how-to: set up a promo code

As the social director at Passionfruit, I get to see some of the customer support requests we get and one I have seen from some of our new users is a request in setting up promo codes.  Today I'm going to show you how running an advertising special or providing a swap code can be a simple and effective way to offer occasional discounts, return advertiser thank you codes and free trades.  This step-by-step walk through should get you up & running in offering discounts in no time.

From your dashboard jump to your site, look on the menu bar for site set up and select promo codes.

From your promo code menu you can view all codes created.  Their name, what spot they apply to, the discount amount and times used.  Scroll to the +Add a promo code button to get started.  (these codes pictured below are old and will not work on my blog if you try, in case you were wondering!)

I personally like to give my promo codes a fun name, but keep it what you want and make sure its something your advertisers can understand and be able to use at check out.  When you set up a new code you will need to make sure you fill out everything in the form below, if anything is missed or spelled wrong it can cause an incorrect code when trying to be used by others.

Promo code: 

this is the name you will use and give to your advertisers  

Description: 

this is for you only, just as a reminder of what the code was  

Applies to: 

choose the defined ad spot that this code will work for (aka size)  

Flat discount or Percentage: 

is this a $ off amount or a % off amount being offered  

Uses: 

if you want this to be limited pick a number (like 10 uses) otherwise check unlimited

After you have verified that you input all the required information correctly, save your code.

Now when your advertisers go in to purchase an ad they will enter the promo code, if there is a partial discount it will be applied before they check out.  If it is a swap (aka 100% discount) it will take the entire amount off and take them to the thank you screen, both methods will await your approval before going live on the blog.

Not only do your advertisers love promo codes, but it can be great for your own business.  I like to offer them as a thank you to return advertisers and almost always see an ad renewal from them.  Think of fun ways you can use promo codes for your own blog- like adding in the code (in text form over your artwork) to your blog button that is on display in other bloggers sidebars.  If you have a promo see if any of the blogs you are advertising on will help share it with a simple tweet. 

Promos are a great tool & we hope you love them as much as we love helping you use them!

yummy yummy passion fruit!

*I implemented PassionfruitAds the day after they launched, however I will try to update this start up guide when new info is available! (last content update 08/06/12)*

Sometimes I fall so in love with something it's hard to get me back up, this is the case with Passionfruit.  If you are a blogger who currently offers advertisement spots then you.need.this.... like yesterday! My blog schedule was just made so much easier by implementing one tiny program into my life.

I first came across the cute little Passionfruit ads on Mandy's blog, then on Danielle's blog I think in Dec/Jan.  There wasn't much info given when I found them so I joined the emailing list and started following via twitter. Then yesterday something amazing happened.

They launched.

One concern I have heard from others is if this will take away from the personal interaction you have with your advertisers.  For me not so much.  Personally I still send out an email to them thanking them for their purchase, letting them know I can't wait to work with them and of course we chat about their feature.. so of course you will still interact with them, this just makes things easier because you never have to get buttons & urls in email or set up html codes again for sponsors!  Basically no more headaches before the ad even starts!

I'm going to share with you a quick start up guide on how to get you hooked as well.  First you obviously need to head over to Passionfruit and sign up, there's nothing stopping you from at least trying it right? 

From my dashboard I can quickly see the ads I have running or about to run on other blogs and the money that is coming in. I click on the 'jump to:' where is has my blog name (on the right) and get taken to where the magic happens!

Bam! This is where you can do everything. Now if you already have ads on your blog this is what I suggest you do first to make it super easy on yourself.

Go into Site Setup and define your Ad Spots.  You will put in each ad size you have individually here.

So for my large size I have 5, I tell it what size they are, how long they run,  if I want them to be on auto rotate (shuffle) and how much the price will be. -we will talk prices in a bit!- now you need to import your other ads before you publish.

If you currently have advertisers on your blog you need to move them over to Passionfruit.  Once you get your current ads in, this program does the rest for all future ad spots!

Go Import an Ad.  What I did was just save my current advertisers button images and open their link in a new tab.  This gave me their most current graphic button and their direct link (which you just need to copy/paste)

You have just 5 simple steps to do here:

• Ad Spot - remember those ad spots you just created?
  Choose the size appropriate for the ad you are importing
  
• Banner - upload their button image that you already have
  
• Link - if you opened a direct link from your page just copy/paste the URL here
  
• Start Date - when did their actual ad start? Put that info here
  
• Quantity - how long do your ads run? Mine are 30 days so go choose your duration based on what your ads run for, which you chose in your Define Ad Spots section.

See this ad was entered in no time and I was able to put all of my ads in so quickly.  When you are in your dashboard you have a visual of the graphics, the direct links and when they expire!  They are also in order by size.

Now that you have your ads all entered and you defined how many spots you offer on your blog,

you will need to set up shop!

Let's go get your current spots up and posted!  You will need to go and delete the current ad code you already have on your blog, I was nervous so I copy & pasted mine in a word doc first ha. In the Site Setup Menu choose Displaying Ads and in your blog design add in a new html gadget and paste all the codes in there in the order you want them to appear (lar-med-sma.. etc).  They will probably be all mashed together so if you want a tiny space between them go enter this code into your blog CSS. Where is says 'px' put in a number usually from 2-5 for a good little space.. I have 5.

.pf_ads span { 

display: block; 

margin-bottom: 5px;

}

So your ads should be looking all kinds of pretty just like before in their appropriate spots if you did the code right, and if you chose 'shuffle' in the define ads section then they will auto rotate per page load.

Now you need to sell the other ads you have remaining! In the same Site Setup Menu click on Ad Shop and you can move your ads around how you want them to appear on your blog.  Next up grab that html code (step 2) and place it on your 'sponsor' info page on your blog (wherever you keep that) and you are ready to sell spots!  

As you can see it tells your advertisers how many spots are available and if any are sold out it gives them the next opening so they can purchase! Ummmmm am I saying that you no longer have to send Paypal invoices  Yes.  And am I saying that you no longer have to tell people your Paypal email to send you money? Yes.

Passionfruit charges just $1 per ad plus the charge from paypal that you usually always see in ads. For $1 you are getting a secretary, bookeeper, office filer and computer savvy html assistant.. its worth it.

So once your advertiser decided on purchasing an ad with you & they pick the size they want, they will be taken to this 'Buy an Ad' screen.  Cool right? Its streamlined and professional.  What they will pay and the start date is located on the left and all the steps they need to take to get the ad to you are on the right.  They do the work to ensure that the button is sized right, the link is directed correctly and the payment is made!  No more emailing back & forth to get button images, html codes, payments.. its all done here for you, resulting in perfectly placed ads with no mistakes!... Are you falling head over heels yet?

Once the ad has been purchased then you will receive an email saying you have a new ad! From your dashboard you can see it in your Ads Awaiting Moderation section.  It gives you all the details and you have to approve it before it goes live.  This is great because you can see the direct link, you can see the artwork (& if you require any design changes) and if the purchaser isn't a great fit for your blog this is also where you can deny the ad and a full refund is given to the advertiser!

Now you want to stay on top of this because Passionfruit is a smart cookie and knows when your ads will run, however it is up to you to approve the ads!  If you make a client wait for approval it may seem like you don't like them (boo!) so go approve those ads, if you have spots open now they will start right then and there because they expire however many days after the start date based on your duration settings. So if you aren't approving right away and they paid to start today you may have to adjust their start date to give them the appropriate amount of days they purchased. However if you don't have a spot open for a bit then after you approve them, Passionfruit mosies them on over to the 'upcoming ads' section on your dashboard so you know who will start soon!

Now there is one adjustment you might have to make to all of this and that is when you have your ads start/stop (duration).  I currently have them start on the first of each month and end on the last day, but with Passionfruit they start if you have something available (this might change though!)  So here is a trick to bypass this if you want to keep them in the 1st-last format.

-- limit the amount of ad spots you offer to currently reflect what you have on your blog, put all their start dates at the last day of the previous month so anyone visiting your sponsor section sees that all your ads aren't available til first day of the next month if you have it set up as a 31 day duration.  They can purchase an ad and it will state at checkout that it won't start til there is space (1st of month). You approve the ads and they will queue up in your 'upcoming ads' section. 

Really I think that letting spots be open at anytime for purchase if available is great because it means that you constantly have fresh content, your group sponsor features don't have to be so large and you can randomly introduce some newbies.. the choice is yours!

So now that you have all your ads switched over, you are selling ads on your blog and you are seeing what ads you need to approve how about a few extras?  Well since this project is still a baby I can promise you that MANY things are being added to it, Jason is open for suggestions and already has so many plans for updates (yay!)

Two features I'm already loving are the Cash Money Menu and the Promo Codes.

If you like to stay organized and see how much of your income is coming in from just the advertisers (because in paypal you see both ads & sales stuff if you own a business) then this is another perfect program for you!  You can view all pending payments (released every friday) plus all payments ever received which makes bookkeeping a no-brainer!

You can also add in promos.. I offer all my current advertisers 15% off when they return to me & occasionally do ad specials.  So you can offer discounts there, or if you run an 'advertisement spot' sale, this is perfect for that.  Do you offer trade (I made an example above)?  Keep those streamlined too, have your trade sponsors enter in a special discount code so that the ad is still organized with all your others, but free!  And its easy to import affliate codes if needed.  Gahhhhh the possibilities right?!

You can also manage ads that you have purchased through Passionfruit, this is great because you can update your button and url link when you need to without having to wait for the blog owner to do it!

So this is the run down on how to get started... seriously sign up, fall in love & make a million babies with Passionfruit asap.  I already got a couple friends (like dana) started on it so I hope my pimping out strategies work!  Don't forget to check out the new directory to find new ads to follow or advertise with.

If you need any help or have questions, please leave a comment below, use the help option on their site or send Jason a direct message via twitter @passionfruitads

*this is an honest review, in no way was I compensated for this post by Passionfruit or their partners, although Jason totally adores me and will most likely hire me someday hahaha jk* <-- officially hired on 08/06/2012 =)