Greeting-Cards-By-Stars.com Design Team Grows to Over 60 Animators Taking Aim at the $40.6 Million E-card Market
Greeting-Cards-By-Stars.com attracted its 60th greeting card designer last month. Passionate artists from Orlando and around the world are banking on the royalty potential of this growing market.
Orlando, FL (PRWEB) February 19, 2005 -- There is a new player in the online greeting cards industry. Excuse me - there are 64 new players in the online greeting cards industry. That's the number of animators and artists Greeting-Cards-By-Stars.com has partnered with in the few short months they began competing in the $40.6 million Online Greeting Card market.
The ECard market is up from $6.8 million since 2001, according to Online Publishers Association. If you count advertising revenue, it's well over a $70 Million market!" exclaims Mark Kanter, co-founder of Greeting-Cards-By-Stars.com. We have great content from great people. Now all we need is great rankings from search engines to help our artists earn the royalties they deserve."
A quick glance at the site revealed some interesting artists from around the world. For example, there was Kooky Guy, living in Orlando; hes been designing greeting cards for 5 years, theres Rex, the crazy animator from Saint-Petersbourg, theres Rowan from Africa, Nadeem from India, and Silly Sally from San Diego, just to name a few. Kanter talks about them, We care deeply about each and every one of our artists. I think our team continues to grow rapidly because of the values we share: Working hard at what we love - Being appreciated for it - and Having fun."
Having fun is one thing, but getting top billing in search engines without paying a lot of money, is another. Hearing Kanter talk about that however, you might think it was rudimentary. "That'll come," says Kanter "We're working hard on legitimate linking strategies and search engine optimization techniques that should pay off in the future."
That can already be seen. After learning from Wordtracker.com that the phrase 'Greeting Cards' may be searched on some 17,000 times a day, Kanter changed their domain name from 5StarCards.com to Greeting-Cards-By-Stars.com. And a recent search on MSN for the phrase 'Valentine Greeting Sister resulted in Greeting-Cards-By-Stars coming up in first place.
"We're determined!" says Kanter. "Our goal is to turn living artists into millionaires. When asked about the competition, Kanter said, I read how one site grossed $30 million in advertising revenue, yet had a net loss from operating expenses." Hearing how some artists earn only $75 a card, Kanter said, "Something's wrong with that picture. I can run a website for less than $5,000. Where did the other $29,995,000 go?"
It looks like Kanter is trying to pull a modern day Robin Hood by stealing from what he portrays as bloated greeting-card companies and giving to starving artists. But given the deep pockets and entrenchment of the competition, it won't be easy. A longtime boxing fan, and one-time fighter, Kanter responds, "I've always found it more exciting to root for the underdog to come from behind and knock down the reigning champion, and I love it when that happens, don't you?"
When asked about the depth of his pockets, Kanter replied, "We haven't looked for private investors or venture capital simply because we've been focusing on the site itself. There's a lot of money to be made here. Venture capital could speed that up."
Greeting-Cards-By-Stars is certainly poised to go the distance. They've already been approved by some big name affiliates including AllZines.com and University of Phoenix.
"AllZines has been great", said Kanter. "They created quality, custom banners based on our needs and user demographics - and they did it really fast."
"University of Phoenix is also a great affiliate to have on our site", said Kanter, who waited a few weeks before being approved by them. They approved us and that says something. They pay very well for qualified leads and I think our target audience matches theirs quite well."
In an age where free greeting cards sites have become laden with countless, annoying popups, Greeting-Cards-By-Stars comes at a good time. While they have a great selection of free greeting cards, they have no pop-up ads. And they offer a unique, pay-per-send upgrade, which could suit many card senders budgets way better than typical annual plans.
Time will tell whether Greeting-Cards-By-Stars scores a knockout or just goes the distance, but one thing is certain - the artists at Greeting-Cards-By-Stars seem to be putting serious effort behind the cards they create. Kanter explains, "I think that will help set us apart. I think artists are willing to work much harder knowing they have a greater potential reward if their work performs well."
For more information visit http://Greeting-Cards-By-Stars.com or contact Mark Kanter at Greeting-Cards-Team@Greeting-Cards-By-Stars.com.
Greeting-Cards-By-Stars was founded on the belief that content creators should share handsomely in the revenue they help sites generate. Greeting-Cards-By-Stars has free greeting cards, no popups, a feedback system to help users find the best greeting cards fast and offers a unique, pay-per-send upgrade option that is more affordable than annual plans. Upgrade gift certificates for friends or family can be purchased in several denominations.
http://Greeting-Cards-By-Stars.com
University of Phoenix has grown to be the nations largest private university, specializing in the education of working adults by offering degree programs that are highly relevant, accessible, and efficient. With 163 campuses and learning centers in 33 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and via the Internet, students can complete their degree no matter where they live, what hours they work, or how often they travel or relocate.
http://www.phoenix.edu/
AllZines is a leading magazine subscription agent, specializing in Internet commerce, new innovative technologies and unique payment options. They work closely with the leading publishers and magazine titles to bring customers the lowest pricing and latest promotions.
http://www.allzines.com/
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