I feel this particular blog is important to share, because I know that so many people struggle with how to advertise their businesses online. As you search for Online Advertising methods, you typically only see specific types of advertising options. Those who are successful with their online advertising typically only repeat what you already find online. I find that particularly frustrating when you consider many of those advertising methods either take a long time or are saturated with many other people trying to do the same thing.
Some of the common things you hear are - Use Free/Low Cost Natural Techniques which include: Optimize your website with good content, use solid Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques, build good backlinks, optimize your web page with meta tags, etc. Although I believe all should do these things, time is the most significant factor for many. Often people start their web adventures with a need to see a return on their investment quickly. Natural SEO often takes an extended amount of time. And Honestly everyone doesn't have 6 months to a year to wait for their website to become popular.
I believe you must approach your advertising from more than one direction. Never put all your eggs in one basket. What if your website is ranked number one and suddenly gets banned or dropped to the last place? Don't think it can happen? Do a search and see the cries of those who have experienced this first hand.
Social network marketing is fast becoming a highly desired method of advertising. This means advertising in places like Forums, Blogs, MySpace and Facebook. There are more and more online ad networks that feature advertising in these spaces. I have also seen several articles about how social networkers are starting to become immune to the advertising barrage.
Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, Adbrite, and other Pay Per Click networks also are comon places for advertisers to flock in search of success. This is a good option for many who want to obtain results fairly quickly, but the trial and error process can be expensive. There are many consultants available that will help with PPC campaigns. I consider these ads much like TV commercials. You pay to advertise to thousands of viewers at a time with only a small % actually purchasing your product.
Before moving on, there are several Definitions I'd like to give you so that you really understand what you get when you use Pay Per Click services.
PPC - Pay Per Click (also known as Cost Per Click) - You pay a price for each person who clicks on your advertisement. Google Adwords is one of the most popular PPC programs today. PPC means that your ad can be exposed to thousands of people, but you only pay for people who click thru to your website. This does not guarantee any sale. You must also be careful of click-fraud.
Click Fraud - This is where competitors or Publishers (the websites where the ads are displayed) click on your ads repeatedly to either run up your costs and make you stop the ads, or in the case of the Publisher make himself more money at your expense. Google and the other ad networks do what they can to fight click fraud, but it still exists.
CPM - Cost Per Thousand - This simply means that you pay some price for every 1000 people that see you ad. It doesn't matter how many people actually click your ad. It only matters how many people are exposed to your ad. So if you advertise on a website with 4000 viewers per day, and you pay $1 per Thousand, you would be $4 for 4000 exposures to your ad. Exposure doesn't mean they actually pay any attention to your ad. It just means your ad was on the page when they visited.
CPV - Cost Per Visit - This is the price for delivery of a targeted visitor to your website. There are networks that features full page CPV ads. If you're interested, do a search and you should find several that offer CPV ads.
CPC - Cost Per Conversion - The actual cost of acquiring a customer. Its the cost of your ad campaign divided by the number of conversion to your website. This number can be surprising and can add up quickly when you consider how many people click or are exposed to your ad before someone buys.
CPA - Cost Per Action - I consider this to be a hidden gem. No one really talks about it, but you can find it if you know its out there. This form of online advertising is unique in that the ad network and the publishers take the risk and expense of advertising your website. You only pay for conversions.
Think of the benefits to you as an advertiser. You only pay when the visitor to your website takes the action you specify. That action could be an actual sale, completion of a sign up form, or other action that you want visitors to take on your site. What's extraordinary is that often with this advertising, the ad network will design your ad at no upfront cost to you. You pay when they make a sale for you. Often you will find you don't pay anything up front at all. In return, when you do make a sale, you cost is typically much higher than the cost you pay per click. But in the end, that cost may actually be lower than paying up front for thousands of ad impressions and clicks that produce no sale.
In CPA advertising, because the ad company/network assumes the risk they are very motivated to see you obtain the results you want. Many CPA networks are based on affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is where other website owners promote your website or service in exchange for a referral fee. In this case however, rather than going out and advertising for affiliates yourself, the ad networks already have website owners who are willing and able to participate. Saving you time and energy.
CPA advertising is a rarely discussed but valuable secret of Online Advertising. Why haven't you really heard it before? Possibly because of the additional risk of expense to the ad network/agency, most don't want to assume the risk.
Whatever advertising methodology you choose be sure to also include natural search engine optimization as part of your strategy. Diversity is the key to long term success in any business. Never put your eggs all in one basket. But if you are looking for the best way to get your website sales up in the shortest amount possible, online advertising, and in particular CPA advertising might be just what you are looking for.
Happy Advertising,
The Website Design Store
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