Gone Postal Part II

[Admin]

2526

Again I would like to thank all the sponsors of this site for making this whole place come to life. To those companies who are way behind hope one day to see you on here so we can bring the consumers more good info

Capt John Eppehimer OUT

[John Rogers]

Well said John, I know for one that almost everything I buy I search for it on the net. As for old timers they need to learn how to change with the times if there going to make it. Internet is the most powerful thing out there for advertising.

[biebs]

Its not rocket science....................

I took a break from fishing and went to college in 2000. Their I double majored in Marketing and Entrepreneurial Studies. When I graduated I started my own contracting business dealing with marine marketing. I still do it today part time. I have learned one thing in the past 12 months. The internet is the future. Print is so down, its a mainstay and will always be a player, but this is the future in true niche marketing. Here you connect the true players with the specific products they use. You can get in now and reap the rewards, or not. Ad agencies are the death of the marine industry. They brainwash companies into buying things that make them money, not the customer. Print takes alot of time with design which equals design fees and billable hours for agencies. The web is too easy and doesn’t take up much time, less billable hours. I do not deal with agencies unless I have to and I do not pay attention to them. The problem is that companies think agencies know their stuff, most don’t. The companies listen to the agencies. Piss off the agencies and they take it to the client. Then you have no sale. Marketing is a tough nut to crack in the marine industry. Quality relationships in the longrun will always be the winner in my book.

Karl

[OffTheHookB&T]

John, first let me say hang in there you have a great product and the right sponsors will come along. I research most of my purchases online and buy alot of them that way, heck I rate my distributors by if they have web access.
Next, let me say it gets me sick how many people are using you website to either promote their business and/or sell product, but won't step up and become a sponsor
If you are making sales because of this website you owe it to John and the SFC communtity to become a sponsor.

[Talbot29]

I hope you feel better after that rant! I for one, use the web for just about every purchase I make. Whether it be a car, boat, home improvement, rods, reels, lures, tackle, cigars, electronic, tools, clothing; hell we even order carryout over the web now. While I may not consumate every deal over the web (like cars, boats etc.), I definately use the web for research. Hell, I laid out close to $250K for a Judge Yacht late last year and much of the reason was due to feedback I received here. It's nice to see Bill signed up as a sponsor . I find it hard to believe that an ad agency or marketing firm would respond in such a way unless they were trying to blow you off. I don't know what else to say - I can certainly understand your frustration. All I can say is you should look at the great progress you have made here and not worry about those that don't understand what you have done.

Build it and they will come...

[anthony]

Here is what I do as it relates to shopping on the web (for what it's worth). I do a lot of research on the web when I am planning a major purchase, but I almost always want to see, feel, smell what I am buying after I have narrowed down my options. On items that I know I want to buy, I use the internet almost exclusively.

[Dave Sikorski]

Internet magazines like Sportfishermen.com are the wave of the future. If it were my company I'd want to be known as one of the originals who was here from the beginning.

The information here is instant and constantly evolving. By the time my Sportfishing or Flyfishingsaltwater magazine gets here it's been printed for a few weeks and it's old news...In fact I only get those two fishing magazines, and when the subscriptions run out, that's it, they're gone. I've fallen asleep to enough poorly written articles and nothing but useless ads.

I research nearly all of my fishing purchases here, and when the time comes, I will and do buy from our sponsors, and I will continue to charter our participants. There's no finer feeling than getting aboard a boat and already knowing the folks you'll be fishing with. You might have never met them, but you feel like you've known them forever thanks to SF.com.

Advertisers and companies.....it might not come fast, but the business is waiting in the constantly growing membership of this website.

-D

[striper101]

Hell John! Not only do I research online first I also buy most of my stuff online! One day those oldschool guys will see into the future!!!

[alltackle]

John,

You are 100% wrong. I hate the internet. The internet does nothing for me. It doesn't work. There is absolutely nothing to learn online. There is nothing to buy online. There is no product information available online.

I can't understand why anyone would even think about the internet for anything.

The internet has zero value and nobody uses it, ever.

[shoefish]

I do every ounce of my research online, whether it be for fishing or otherwise. I also am very loyal to the places that give me information. If there is a website or community that helps me out, I support it in every way that I can.

Everyone will come around Admin. And if they don't, they probably won't make it. I don't know if you have done membership projections for SFC, but I have to think that it's growing about exponentially- given a little more time, you'll have an army on your hands my friend.

Keep up the good work dude.