Can Black-Focused Web Sites be Profitable?
Many wonder if Black web sites are making money. So many have come and gone in the last 5 years. However, there are some that have managed to survive.
Long Beach, CA (PRWEB) February 21, 2005 -- With the recent closing of
Africana.com and hundreds of other Black web sites that you probably never heard
of, the question arises - Can Black-focused web sites be profitable? Well, the
answer is yes and yes - that's two affirmatives because there are two types of
Black web sites that can be and have proven to be very profitable.
Online Black Retailers:
The first type is online Black retailers
- that is, Black web sites that sell products and goods online. For instance,
BlackExpressions.com is an online retailer that sells African-American books and
DVDs online. Last year, they generated about a million dollars in online
revenue. Other successful online retailers include CushCity.com - which sells
Black books, movies, and music; and AmberBooks.com - which sells
African-American self-help books.
There are even sites like
ZanaCakes.com and ComfortCake.com - Both sell specialty cakes through an online
mail-order system, and have managed to be profitable.
In addition to
products, there are Black web sites that sell services, such as BlackPR.com, a
web site that sells PR distribution services. Last year, the site generated
sales of over $150,000.
Online Black Publishers:
The second type
of web site that can be profitable is online publishers - that is Black web
sites that depend on advertising revenue. Several have profited millions, such
as BlackPlanet.com, BET.com and BlackAmericaWeb.com
Others like
BlackNews.com, HBCUconnect.com, and BlackStudents.com have reportedly generated
revenues either close to or over $500,000.
Another major site,
EURweb.com, was not available for comment, but they too have proven to be
extremely profitable.
Overall, these are just a few, but there are many
more Black-focused websites that are making money. The idea is to not only come
up with a good concept, but to come up with a good marketing plan.
Dante
Lee of Diversity City Media, comments, "We have several profitable online
ventures, including BlackNews.com and BlackPR.com. The key is to develop unique
marketing ideas. When you put a web site up, it doesn't mean that people will
automatically flock to it."
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb210654.htm