[Alpacasite] FRG, oh the times they are a changin'

Hi All,

Way back when I threw my 2 cents worth into the FRG fray, so I won't repeat all that here.
According to the Marketing Committee some changes need to be made. I respect and understand that, no problem. So it is obvious it aint working, how do we fix it?

One thing I have noticed with myself is my personal debate as to whether my advertising dollar should go to the FRG or Alpacanation. Sometimes I have done both, sometimes just one. Quite frankly, I purchase the space in the FRG for the leads, not for the advertising, and I am pretty sure that I am not alone in that.

Perhaps the FRG has reached a point of being obsolete, since so many folks around the US and abroad are so much more aware of alpacas and more likely to go to the web to find info on alpacas rather than wait for a book to be delivered. We are a very impatient population here in the US, and waiting for the mail is far less acceptable than even 5 years ago. Most of us go the web instead!

I don't think that anyone can argue the popularity and success of Alpacanation. I would think that maybe it is time for our National organization to start assisting all of us not only with the new buyer portion of the market (the potential alpaca owner), but perhaps with the entire market including established breeders.

I would propose that we start working on a superwebsite that would serve as a site for our members to advertise. Like Alpacanation they would get a webpage with their contact information and the amount of information included there would be broken down into categories such as:
Contact information alone: $125 (or perhaps simply included with your AOBA dues
Contact information with space to advertise 5-10 alpacas $200 more
Contact information with space to advertise 11-20 alpacas $300
Stud advertising $25 per stud
...or whatever fere schedule is determined to be appropriate, but charge extra so that we have the funds to advertise in print and on cable or satellite to send folks to the website.

The price structure could include charging non alpaca owners for space as well, particularly vendors for services such as fiber processing, wholesale alpaca goods, shearing, consulting, etc. Some extra money could be made there to then use for paying for advertising on the TV or in print. Non AOBA members would not be allowed to advertise alpacas. This might encourage some folks to join AOBA just to be able to get onto the super AOBA website.

So the use of the site would not only be to market alpacas to newbies just inquiring for a first time, but it would expand to also be a marketing tool for members to members, or members to established breeders that aren't AOBA members. Entries could be self managed and edited, but limited by the users' entitlement based on what they have paid for. Obviously all TV and print advertising by AOBA could be directed to this website.

What d 'ya think?

Laurel

Tim & Laurel Shouvlin
Bluebird Hills Farm CSA & Alpacas
3617 Derr Rd. Springfield, Ohio 45503
www.bluebirdhills.com
bluebirdhills@voyager.net
937-390-6127 or 937-206-3936 (cell)

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Put more honey in your pocket. (money matters made easy).
http://us.click.yahoo.com/F9LvrA/dlQLAA/cosFAA/jO1qlB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Opinions and postings on this list are the sole responsibility of the person posting the message. The accuracy and content of each message in no way reflect the opinions of the administrator or Yahoo.

List administrator - Rick Horn - All American Alpacas alpacas@alpacaweb.com
http://aaalpacas.com

TO CHANGE OPTIONS visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Alpacasite/join
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Alpacasite/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Alpacasite-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/