Everyone's advertising dollar can only stretch so far so what do you do to stretch it the furthest?

What are some of the key points that you need to look for in a publisher to see if they will deliver as promised?

Wayne, This is a Very Important topic that you have started [That's why it's a sticky] as the Publishers who you associate with is directly related to the success of your campaign.


Right, I will start by expanding the question -

What should you look in for a Publisher before Starting your Campaign with that Publisher?

How to make sure that the Publisher is actually delivering the Promise?

:deal:

When I purchase advertising, I only do it on sites that have an auidience I believe would like my site. That is why I don't do so much with Adsense and the likes, even though Adsense has contexual advertising. Usually I will prowl the net until I come across a site I think would be good, check it out for a while, then inquire about advertising. I find this way to be much more responsive.

So, what do I look for in a publisher? A site that has a similar auidience as mine.

You don't look for traffic? Past results of their other campaigns? Placement?

Wayne;

Couple of things I'd suggest; if you're considering advertising on a particular site, take a look at who else is advertising there. If you can, contact the advertiser and ask them if they're happy with their results.
Beyond that, it's test, test, test. Run the same ad on two different sites for a week. After a week, cancel the deal with the one that's not performing as well, then take that money to a new site. A week later, same thing. Keep going until you get the results you want.

Now - depending on your site, your ads, your budget, a week may not be enough. But you should constantly be testing, and challenging your results.

The other thing, with regard to traffic: Ignore things like Alexa rankings. Alexa's rankings are pretty much universally dismissed by those "in the know", because their rankings are based solely on the surfing habits of users who have installed the Alexa toolbar in their browser. Being #22 on Alexa is like being #22 with people who surf while eating watermelon.

As always, that's off the top of my head. Hope it helps.

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Well yes, I just accidently left those out:watch:

Placement is a big issue. The standard header position actually doesn't seem all that good. Users tend to just blot it out, since it is not in the flow of content. I tried putting a Google ad right above the quick reply box in the vB forums, and it did good, but it only shows obviously when someone views a thread and gets to the very bottom. I also made it how the ad appeared like a post, being the second to last post in the thread - that way it is smack dab in the flow of content. Right now I have my banners right under the navbar in vB.

I have been thinking over this topic for quite some days [Since the day it was posted. Yes, Sometimes, I do take my time.] and the more I thought about it, the more I realized the need to discuss this topic by categorizing it into different Media Type!

On a Side Note - Rather than Splitting this thread for Different Media Types and Increasing the confusion, I would keep this thread open and running like this. I will myself pick the points being discussed here and update the various threads that I will start.

But here are a Few General Pointers that came to my Mind [Excluding the points already made above!] -

1. Would you like to associate your brand with that publisher? - How does your Target Audience perceive that media? What Kind of Brand are they themselves considered? Finally, Will your target audience like to see your brand being associated with that media.

Take for example- Vertu, The Ultra Expensive Cell Phone. Their target audience is the Super Rich! The image of the product, that the company is trying to project, is of it being a Status Symbol.

They will certainly will not want to advertise it in Cheap Local newspapers. No, It is not just that their message will not reach the target audience but also that advertising there WILL Tarnish their Premium Image.

2. Does it truly Reach your Target Market? - Is the content that the publisher is publishing actually targeted at the audience that you are trying to reach?

I have actually seen some sports sites focusing less on the actual sports coverage but more on sections with scantily clothed women. I think this example pretty much sums up the point I am trying to Put Forward

3. What has their Past Reputation been like? - What do the people, who have already advertised with this publisher, think of them?

Ask for a List of Previous Advertisers and Account Manager from the publisher. While the Previous Advertisers may not share the exact numbers [And, Neither should you be too much interested in it!] but most of the times they will share their experience with that publisher, in general.

If the Publisher is reluctant in handing out this data, without giving you a really solid reason for not disclosing it, you have a reason to research more about this publisher before actually starting any sort of campaign with them.


These were the points which I could consider to be applicable to any media in general [If some have slipped off my mind, I always have that Post reply on the Top Left corner!]. Rest, I will post in the Media Specific threads...

If you have any more Tips, for choosing the right Publisher for your Campaign, Please share them with us.

That's a good question, I look for a demographic that is interested in my product/service. I also look at the medium they are offering and whether that medium will get the results I expect.

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I look for a few things:

1. Price. Most sites charge way too much for banner ads. There are a few sites out there that are true diamonds in the rough where you are going to get a ton of impressions for your dollar.

2. How is the banner displayed? I want my banners to have a DIRECT link to my site and use an ALT. I don't want any tracking or redirection. I want that little bit of PR while i'm advertising

3. Banner placement. This speaks for itself.

4. Demographic. I don't think advertising my website on a Medicare related website would do me much good. I want to target my specific demographic.

I think many people forget the most important aspect of advertising. I often get people who advertise on my site complaining about poor click-through rates. Why do they have poor click-through rates? Because their banners SUCK. I can tell the second someone uploads a banner to my site whether it will do well or not based upon the banner. Banner's need to catch the eye (without inducing seizures), be targeted at the sites demographic, and be clear/simple/easy to read.

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