How the cashback, arbitrage and aggregations strategy can help you gain 50,000 customers; with Frank DeBlasi

Get Noticed! Send a text. In this episode, host Jim James interviews Frank DeBlasi, co-founder of Hoopla Doopla, a loyalty shopping site that rewards customers with cashback from over 5,000 retailers. Deblasi explains that Hoopla"s business model is based on aggregation and arbitrage: merchants pay Hoopla a commission for every sale made through the site, and Hoopla gives a portion of this commission back to customers as cashback. To attract merchants, Hoopla joined affiliate networks, such as CJ"s, and applied for affiliate programs that allowed them to access the merchants" creative resources, such as promotional offers and coupon codes. To attract customers, Hoopla uses several methods, including social media, email, influencers, and referral programs. Deblasi also shares how Hoopla got coverage on national TV, which he attributes to good timing, product, and plan. When the US was in an economic recession in 2009, a New York Fox News producer reached out to Hoopla because he believed their concept of putting money in people"s pockets during tough times was a great idea. Deblasi revealed that the producer found out about Hoopla through a Facebook post he made, which was being shared by people. As a tip for entrepreneurs, Deblasi advises leveraging social media to spread the word about your business and to create a referral program to incentivise customers to refer others to your site. He also recommends joining affiliate networks and applying for affiliate programs to gain access to merchants" creative resources. Post-production, transcript and show notes by XCD Virtual Assistants Support the Show. Am I adding value to you? If so - I"d like to ask you to support the show. In return, I will continue to bring massive value with two weekly shows, up to 3 hours per month of brilliant conversations and insights. Monthly subscriptions start at $3 per month. At $1 per hour, that"s much less than the minimum wage, but we"ll take what we can at this stage of the business. Of course, this is still free, but as an entrepreneur, the actual test of anything is if people are willing to pay for it. If I"m adding value to you, please support me by clicking the link now. Go ahead, make my day :) Support the show here.