 | From Demon to Duck - Surviving 10 Years Online! |
 | On February 8th 1998 a brand new demon home page was launched. It provided the UK’s first comprehensive listing of online competitions and it was called “WWW Win Win Win Competitions” - the domain name was loquax.demon.co.uk! Within month’s the site had outgrown demon’s freespace and before long Loquax was born. |
10 years later, remarkably (insanely/mysteriously/bizarrely - put in your own adjective) we’re still here!
Over that time we’ve seen changes in affiliate marketing.
In the early days we didn’t know about affiliate marketing. In fact we weren’t interested in revenue streams either. The “cost” of running Loquax was offset by the various prizes we won from entering competitions. As the site increased in size banner networks, like Burstmedia and Futurenet, became our revenue streams. Our first taste of affiliate marketing though came from a partnership with quiz game site Uproar. They used to pay us on registrations, but under an exclusive deal we earnt on CPC and CPR. This ‘alternative advertising’ even made Netimperative in March 2000!
By then, Loquax was a sufficient size to become a full time concern. Affiliate networks were starting to appear, and a tenancy deal with an ISP meant we had regular revenue coming in. We didn’t embrace affiliate marketing very well - only promoting merchants who were competition related. This was perhaps not the best idea we’ve ever had!
Thankfully lights beamed brightly the day we managed to generate a Dialaphone sale (££’s sales for retail vs pence sales for leads… hmmm!) - and we started to use non-competition related programs and building non-competition websites! Further lights came on after the first ever affiliate event in London. The freebie site guys were doing much better than ourselves - and that was the spark for us to try and do more in affiliate marketing.
And so we did….
Like many affiliates, at the time, we created the obligatory eSpotting site and joined all the networks. Our banner network was being looked after by a company called eType - so it was all happy days!
However, we’d already learnt that many streams don’t last forever: Uproar had closed their UK site, our tenancy agreement ended, and CPR campaigns were being promoted on every site, meaning lower income - and so in 2004 we entered the bingo and gaming arena. A partnership with Jackpotjoy and two branded bingo sites, Prize Bingo and Loquax Bingo, joined various other (mostly unsuccessful) sites.
Long term this has, so far, proven to be one of our most successful business decisions.
Which has meant that for the last few years we’ve trundled along at our own steady pace. We’ve never entered the PPC market, have probably spent less than £3000 on advertising over the last 10 years and we’ve generated £???’s profit….. well, sorry that’s something we just won’t tell you… but Loquax combined with affiliate marketing has exceeded just about every expectation myself, and co-director Kirsty, ever had. Mind you, we were just happy when Leslie Bunder mentioned Loquax on his Teletext pages many many years ago!
But what of the future? Will we be here in another 10 years?
Duck in a Bath to Duck in an Ocean!
The best way to compare affiliate marketing now, to a few years back is with a duck analogy. Once it was a little rubber duck in a bath, small and friendly! Now it’s like the same duck but plonked in the middle of the ocean, with deep, choppy waters and huge ocean liner corporate affiliates honing into view. Put simply it’s a much tougher place to be.
Cashback sites continue to grow, but it’s the growth of the big business affiliate that perhaps should be of greater concern to old school affiliates. Guardian Ecostore, GMTV Cashback, The Sun Shopwindow could well be the tip of the iceberg!
However, survival and adaptability are useful affiliate traits to have, and as doors close, programs end or new battles emerge to be fought it is possible to steer a steady course and maintain income.
So How Have We Survived?
Hard work, being sensible, high standards and luck is probably the answer. Our feet have always been firmly on the ground, and nothing is taken for granted. Our users are the most important element when it comes to running the site. Some say luck and hard work go together, but we do realise we have been lucky.
Whether that’s enough to carry us onwards in the ever changing affiliate industry I don’t know, but it will stand us in good stead as we continue to run Loquax and earn a living providing a quality service!
Thank You To…
Everyone who has visited Loquax in the last 10 years, The Positive Internet Company who have looked after our hosting for the last 8 years, to the Affiliates4U community for social sanity and support, to Clarke, John, Fraser, Matt, Mark, Shane, Kieron (or was it Kevin?), Paul and Julie, to Jackpotjoy, to all the networks and ad companies we’ve worked with (and who paid us), to Kirsty, Darren and Jude (the Loquax team), to any media people who have mentioned us, and erm… anyone else who should be included but I’ve forgotten to mention….
… but most thanks go to a yellow duck! Without you, my home would not be filled with various rubber ducks or duck shaped objects!
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on February 7, 2008 at 3:20 pm Stephen Pratley wrote:
Makes me feel old reading that, I remember using your site to boost entries to an Action Man competition when I was running their site in 2000. It was already a big deal back then.
Here’s to another 10 successful years!
on February 7, 2008 at 4:32 pm Dio wrote:
Congratulations on your first 10 years. So where do you plan on going next? Any plans to sell Loquax or go all web 3.0?
on February 7, 2008 at 5:59 pm Elaine wrote:
8th Feb must be a good day to start things then - we’ve been going 39 years tomorrow - a lot of your penultimate paragraph applies to us as well (that will be the marriage between me and Dave - not the website :))
cheers duck peeps
on February 8, 2008 at 7:01 am Graham Keen wrote:
Happy Birthday to all at Loquax. You’ve certainly done a great job evolving as time moves on, best of luck for the next ten years!
on February 8, 2008 at 10:27 pm Nadeem Azam wrote:
Congratulations to the big 1-0. It’s a mega-achievement and I wish you and everyone at Loquax a long and prosperous future.
on February 11, 2008 at 11:25 am Joe Connor wrote:
Congratulations Duckynauts on your 10th anniversary. Our company also just passed the same milestone and as float aimlessly around in our cantBarsed lifeboat it’s nice to catch sight of the Duck now and again. There must be an island somewhere to retire to, surely?