Tough economic times are forcing many companies to shift their advertising from traditional print and television to less expensive, more efficient online media outlets. However, before companies dive in they should have a clear strategy to make sure they get the best return on their investment. The following tips from AdCommunal Inc., a leading online ad agency network, will help companies large and small as they venture into the world of online advertising.
Top 10 Tips for Advertising Online in a Bad Economy:
1. Understand your audience. Choose an advertising approach that best suits
your goals, and select an agency that can deliver to your goals.
2. Pay for leads, not impressions or clicks. The best way to do this is
through a performance-based program where you pay a set amount per lead
generated; regardless of how many times the ad is shown or clicked on.
3. Maximize your investment. Not only does a lead-based performance approach
generate leads, it provides free brand visibility through banner
placements and free site visibility through clicks, while generating
leads that you can contact repeatedly.
4. Avoid set-up fees. There is no reason for you to pay set-up fees for your
online campaign. If an ad agency tries to charge you set-up fees, look
elsewhere.
5. Look for exclusivity. Most advertising agencies will tell you that they
do not handle competing accounts - check if the agency has a smaller
division or a separate department that's serving your competitor.
6. Consistency through smaller agencies. Make sure that the agency
representative you deal with is also responsible for the distribution of
your campaign, thus giving them a direct handle on both sides of the
transaction. Smaller ad agencies tend to allow for this, are often
hungrier and can provide better attention and service.
7. Target niche sites and bloggers. Make sure the ad agency you select has
access to a network of various traffic sources including social media,
search engines, niche sites and bloggers - as they can be valuable
sources of traffic.
8. Avoid extra costs of hiring a dedicated affiliate/program manager, and
instead, appoint the ad agency as the exclusive program manager or agency
of record to promote your campaign.
9. Monitor your success. Make sure the agency you choose provides advertiser
and publisher reporting interfaces so that you can login and see real
time ad tracking data like the number of leads generated, ads run and
sites reached.
10. Make improvements as you go. Select an ad agency that can differentiate
between sources of traffic so advertisers and publishers can optimize
campaigns, fuel profitable sources and avoid wasting ad time and money
on the wrong sites.
"During tight economic times it's more important than ever that companies make smart advertising decisions," said Neil Raj, Director of AdCommunal Inc., adding, "With fewer traditional outlets and a shift towards online media consumption, many companies are turning to online performance-based advertising. The trick is to make sure that they do their homework to find the best ad agencies and networks to partner with."
About AdCommunal
AdCommunal Inc. is a performance-based online marketing provider for advertisers, publishers and online affiliates in the United States, Canada and the UK. The company offers a no risk, pay-per- lead policy for advertisers and publishers, advanced tracking and reporting software, a user-friendly interface and free tools to help publishers maximize their revenue. AdCommunal has access to ad placements on various websites, blogs and social media such as Facebook and Twitter, all on a performance basis. AdCommunal Inc. hosts one of the most progressive affiliate programs in the industry, providing some of the greatest return on investment for advertisers and highest payout for publishers.
