where to advertise?

When placing your ad, you should think less about what sites you want to target, and more about the users.

Ask yourself

  • Who do you want to reach?

  • When do you want to reach them?

Hopefully, you already have a profile of your site's audience (see profiling your users, p. 50), so you know who your ads should target and where on the web you might find them.

But also consider timing: If you reach the right people at the wrong time (when they're involved in an unrelated task) they may ignore your ad altogether. But if you hit the same user when they're thinking about your product or even when they're in a more relaxed state of mind they may be more likely to follow through.

choosing a site

Different types of sites offer different benefits to advertisers.

search engines offer a chance to reach the broadest swath of web users and target only those searching for specific keywords. It's an excellent way to target users with very specific needs. But its benefit is also its weakness. Nowhere are people more focused than on a search engine. If your ad doesn't relate to a user's specific need at the time, it's doubtful it will be seen at all.

portals also reach a mass audience online, and give advertisers a chance to target users. They differ from search engines because they're destinations as well as starting points. Some users go there to accomplish goals as well as find sites, making it an appropriate venue for a wider range of ads (including those that aim to draw the user's eye, without necessarily inspiring clickthrough.)

news sites offer a chance to reach a broad-based audience (sometimes with very desirable demographics) when they're in the mindset of consuming news. The advantage here is that readers will often treat an entire publication as an information source, taking in the ads along with the articles.

recreational sites offer a chance to reach users when they've slowed down from their normal break-neck browsing speed. Whether they're chatting, playing games, watching a video, or cruising the personals, users become less task-oriented and more open to suggestion on recreational sites. Visits tend to be longer and more leisurely, so users have more time to absorb ads.

4 ways to pay for ads

  1. By impression. With impression-based ads, you pay each time your ad is displayed to a user. This system is based on a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) model, and is typical of visual ads, like banners and pop-ups.

  2. By performance. With performance-based ads, you pay each time a user clicks through on your ad. This pricing scheme is measured in CPC (cost-per-click) and is typical of text ads, including "sponsored links" and text-based search engine ads.

  3. By percentage of sale. Some ads are priced based on a percentage of sales generated by the people who click on it. These ads are the least risky, in terms of investment, but they're very rare. This pricing scheme is more typical of affiliate programs than advertising.

  4. By barter services. Usually called banner exchanges, services have evolved that help sites trade banners without exchanging money. Using their system, you earn credits by running ads on your site and spend these credits to place your ad elsewhere.


action section: what to ask before you place an ad

Before buying ads on a web site, you should learn who they are, how they do business, and what exactly you're signing up for.

traffic and users

How many monthly pageviews does the site have?

_______________________________________________

How many monthly visitors does the site have?

_______________________________________________

Who are their users?

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

types of ads

What types of ads does the site accept?

Standard banners

Skyscrapers

Text-based

Buttons

"Rich-media"

Pop-ups

Sponsorships

Email

Video

Other:

  

_______________________________________________

Are there technology restrictions on the ads?

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

Are there other restrictions on the ads?

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

payment and performance

How will you be charged for the ads?

Based on impressions (CPM)

Based on performance, or clicks (CPC)

Based on the sales you make from new customers

Based on barter (no money changes hands)

Other:

_______________________________________________

Is there a minimum amount you must spend with them?

Yes

No

If so, how much? _________________________________

Do they bundle less-valuable ads with desirable ones?

Yes

No

What percentage of users normally click on any given ad?

____ %

What performance guarantees if any can they offer?

_______________________________________________

How do they track the performance of an individual ad?

_______________________________________________

Are their results audited?

Yes

No

How quickly can you see the results?

_______________________________________________

Will they work with you to improve your ad's performance?

Yes

No




The Unusually Useful Web Book
The Unusually Useful Web Book
ISBN: 0735712069
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 195
Authors: June Cohen

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