I’ve been impressed with 37signals’ Sortfolio web design directory since they launched. Well executed, super simple, great business model, all great hallmarks of a 37s product.
But what’s really inspiring is their promotion and marketing technique. The site isn’t cheap by way of webapps, but its a steal for promotion: just $99 a month. Like all of their products, they also offer a free version.
But last month they ran a promotion that included paying customers in their Deck advertising. Deck ads cost a whopping $7600 a month, and delivers 90 million impressions a month. With the promotion, they decided to share that spot with paying customers. So for $99, pro accounts saw about 15,000 impressions each. How many new customers do you think they added that week?
And today, they’re finding a firm to redesign their blog through their own site:
We thought it would be a good idea to eat our own dogfood and choose a firm from Sortfolio to do the redesign.
Genius. I’ve never seen a webapp give customers so many compelling reasons to pay. I’m not even in the freelance game and yet I still want to sign up.
have you ever tried to see the footer on sortfolio? impossible!!
shows you how important the footer is to them..
People who read SVN are seriously idiots. Fanbois, Buttkissers, Naysayers, Freeloaders, etc. What does that say about us who read it also?
The internet got on my nerves today. Thanks a lot Jason.
yeah most of those dudes are either there to praise blindly or argue for the sake of it. but you have to admit, they’re smart, and they do it right. even tho that blog still has easter highlights.
Forgot to make this point: this promotion is inspired.