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There are all sorts of tricks site owners and ad networks can play on advertising buyers to get them to part with their cash. It's a little counter-productive to mislead buyers as a failed campaign tends to not get repeat insertion orders; but some sites have huge advertiser pools to work with, so return business isn't a huge priority; or they are simply unscrupulous individuals who won't be around for the long haul. Buying through networksBuying ad space through networks can generally get you lower pricing, but at times the quality can be iffy as the networks deal with so many sites. If the networks' screening criteria is lax, your ads may appear on sites you really don't want your brand associated with. Additionally, the ads may be shown in markets where your product and services don't apply or are available. Before signing on with a network, ensure you know what sort of quality control processes they have in place and how much control you'll have over where your ads will appear. CPM advertising Often I look over media/advertising kits for sites and I have arrived at the conclusion that the more elaborate the kit is, one of two things is likely to happen when taking out a campaign based on impressions:
Newsletter/email advertisingMany ad buyers are enticed by huge circulations - but that can mean
little if nobody bothers opening the newsletter or solo blast; so always ask
about unique open rates. It's also a good idea to ask what type of subscribers
are on the list - are they single or double opt in? Does the list consist of
purely home-grown subscribers, or are some of the subscribers from bought
list. A purely in-house double opt-in list is a better proposition as the
people on that list would have confirmed their subscription - for that
site. Pay for performanceWhere possible, avoid CPM ads altogether - pay for duration or performance, i.e. clicks; but even then you have to be careful as some of those clicks may not be what they seem. For example, one person may click your ad ten times in a single session, or "bots" could be doing the clicking; so be clear on what sort of clicks you'll be paying for and be sure you have some way of tracking those clicks. Buying ad space based on durationWhen considering whether to pay for a slot for X period of time, ensure your chosen slot won't be shared by others; or if it will be, by how many other companies and whether any of those will be direct competitors. Don't be afraid to haggleIf you look at the rate cards of many sites, you'll see the costs can be enormous. What they state the cost is and what you can actually get it for can be two very different things :). Many sites have inventory to spare, so they pad that out with 3rd party ads through Adwords or other networks. As long as you can pay more than what the "filler" ads are earning for them, you might pick up a bargain. It never hurts to ask for a discount on quantity or duration.
Consider an affiliate program insteadPersonally, I feel the best pay for performance arrangement is via an affiliate program. While all sites will tell you how good, engaged and targeted their traffic is, the only real way for them to put their money where their mouth is, is with a guarantee (which they won't do) or a revenue share arrangement where they are paid only on the sales sent your way.
Michael Bloch Copyright information.... This article is free for reproduction but must be reproduced in its entirety, including live links & this copyright statement must be included. Visit http://www.tamingthebeast.net for free Internet marketing and web development articles, tutorials and tools! Subscribe to our popular ecommerce/web design ezine! Click here to view article index
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