New York City-based VentureDirect Worldwide said it is relaunching the Free Forum, its network of free offer sites on the Internet, with a new look, an increased staff and a million- dollar advertising campaign.
The ad campaign includes buys on The Globe, Planet Direct, Netscape, Smartage.com, Excite and Starting Point, among others. The Free Forum currently has 5,000 affiliate sites and attracts 750,000 unique visitors a month.
The Free Forum’s new, user friendlier format is easier to navigate, the company said, designed to increase response from qualified prospects. Within each of numerous categories, offers are separated into the “Top 3 Picks,” limited time only free offers, risk-free trial offers, and free software/information.
VentureDirect said it is making a significant investment to expand this service because of the increased demand for low cost, high quality leads online.
“Most people realize the enormous potential of the Internet, but it can be cost prohibitive to set up and maintain a site, and then invest in online and offline advertising to drive traffic to it,” said Richard Baumer, president of VentureDirect Worldwide. “Free Forum offers a cost effective Internet solution. We maintain the sites and advertise to drive the traffic, so our clients don’t have to.”
Every month the Free Forum has up to 250 offers and generates up to 100,000 leads. Each offer links to its own page, where advertisers can explain their offer in detail.