Press: Dating Ad Network, September 29th, 2008
Interview with Mike Fitzgerald, BoneFish.com
Q: How did you come up with the name “Bone Fish”?
A: Considering as we were the first white label company EVER to come on the scene and therefore we actually had carte blanche to choose whatever took our fancy, we chose a rather ambiguous name for our white label program and service.
We decided that we needed something that would subtly and elegantly express what we were trying to create on a more conceptual level, and as such, our line of thought took the following route.
We were going to provide a back end and platform that would enable affiliates to run sites of a dating nature, but we would be relatively invisible to the outside world - seen by only those that would do more than merely scratch the surface. To us, this business model appeared to be the analogy of a bone fish – otherwise known as the ghost or phantom fish. This fish is invisible when under water, rather like ourselves, who are powering a number of dating brands out of the limelight… Hence the name of the company.
Q: How is your affiliate program different from the others?
A: Our program is different in that we offer multiple and very specific niches that – unlike some providers out there – are actually real and are very much defined. As such, we can assure our affiliates that their sites really are made up of specific types of people, which of course helps to capture a better target audience and thus generate more profit for the affiliate.
Also, due to having a very large database of members from all around the world, we offer affiliates the chance to target multiple locations and countries rather than just the UK or USA, which is the norm amongst our competitors. So this – combined with the fact that our niches are defined and very extensive – makes us stand out from the crowd.
And finally, with Bone Fish all affiliates can benefit from our complete customization tools too. Each and every site can be fully branded to suit an affiliate’s needs, and when we perform a site integration (where an affiliate integrates a dating site into their existing site), we adhere 100% to their brand and identity. Perhaps this is why we have a 90% referral rate from our affiliates and a very solid reputation in the market place.
Q: Who are your customers and how do they benefit from your program?
A: A large portion of our affiliates are home-based webmasters that are striving to work full time for themselves through a larger organization such as ourselves. Another portion are independent online marketers and affiliate managers that wish to expand their affiliate portfolio by working with a number integral programs. So I suppose that our customers are a wide range of professionals and entrepreneurs from varied walks of life.
And they benefit in many ways. By signing up with us, our affiliates are immediately provided with a complete backbone and platform to enable them to set up a dating or adult site at the touch of a button and tap into what is considered one of the most lucrative markets out there today. In approximately 24-hours, they can have a fully-branded, pre-populated site up and running and attracting new members, as well as the use of customer services and accounts departments, immediate access to a database of up to 4 million members and even site integrations for existing brands.
The whole program works on a revenue share scheme, giving all affiliates a minimum of 50% commission, which incidentally – due to our company being based in Gibraltar – is 100% tax free. No other white label provider can offer their affiliates this much.
Q: How big is your network?
A: At the moment, we have around 15,000 live sites and 4,000 webmasters around the world. These sites are of very varying themes - from romance, adults, gays and fetish, to black networks, Asian networks, disabled and Christian. The list of niches really is never ending.
Q: Can you tell us about the common mistakes that your affiliates make and how they can be avoided?
A: Of course, each and every affiliate comes across their own stumbling blocks and to begin with, they all make a mistake or two. But I suppose the most common mistake is probably spending too much time tinkering with a site rather than concentrating on the marketing side of things. You have to remember that with Bone Fish, the site is pre-built, pre-populated and fully customizable right from the word “GO”. It’s a money making machine right from the start, and although most affiliates want to ensure that everything is 100% design-wise etc, and that the content is vast and varied, they need to remember that unless the site is marketed and promoted to the rest of the world, it’s just not going to make them money. And yes, their site may look pretty, but it won’t necessarily make them a penny.
Q: How does Bone Fish Ltd fight fraud and scam?
A: Bone Fish has tried to combat the matter of fraud and scamming by bringing on-board a full time risk manager whose sole role is to deal with issues of this nature. We have a number of bespoke systems in place that have been built on years of experience and we always make it our number one priority to provide an environment that is as safe and secure as it can be for both our members and our affiliates.
Because this subject is so extensive, I would suggest that those who want to know a little more about it visit the following page. Here, we discuss the matter at great length. http://www.onlinepersonalswatch.com/news/datingcentral/index.html
Q: Sites always need more traffic. Do you have any tips on generating and retaining traffic on dating websites?
A: The Bone Fish service alone sends over 5 million emails a month to drive an affiliate’s members back to their branded sites and to keep them interested in their product. When you consider our business model, you realize that this is not something that an affiliate needs to worry about as retaining members is 100% Bone Fish’s responsibility.
New traffic is unfortunately an affiliate’s responsibility though, and as such, it is imperative that generating visitors is a number one priority. New traffic is all about unique, relevant content and good SEO. So, I would say that understanding Google Sitemaps, Analytics etc is essential to make good head way. In the same manner, I also always advise that affiliates take the time to seek out some of the many tools that are out there to help generate that bit more. Many are free and quite a few are very useful indeed.
And finally, I always recommend that affiliates opt for banner exchanges and exchange links as they can both be great traffic generators too.
Q: What are the hottest niches, technologies and new trends in the online dating industry?
A: I would have to say that at the moment, the best converting niche networks are lesbian, soft fetish / adult and BBW.
Of course, as far as technology goes, trends do tend to come and go. However, those that are really in with a fighting chance of staying on the online dating scene are technologies that push the use of webcams (i.e. for speed dating), and social networking. Having said this though, this is not actually what online dating is really all about. After all, if you’re too shy to meet a girl in a bar, you’ll be too shy to chat on a webcam – don’t you think?
Q: How can potential affiliates join the white label dating program?
A: Joining the Bone Fish affiliate program is easy. Simply follow the sign up process and have a dating/adult/networking site up and running in less than 24 hours. There are no set up costs and no infrastructure is needed, and you can quite literally hit the ground running and start making money at the drop of a hat.
To take a more in-depth look at how the Bone Fish affiliate program works, I suggest that you check out www.bone-fish.com.
posted by Bone Fish Ltd @ 10:05 AM
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