| Targeted traffic: the demographic | | | | for advertising opportunities on websites |
| | | | related to backpacking and hiking, such as |
| Assuming your business is motorcycles, my | | | | outdoors guides and wilderness survival |
| first guess at your target demographic would | | | | websites. |
| be 16-25 year old males and 50+ year old | | | | |
| wealthy retired couples. Breaking it down | | | | Web traffic at some content based sites is |
| further, if you sell Suzuki crotch rockets, | | | | not particularly targeted, while others have |
| you can safely discard the wealthy retired | | | | a specific topic, like a gardening tips |
| group. Narrow the demographic as best you can | | | | website. Finding a website with a very |
| to target potential customers. Paying for | | | | specific interest may or may not be as |
| traffic that isn't dense with people | | | | important, depending on what product you're |
| interested in what you're selling is a waste | | | | selling, or what service you offer. T-shirts |
| of your advertising dollar. | | | | may sell well on lots of different content |
| | | | based sites, while the gardening weasel isn't |
| Once the demographic is well defined, you can | | | | likely to do well on places not related to |
| begin identifying and sorting out perspective | | | | gardening. |
| advertisers. Determining whether a particular | | | | |
| advertiser or marketing group is going to | | | | An update schedule of content based websites |
| work for you can be rather difficult, unless | | | | you're considering advertising on is rather |
| you've personally used them before. This is | | | | important, depending on how you advertise. A |
| where experience and networking with other | | | | website that updates every other day or |
| webmasters comes in very handy. Talk to other | | | | weekly will have many visitors who come for |
| webmasters who've advertised with the | | | | the updates and leave. A website that updates |
| company, find out what they were advertising, | | | | sporadically will have more people who come |
| and ask them how the campaign went and if | | | | just looking for something new. When there is |
| they plan to advertise on that website again. | | | | nothing new they're more likely to look for |
| I don't generally use an advertiser unless | | | | other related links, which is where good |
| I've heard very good things from other | | | | advertising kicks into high gear. Of the |
| webmasters or they have a trial ad setup, | | | | three major advertising types, I tend to |
| where you can commit a small amount of money | | | | believe in doing my homework and paying flat |
| to testing out the traffic before you make a | | | | rates for given periods of time. This seems |
| real investment and buy several weeks or | | | | to work best, because it depends more on you |
| months of advertising with them. | | | | to build an intriguing advertisement, and |
| | | | rewards you for doing so. |
| An important consideration when buying ad | | | | |
| space on a specific website is the focus of | | | | Buying ad space on a per click basis can be a |
| that website. If you're considering | | | | better bet if you're trying to build a brand |
| advertising on a service oriented website, | | | | name, because your ad might get 50,000 |
| make sure your product or service compliments | | | | impressions before the 1,000 click-through |
| that website's service. For instance, if you | | | | you paid for happen. |
| sell shoes, advertising on is going to be | | | | |
| very inefficient and expensive. You'll be | | | | Conversion rates are key |
| paying to advertise to a bunch of people, the | | | | |
| mass majority of which aren't looking to buy | | | | For most of us on the web though, our main |
| shoes. However, if you're selling a spyware | | | | goal is to sell the product or service. This |
| removal tool, email services could be a great | | | | is why I contest doing your research, finding |
| place to advertise. Most internet users have | | | | the best websites, and purchasing ad space on |
| spyware on their computers, and most are | | | | a weekly or monthly basis is the best method |
| aware of and concerned about spyware. | | | | of promotion in the long run. If you're |
| | | | smart, you'll monitor your traffic from |
| Advertising on content based sites | | | | different sources and determine the cost per |
| | | | sale to see which sources are providing the |
| When I need to advertise, my favorite place | | | | best conversion rates. In the case of buying |
| to go is still a content oriented site with a | | | | click through traffic, the monitoring program |
| close relationship to my product or service. | | | | should give you the traffic conversion rate. |
| If I'm selling Gregory backpacks, I'll look | | | | |