renew their yearly subscriptions and if they moved to a lifetime deal I would lose that income.

 

I'm guessing a lifetime offer would sell more but it would have to convert at something like 1 in 4 to replace the income from the yearly / monthly model.

 

I'm also thinking selling a lot of lifetime deals would hurt CTR and be bad for members.

 

There would be a lot more mail sent through the site (from the amount of Gold upgraded accounts) and it would reduce the amount of ads that members click on. Unless of course members can keep up with it all.

 

That's just my opinion though  

 

There must be a good reason why owners offer lifetime deal and it would be great to get some feedback!

 

Actually it would be great to get some input from non site owners as well. I know some people prefer to pay for the smallest upgrade and run some tests before coming back with a bigger investment once the site has been proven to deliver.

 

Thanks

[Garrett Hutsko]

Personally I look for the lifetime from a monetary stand point. I think it gives me the best advantage possible, and it also encourages me to promote the SL since I am in for the long haul. The annual model is not bad because it come close to what I perceive in the lifetime model, and do not like the monthly model because the money doesn't always flow the way I want and I want to control closer who it flows.

[market101]

Yes, I have paid for a few `lifetime`  deals and when they all disappeared, i.e.  failed, my money disappeared with them.  They were not scams.  They just were not successful.  Something to think about from a 'members' point of view.

[Guest kingmaker]

yes itis best choice to purchase lifetime upgrades

[John Lederer]

I prefer lifetime upgrades! I am in over 300 mailers and upgraded

in about half of them. I HATE monthlies and no longer do them. Mostly

because a LOT of mailers lose their "umph" after 8 months or so.

Depends on the site owner AND how hard they make it to earn 

those credits!

 

I mean some mailers give a lousy ONE credit and only

allow ONE tab opened at a time. Really?

 

The owners do that in order to FORCE you to upgrade.

Problem is...most will leave & go to another mailer.

 

I do!!

 

Some mailers want a car payment to upgrade at the

lifetime level...(awful), while others are TOO generous

and give you a lifetime membership for $8 and gives

you 500,000 MONTHLY credits.

 

Wow! SURE to fail....cause FEW will be reading the ads there!

[ViralAdStore.com]

Thanks for the input John

 

Yeah as a site owner you definitely have to find the right balance for payment options and also get right what the member is actually receiving for their money.

 

market101 also made a good point though in that you can buy a 'lifetime' deal only for the site to disappear a few weeks later.

[John Lederer]

I agree too!

Lately...I've been upgrading in mailers

owned by marketers who've been around awhile.

Even though that's not a guarantee.

 

I upgraded today in three mailers:

Mountain High Mailer

Easy Button Mailer

Atomic Mailer

[Paul Coonan]

I just might burst someones bubble here, and I will apologize in advance. I'm not one to sugar coat things. I've been marketing online since 1999. I have watched the trends over the long haul. I have watched the evolution of traffic exchanges, safelists and mailers all these years. To tell you the truth, I can spot a new mailer that is broken right out of the gate, tell you exactly why it is broken, and I like to try and predict how long they will last. Sure, at first glance, when it comes to the new out of the box mailer sites that pop up like weeds, for someone who does not know better, a lifetime offer, especially when fairly cheap, is very appealing. Honest truth is though, those mailers that push the lifetime memberships don't get very large and fizzle out faster than others that do not have lifetime memberships. I have often taken advantage of such mailers with cheap lifetime memberships when they are new. Then I spend about 2 to 3 weeks clicking emails and have enough credits to mail for the entire next year. Most of those sites close their doors before the first year is even up. I'm not special in any way. How many others do exactly what I do? And when enough people do, they all get super-credit-rich and never have to click another email for at least a year (unless they are required to click 5 to 10 links to be able to mail). When everyone is credit rich, who is going to click the emails? That alone is why they die quicker than other mailers that do not have lifetime memberships. In addition, I will never promote a mailer with a lifetime membership. Why? Because once one of my referrals buys a lifetime membership I will never see another commission from them again. That is a waste of my time. Give me monthly payments, please. The mailers that have sustained for many years, the mailers that are looked up to as models/icons in the industry, they do not have lifetime memberships and they most likely never will, if they want to continue to sustain their business model. More often than not, these days, the launch of new 'viral' mailers tend to be nothing but quick cash grabs. They peak in their 1st month and then the honeymoon is very quickly over while they hang on to their ass to keep it alive. The summertime is the cleansing by fire, the off-season for internet marketing, and when the most sites disappear.

[Paul Coonan]

There is a direct correlation between price of a viral mailer lifetime membership and how long the site lasts, in my experience. The cheaper the lifetime membership, the faster they disappear.

[John Lederer]

I agree with most of what you said Paul. 

Although I hate paying monthly! Seems they want too much

money. Many want almost $30...while some are

more affordable at $10. I prefer yearly when a lifetime is not

available. Speaking of lifetime offers, there are some mailers

out there that I'm upgraded for life in that are STILL here:

Adtroopers, adventure adz, adtactics to name a few.

 

BUT...you are SO RIGHT though about the one's who die

sooner: I just lost 2 and just upgraded in them a few weeks ago!

My money went with them.

 

I have decided to no longer upgrade in a mailer UNLESS it

is run by a reputable owner. One who has their picture

and their name on the site too.

 

I just upgraded in 3 the other day...all run by long time

marketers.

 

Have a great day Paul.

[Paul Coonan]

There are always acceptions to the rule. Nothing is hard-lined. There will always be viral mailers owned by people that own other sites that provide the income to help prolong the longevity. As well, there are some owners that have money to burn to keep things going, in hopes that they will make something of their viral mailer. Keep in mind, that even with a reputable name, launching a new viral mailer does not mean they know what they are doing. Controlling the credit economy of a mailer is very delicate. The last fact alone is one of the many factors I take into consideration to determine how long a site may last. Reputation and the ability to control a credit economy are not enough to build a truly successful mailer. There is so much backend in multiple areas that nearly all who buy an out-of-the-box script have not clue about to successfully run and maintain a mailer. They really have no idea what they are getting into.

Yes, there are viral mailers that have ridiculous monthly fees for what they provide, relatively speaking. To see sites that sell a membership at $20 to $30 a month to be able to send to "all of their members" when that site only has between 1000 and 2000 members, when at other reputable sites a member can send to 3000 as a free member often confounds me. Furthermore, when I see viral mailers that sell membership levels to be able to send to "X" amount of members when they don't even have that many members seems so absolutely unethical to me.

No matter what I say, results are results. If a site is working for you, by all means, use it. Just keep in mind that the results could end at anytime when the owner decides to suddenly close shop. It is unfortunate that many of these sites shut down so soon because I am sure most of the people that joined may have likely thought to themselves that the site they just joined might be the "next big thing." The unfortunate part is, when a person joins enough of what they think the next big thing might be, to find those site close their doors, it leaves a mark and that person may drop out of internet marketing and also may think to themselves that ALL mailers are rip offs. That person becomes a lost customer for any other site, and that person may have also given up too soon and potentially lost the extra income that they could have had if they just stuck around a little longer and learned from their mistakes.

[John Lederer]

Great post Paul & thank you! 

[Guest kingmaker]

There are always acceptions to the rule. Nothing is hard-lined. There will always be viral mailers owned by people that own other sites that provide the income to help prolong the longevity. As well, there are some owners that have money to burn to keep things going, in hopes that they will make something of their viral mailer. Keep in mind, that even with a reputable name, launching a new viral mailer does not mean they know what they are doing. Controlling the credit economy of a mailer is very delicate. The last fact alone is one of the many factors I take into consideration to determine how long a site may last. Reputation and the ability to control a credit economy are not enough to build a truly successful mailer. There is so much backend in multiple areas that nearly all who buy an out-of-the-box script have not clue about to successfully run and maintain a mailer. They really have no idea what they are getting into.

 

Yes, there are viral mailers that have ridiculous monthly fees for what they provide, relatively speaking. To see sites that sell a membership at $20 to $30 a month to be able to send to "all of their members" when that site only has between 1000 and 2000 members, when at other reputable sites a member can send to 3000 as a free member often confounds me. Furthermore, when I see viral mailers that sell membership levels to be able to send to "X" amount of members when they don't even have that many members seems so absolutely unethical to me.

 

No matter what I say, results are results. If a site is working for you, by all means, use it. Just keep in mind that the results could end at anytime when the owner decides to suddenly close shop. It is unfortunate that many of these sites shut down so soon because I am sure most of the people that joined may have likely thought to themselves that the site they just joined might be the "next big thing." The unfortunate part is, when a person joins enough of what they think the next big thing might be, to find those site close their doors, it leaves a mark and that person may drop out of internet marketing and also may think to themselves that ALL mailers are rip offs. That person becomes a lost customer for any other site, and that person may have also given up too soon and potentially lost the extra income that they could have had if they just stuck around a little longer and learned from their mistakes.

 

Thank you for you great post.

[Diane Mumm]

I see your point on all aspects Paul but wanted to put a few thoughts down here.. 

 

Yes I do have lifetime on my mailer and it launched in Aug, I am one  owner that continues to promote my mailer and take it very seriously , however I do see your point of quick cash grabs too.. 

 

I only been upgrading to owners that I see are promoting their mailers to continue to grow and have a good reputation online .. I feel this is a good investment.. Some mailers however are out of reach to do so..

 

I have been thinking however to take the lifetime off for some time now.. as it would be nice to have more upgrading to monthly.. or yearly.. but with so many mailers not growing or are closing shop it makes it hard for people to trust to upgrade , hence why so many use them as a free source of advertising..

 

great post!

[captkirk]

I guess this is a question mostly for site owners...but what's your opinion on Lifetime Upgrades please?

 

I see quite a few sites offer 'lifetime' deals and they are becoming increasingly popular.

 

Personally though I can't see how they can work from a business perspective.

 

I have quite a few loyal members that renew their yearly subscriptions and if they moved to a lifetime deal I would lose that income.

 

I'm guessing a lifetime offer would sell more but it would have to convert at something like 1 in 4 to replace the income from the yearly / monthly model.

 

I'm also thinking selling a lot of lifetime deals would hurt CTR and be bad for members.

 

There would be a lot more mail sent through the site (from the amount of Gold upgraded accounts) and it would reduce the amount of ads that members click on. Unless of course members can keep up with it all.

 

That's just my opinion though

 

There must be a good reason why owners offer lifetime deal and it would be great to get some feedback!

 

Actually it would be great to get some input from non site owners as well. I know some people prefer to pay for the smallest upgrade and run some tests before coming back with a bigger investment once the site has been proven to deliver.

 

Thanks

 

The onetime upgrade is great for Top Promoters, Veterans, and etc...

 

It gives them the incentive to promote the site. Frankly, I prefer the onetime upgrade and have upgraded in a lot of them.

[Arlequin]

Hi, My name is Carlos Arguello, and I am from  Nicaragua, 

I have been into Internet Marketing for about 2 years now,

and yes I starting to colect comissions here and there.

 

I have read all the posts on the subject of lifetime memberships,

and I see that some are against and others in pro, and some 

owners of sites are kind of negative to this topic, but...

I have been a member on a site where I have earned my lifetimes

upgrades to many lists, and I think the owner of that site

is not afraid of lifetime memberships, and is doing great.

 

if you want to check this site, here is the link, it is totally free

to join and to use.  And yes I am having results with my advertising 

at the sites I am upgraded.

 

http://www.12path.com/Arlequin/EarnYourUpgradesRU/

 

To your success

 

Carlos Arguello (Arlequin)

[incomeskills]

The only OTO offers I am interested in purchasing are these lifetime upgrades.

 

From an advertiser's perspective, is there a better way to spend time & money on traffic than one time to be able to send to thousands of members every few days?

[Garrett Hutsko]

I am not an owner yet but want to be in the future. I think this question is the wrong question. If you think in terms of building your list instead then Monthly VS Annual VA Lifetime is not important, It you think in terms of list building and turning you list into a money making tool the rest of the question is not important. Hopefully the owners of the sites are thinking beyond the immediate Safelist building and towards building a list worth a lot of money.

Basically safelists are part of a business and maybe an important part of a business but it should be just a part of a business not the hole business.

 

I think that The safelists that die were viewed as the business not as part of the business. If the owners had no plan to capture the members of the safelist to a separate list then they did themselves a grave disservice.

 

I hear all the time that the money is in the list and that is all a Safelist really is.

[Guest mrclean0325]

The credit economy is an important consideration in any credit based business like a safelist or TE. I am on the consumer side and I am a member of some where I have accumulated thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands of credits as a free member. In these, there is no reason or even a need to upgrade as I have enough credits to last for months (years in some). If free members can get to this point, who has to read the emails? it sure won't be the upgraded people in most cases.

 

There are others I have to work each day for credits to mail as a free member. In both safelists and TEs, those may be worth upgrading IF they have a good ROI associated with them. It would be pretty darn stupid of me to pay even $10  month for a site that only produces $5 a month in income. Conversely, sites which give few credits and use them as quickly as you get them with little results are worthless too.

 

One safelist in particular I have enough credits to mail for quite a long time without ever opening another email since I can only email every 5 days. I email out over 10,000 and get less than a dozen hits the number doesn't even register as a CTR percentage. So nobody else needs to read emails except for the brand new sign ups it seems. I accumulate hundreds of emails from this safelist which I do not have to read for credits. I am not sure why people use it since the return on time and effort are so poor. I get a solid 2 - 5 % on most others with far less members.

 

Each site needs to be evaluated individually to see if they produce enough "responses" to pay for themselves when you upgrade. If they don't produce anything for free, they probably won't for an upgrade either. When they say "time is money" and to use the upgrades to replace your time input - where does that money come from? If it doesn't come from income generated by your business (which is why you are using these anyway right?) - you are just pouring sand down a gopher hole. If all you do is pay for upgrades so you don't have to click and hope to make enough to cover them, you won't last very long. That is "lottery" thinking.

 

Just my $0.02....

[alabamachick32]

I would rather do Lifetime Upgrades  

[Sharavanan]

I guess this is a question mostly for site owners...but what's your opinion on Lifetime Upgrades please?

 

I see quite a few sites offer 'lifetime' deals and they are becoming increasingly popular.

 

Personally though I can't see how they can work from a business perspective.

 

I have quite a few loyal members that renew their yearly subscriptions and if they moved to a lifetime deal I would lose that income.

 

I'm guessing a lifetime offer would sell more but it would have to convert at something like 1 in 4 to replace the income from the yearly / monthly model.

 

I'm also thinking selling a lot of lifetime deals would hurt CTR and be bad for members.

 

There would be a lot more mail sent through the site (from the amount of Gold upgraded accounts) and it would reduce the amount of ads that members click on. Unless of course members can keep up with it all.

 

That's just my opinion though

 

There must be a good reason why owners offer lifetime deal and it would be great to get some feedback!

 

Actually it would be great to get some input from non site owners as well. I know some people prefer to pay for the smallest upgrade and run some tests before coming back with a bigger investment once the site has been proven to deliver.

 

Thanks

I love Lifetime Upgrades very much cause i don't have to Pay any Monthly Fee's and i can Promote the Single Product overtime and make 3x-5x in Profit very soon.

 

Yup as a Owners it's Good to Lock in Members to Monthly Deals and yet Customers do Prefer Lifetimes.

As the Work goes Customer are the King so it's Wise to have Lifetime Deals too but very Scarcely.

 

Maybe who knows they may Promote your Business and bring u a lot of Monthly Paying Customers.

So it's Good to have Lifetime with Large Price like 2-3 Years of Yearly Price as the Lifetime Price

Offer Lifetime to them as just OTO's after Signup and on Festive Seasons alone

As this would help Owners and Fellow Marketing Customers who would like to Promote Crazy to grab the Time Sensitive Offer if they want an Lifetime.

[absorbinfo]

I prefer lifetime upgrades! I am in over 300 mailers and upgraded

in about half of them.

Wow! you're in 300 and upgraded in roughly half...I am curious as to how you structure your mailings John.  Do you send to all 150 six days per week? Do you have any tips or tricks that you've learned along the way that you wouldn't mind sharing with the community

[szczypek]

th a lot it's very nice

[xuanthu]

Yes, i think so

I guess this is a question mostly for site owners...but what's your opinion on Lifetime Upgrades please?

 

I see quite a few sites offer 'lifetime' deals and they are becoming increasingly popular.

 

Personally though I can't see how they can work from a business perspective.

 

I have quite a few loyal members that renew their yearly subscriptions and if they moved to a lifetime deal I would lose that income.

 

I'm guessing a lifetime offer would sell more but it would have to convert at something like 1 in 4 to replace the income from the yearly / monthly model.

 

I'm also thinking selling a lot of lifetime deals would hurt CTR and be bad for members.

 

There would be a lot more mail sent through the site (from the amount of Gold upgraded accounts) and it would reduce the amount of ads that members click on. Unless of course members can keep up with it all.

 

That's just my opinion though

 

There must be a good reason why owners offer lifetime deal and it would be great to get some feedback!

 

Actually it would be great to get some input from non site owners as well. I know some people prefer to pay for the smallest upgrade and run some tests before coming back with a bigger investment once the site has been proven to deliver.

 

Thanks

[ro3nny]

I will soon purchase lifetime upgrades, thanks all