Letter
Q. To be honest, $100/month sounds like a lot for what is basically a listing service. You did not talk much about how you plan to promote it and why that would be better than what I get already. (top 3-5 in most search engines and great we presence already).
A. There's really not much to the website and the listing service isn't as good as USPA's or dropzone.com's for example. And it won't do much for your DZ on the search engines (I don't want to compete with DZs in their own areas).

Q. And why would I want to put a website between my customer and MY website? I already get 1500 hits a day and do or own web optimization.
A. Agreed, and 1500 hits a day is good.

Don’t get me wrong, I always liked the idea of a central repository for referrals, 1800-skydive whatever, but most have come and gone and do not do the job well. I already have bumper stickers, window stickers, internet presence, cool telephone numbers. If you are going to do the same as all that – then it is not a ‘need’ for me.
A. 1 800 Skydive is a good marketing tool because its easy to recall. The owners talked about getting it on TV, but TV is super expensive and they weren't able to follow through (I think that's how it went). Most DZs already have the stickers and lots of promotion already in place. Skydive.com is an additional marketing tool, and definitely not meant to replace the marketing you already do.

Q. You need to have your own ‘cool’ angle to make it worthwhile.
A. Here's what I think is cool about skydive.com.

1. The return on investment (exposure) for stickers and TV is far better than it is for "skydive123.com" for example, because "skydive.com" doesn't require the viewer make a conscious decision to remember anything. I've owned skydive.tv for 7 years and it gets piles of hits. There was one week where it got over 1.5 million hits from a publicity stunt we pulled. For skydiving stunts and aerial cinematography (my work), its big on the search engines. But the .tv part requires the viewer to commit something to memory. I don't own skydive.com, I lease it. But I believe it has a thousand times more potential than my skydive.tv site, just because its "skydive.com"

2. Promotion: At this point, there are around 400 cars rolling through US cities with large skydive.com window stickers. I'm also getting skydive.com onto different TV shows almost every other month and the producers are required by contract to show it (on our tee-shirts, chest straps, hats). If they blur it or if the cameraman crops it out, they are required to pay a premium on the footage I give them for their shows. So I'm getting it out there. Ultimately I'm out to make it a household word.

3. I'm not after the search engines, I'm after new eyes. In your area, there are dozens of DZs already competing for the top search slots. In addition, there are all the skyride dropzones. On the search engines, skyride competes with DZs in their own backyards. They net a lot of people who are looking for a place to skydive. Its a clever strategy for grabbing people who are already interested, but it doesn't help to promote the sport. So I decided early on, to put my energy into putting the word on the street (stickers), and putting it onto television. These two places are where I believe my energy is best spent because I want to generate new interest.

So there you go. Yes, 100 a month is a chunk of money, but I'm sure that just the stickers I send would offset that cost. Also, I want skydive.com to become my day job. I can't jump with 20 pounds of cameras on my head forever. And I've got a big ego. Two years from now I want people like you to say, "man, most of those promotional schemes flopped, but Jennings pulled it off!"

I knew offering exclusives would apply pressure because a lot of DZOs are out to beat the guy down the street. But having sample DZs on the maps became a deterrent too because some DZOs assumed their competitor got the slot, so they wouldn't bother to call.

At this point, most of the DZs on the maps are signed. I strongly encourage non-exclusive slots because I still want a collective effort, more DZs flying the skydive.com flag. Yes, more business for me, but also longevity. The only way I'm going to keep this thing growing is if it works. If it works, then skydive.com will promote the sport, and I stay in business.

So you're mostly right about my tactics, but skydive.com is different from skyride. Skyride set up to compete with drop zones in their own backyards, their income is from the consumers. I'm selling skydive.com as a tool to DZOs, no coupons, no money from the consumers. Also skyride is after people who are already thinking about making a skydive. Skydive.com isn't set up to be a search engine magnet. I'm out for new eyes, on the street (signs on cars), and on TV.

PS. Tell DZO-B he owes me $1,000 :-)

"Beat the guy down the street"
My competition is NOT the dropzone closest to me, or closest to a market I want to be in. My competition is the i-pod or a myriad of other luxury items that are more easily satisfying than the effort and time and patience with XSTATE weather that skydiving affords a generation raised with microwaves.

DZO-B, the other XSTATE dropzones and two in XCITY, and others are assets to me. When we cooperate, we accomplish a whole lot more. I've worked very hard to UNITE dropzones and promote cooperation, exchange of ideas, promote education and safety and good PR. That's what dzos.net is all about. That's what DZO-B and my concept of an All XSTATE Boogie was about. When companies like yours use fear tactics, this destroys how our sport can grow. People say competition promotes growth. Bullshit. I've gained 10,000 times over by talking and cooperating and sharing ideas with my closest dzos than by trying to "outdo" them. Hell, I created DZO-B's website for him and am about to redo another XSTATE dz's website! When people from XCITY call me, I tell them about XDZ. When people from XYCITY call DZO-B, he tells them about me. People are impressed by our candor and willingness to help. And you know what? It's more fun to cooperate, instead of fight & struggle! Karma. Aren't there enough cliques and politics in this sport without artificially stirring up more?

I just think your philosophy is flawed here.

You have a powerful domain name here, but you can blow it if your focus is wrong. I sure hope you don't subscribe to USPA's pursuit of the image that skydiving is "safe" and "easy" like we heard at PIA. We should be promoting a sense of accomplishment, not a single shot of adrenaline as an amusement ride. That's the true key to longevity.

Yikes!

I can't argue with you philosophically - I spent eight months promoting a far more altruistic vision. Competition is just there - nobody wanted what I was selling. I don't own skydive.com and there was a limit to how long I could continue failing.

The cooperative environment you have in XSTATE is way cool. But far as I can tell, the world ain't XSTATE, Toto.

Fear tactics? You got me there, but I will say that if you check out the site, I am promoting the idea of learning to fly, going beyond tandem to experience the real adventure.

Skydive.com isn't what I originally planned, but I still think its a good thing.

I actually can't contain my laughter!
(I'm harmless.)

Yes, the world is not XSTATE. Too bad. Except for the weather.

Where on your site does it promote education for the first time jumper, or encouragement towards pursuing training, etc? Except for the school locator, the site is dedicated to be a selling tool aimed towards DZs. This does NOT seem like a site a first time jumper would be interested in, except for the school locator, which is incomplete. If I were you, I would have made all the "sales" part invisible to the casual browser. You tell dzs that the site is for first timers to find them, but almost all the pages are dedicated to selling to dzs... you're even spelling out exactly the cost and how to BLOCK other dzs right there for first timers to see! Your credibility on both sides is damaged: to the first timer, it appears the school locator is NOT accurate, it's only about who spends their money with you, plus it says "worldwide", but you aren't yet! To the DZO, you're claiming to have a site geared towards getting new leads when it's actually just an advertisement aimed at them!

If I would have set this up, I would have skydive.com be set up FOR THE FIRST TIMER researching schools, etc. Then, have a non linked url (not password protected, just not public link like under about and dz sign up) likewww.skydive.com/advertise where you put all your other stuff trying to promote to dzs to join.

Here's a link to the pages that promote going beyond tandems - not complete, and I also have to make the link to them more front and center on the nav bar up top. http://www.skydive.com/photo.htm Its a theme I intend to expand on by adding videos and more photos as well as articles about the journey through instruction. I'm thinking about also including writings from new jumpers journaling their experiences. All of it will come more front and center.

A lot of things are going to change on skydive.com because I want it to get better and better. My focus is on building a foundation - bringing in some money, attracting DZs. Right now, the site is speaking mostly to DZOs, prices, blocking, all of it. They are my target audience for the moment.

I like your idea of moving the DZO stuff to the side, and then emailing a link. I might still keep a link to this info on the regular pages. If a first timer takes the time to look it over, I'm not too concerned about their knowing my evil plans.

The site isn't generating leads. Exposing skydive.com on the street and on TV is what will generate leads. Its a powerful URL because those who see it don't even have to make a mental note of it. I've owned skydive.tv for years - but the reason I'm putting my efforts into a site I don't even own is that it's the best one out there. The stickers on cars pull far more than skydive.tv could, and the exposure on television stands to show a terrific return, again, because we're not asking the viewer to make a mental note to remember something.

The website itself is mostly a switchboard - a few clicks and the user passes through to my client's websites. What I'm selling to DZOs is the potential of a word and I'm working to stir up excitement about what they can do with it in their areas to draw new jumpers. The word is the tool. Its the only thing of value in this entire venture. I'm not even a web guy - look at the site, its only posted images, text, and links.

I believe in the word - and you should too, for thou shall be cast into the lake of obscurity without the Word. Praise be Skydive.com! For He shall lead the way to sport salvation....... Amen!

OK, now you know I'm nuts, but at least I'm working with a cool URL!

Those are awesome photos... but how do I get to that link from the base URL?

I think your idea of promoting "a word" is exactly right on. Can you not also do smart things with SEO to use the full potential? It wouldn't take much.

Have you seen www.wheretojump.com
and www.skydivedirectory.com

Neither of these (nor yours) has hit the proverbial nail on the head. Yours has the most potential to.

Most of the links on the top of the page will take you to pages that have a "slideshow" image and link. If you click on the skysurfer image, it takes you to the slideshow. I'm going to change "slideshow" into a another title like "why jump" or something like that and will include it on all the top bars, probably in place of the DZ Sign Up link that's up there now. The DZ sign up stuff will most likely be linked to from the "about" page.

I'm not pushing for top placement in XSTATE, or other states if that's what your wondering. The way I see it, if someone is searching for skydiving in XSTATE, the first places to come up should be the DZs that actually exist there. I want to be present on the search engines, but i'm putting most of my energy into making and shipping car signs and putting skydive.com onto just about any TV show I work on. Given my contacts in the tv industry, I think my energy is best spent just getting the word out there again and again.

My favorite dz reference site is dropzone.com, and i've seen the other ones, and uspa.org. Every one of them is a better reference site than skydive.com. If things go as I hope, however, skydive.com will generate far more activity and new interest in the sport than all of the reference sites combined. Its an uphill grind now, but its definitely gaining momentum. I have to tell you, I'm very excited.