Everyone has gotten so caught up in the wave of Internet advertising that some people have just thrown their common sense right out the window. Everybody wants to know how to advertise on the Internet. Yes, Internet advertising is a whole new industry, but that doesn’t mean that none of the old rules apply.
Everyone has gotten so caught up in the wave of Internet advertising that some people have just thrown their common sense right out the window. Everybody wants to know how to advertise on the Internet. Yes, Internet advertising is a whole new industry, but that doesn’t mean that none of the old rules apply.
Let’s think about this for a moment. If you know anything about buying advertising in other media, some of these tips should sound really familiar.
— When looking for a site on which to advertise take a long hard look at the content. Advertise on sites that have a reputation for solid editorial content. These types of associations will help strengthen your brand and create a sense of trustworthiness for consumers.
— Plan ahead. Don’t try to buy an ad and rush it through at the last minute, most sites charge extra for the pain and suffering caused by these types of buys.
— Don’t rely on numbers alone when planning a buy. Pay attention to the pattern of the traffic, the type of site, who visits it and why.
– When dealing with a sales rep make sure to communicate your expectations clearly. Be honest and upfront about your desired response rate and you will find your rep more willing to be honest and upfront with you.
— One caveat to the above rule, hold off on telling your rep exactly what you’re willing to spend. See what they can do for you first before you blurt out your advertising budget.
— If you have a highly targeted audience, it will probably be more beneficial to investigate and place ads site by site rather than buying a run of network package. Network buys work best if you have a product or service which appeals to a broad audience.
These are just a few basic, albeit tried and true, principles. We’ll go into much more detail on ad buying at a later date, so stay tuned.
