I laugh when I think about my first attempts at paying for advertising. My web host offered me a few $50 ad coupons and I thought I was just a few clicks away from raking in tons of sales. I set up my first Adwords PPC ads with great excitement and was certain that I was just minutes away from my first sale.
Thirty minutes passed. Nothing! …an hour… Nothing! A day passed and not only had I used up my $50 coupon, but I probably owed an additional $50 – not at all what I had in mind! I was quite frustrated because at the time, I hadn’t budgeted for advertising and it came at time, when I was hoping to make more money – not pay more money.
Needless to say, I developed a quick aversion to PPC ads. I didn’t want to ever pay for advertising again. I had a lot to learn and as I gained more wisdom about what works and what doesn’t, I came to realize that in some cases advertising really can enhance what you’re trying to do with your blog.
Advertising on a budget
In the beginning, I failed to budget appropriately for advertising and made many mistakes that I can obviously see now, but couldn’t then. I eventually gained an appreciation for advertising after I learned how leverage it.
It’s not always easy to determine what advertising methods will bring you the exact results you’re looking for, but there are tons of affordable ways to get the word out. I consider advertising an investment that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Done wrong, it can become an unnecessary financial burden – done right and it could be the very thing that brings about your financial freedom.
The first things you should ask yourself before you decide to create any ads are:
- What kind of blog do I have?
- What do I hope to accomplish? More subscribers? More sales?
Not all blogs are going to benefit from the same types of ads. Some blogs are more appropriate for referring sales than others – some will do better just trying to get more subscribers who may convert to clients or customers later.
Another question you should consider:
- What kind of customers/clients are you trying to attract?
If you are running a blog that focuses on your local area then any ads you purchase should target that area. If you have a product which can be sold locally then you should connect with local newspapers and TV channels. You should also check the list of the available media; you can also advertise your product with flyers that you can distribute yourself or by hiring someone to help.
I got connected with a local free magazine when I first moved to the area and started serving as a regular writer. When I was ready to market my books to the local area, all I had to do was pass them on to the editor who was more than happy to publish reviews and provide free ad space.
Social Media Advertising Outlets
Facebook offers promoted posts and pages. Twitter offers sponsored/featured tweets. I’m sure Google+ will soon follow with something. Because social media has such a large audience that can be targeted, it’s possible to reach your target audience even if you don’t have a huge following of your own. Facebook offers several different options – I’ve used the promoted posts feature whenever I wanted to get a lot of views on a particular post. I can’t attest to higher sales, but I did reach new readers who eventually became loyal subscribers.
Of course, Craigslist is still free. You can post ads fairly quickly and easily. Obviously, it works better for some things than others, but it never hurts to try. If you’re in India, you might want to try out Ads in Bangalore, it’s a site that is similar to craigslist and is gaining popularity in that area.
Try offering your ebook or products you are selling to bloggers for free in return for a review. Reviews can be powerful and at times can be more effective than banners or other types of ads. If you can’t get them to do a review for free, try purchasing a sponsored review on popular blogs. If you don’t know where to start, check out SponsoredReviews.com, it’s a site that connects advertisers with bloggers who own high ranking sites.
High end advertising:
Most of the methods I’ve mentioned above have a relatively low budget when you consider the hundreds of dollars it can cost for print ads in a newspaper or with a local TV or radio station. But if you have a higher ad budget and you are ready to expand nationally or internationally, then mixed media ads might be worth the investment. TV or radio ads are wonderful way to convey the message to a huge audience of people at one time. I’ve thought about purchasing a few months of digital Lamar Outdoor ad space that is located on a high trafficked part of the interstate – I’m always reading that sign as I make my way home every day and I wonder how many others are doing the same.
Which methods worked?
It’s not always possible to conduct a huge market survey to find out how people arrived on your blog. But whenever possible, when you do make a sale, try to find out how those customers found you or who referred them. Send a thank you email that kindly asks if they will disclose how they ended up on your site. This way you’ll know what to focus your energies on in the future. You’ll especially want to do this if you purchased high end ads – you’ll want to make sure you’re getting a decent return on that investment.
About Kiesha Easley
Twitter: vagish
says:
I’ve never tried sponsoredreviews but I would assume they wouldn’t have advertisers in my niche. The niche I cover is pretty small.
Vagish recently posted..Arcade Machine with a Touch – Apex Touch
Advertising is the good way for getting exposure in online business. So it should be done in a budget. Thanks for sharing these tips.
Prakash recently posted..Hike Messenger Download for Symbian, Android, PC, iPhone, Blackberry
That’s great idea about the advertisement from which you grow you business in better way ,today on every sites you see the advertisement and the people are attracted .
Hi Kiesha,
Thanks for this useful post. Your money get wasted if you fail to select the proper location for your ad to get displayed. As a result your conversion rate and ROI gets affected.
Here in kenya we depend more on advertisement and it is costing us business men a lot of money, i really appreciate the blog advertising
Perhaps the most powerful advertising media availabe to us these days is social media. Facebook, Youtube, and other sites offer us free advertising that can be directly targeted at our readers and potencial readers
Luis recently posted..Responsive Design Español
Twitter: kashyap_ksit
says:
My hosting has given me a few AdWords coupons… I thought of cashing it in for one of my blogs. After reading this, I guess I’ll wait and follow a planned way of advertising… I’m not making effective use of social media. Must improve on that first… Thanks for the great article.
Kashyap Shreepathi recently posted..Winterboard vs Dreamboard – Why I Hate Dreamboard
Kiesha great post. One of the other ways I advertise is through providing great in-person service and building a relationship with my readers and clients. This may not work for business that exist only online, but with my business, the old fashion word-of-mouth and real life ‘likes’ usually lead to online sharing and marketing buzz about my business. Cheers. -Doug
Kiesha great post. One of the other ways I advertise is through providing great in-person service and building a relationship with my readers and clients. This may not work for business that exist only online, but in real estate, the old fashion word-of-mouth and real life \’likes\’ usually lead to online sharing and marketing buzz about my business. Cheers. -Brian
Kiesha great post. One of the other ways I advertise is through providing great in-person service and building a relationship with my readers and clients. This may not work for business that exist only online, but in real estate, the old fashion word-of-mouth and real life ‘likes’ usually lead to online sharing and marketing buzz about my business. Cheers. -Brian
Brian Tally recently posted..Austin Anticipates New Business Openings
When you are on a budget, you cannot afford any chances. You have to know exactly what you are doing. Therefore, the information in this article is very useful for someone in this situation. Furthermore, the use of social media is highly recommended but only if you have a good plan. Otherwise you might just end up wasting your money acting blidly.
This article was written well. This is an interesting twist of history in many different ways. Although the point of aim, but not smooth Ideas clear, the meaning is not clear
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Thanks for the post. I actually have my first ad running in a couple of days, so I’m excited to see what results I get. Glad to know about PPC as well. I’ve heard it’s like “betting against yourself.” Your article and your commenters clearly confirm that!
Rena_theStyleGospel recently posted..OOTD: Blue, Green, and Balenciaga
Hi I own a car valeting business, with a blog on the same site. So I am therefore offering selling a service. I have just started going to Business Networking breakfasts/lunches etc. Which is free except for your food and a small fee around £5. Great way to advertise your business gain contacts in different industries and hopefully make more money. Better than the traditional way of advertising and a lot cheaper
Richard recently posted..Advice on Buying a New Car
Twitter: LakeCableAnimal
says:
Advertising can be pricey! Especially if you’re not too familiar with the ins and outs of it. I know a few business owners who have tried to do it themselves and ended up paying a marketing agency to do it right in the end. But I do think before starting any advertising venture, you need to identify your goals or what you hope to accomplish from the advertising. This will help lead you in the right direction as to whether you should use online or offline marketing.
Twitter: violetamatei
says:
Indeed, one can waste a lot of money before learning how to do it right. This is why, if you’re not very tight on your budget, it’s probably a good idea to hire a specialist to set up the campaign for you. Then you can either manage it yourself or pay a small monthly fee to the agency to keep an eye on it and make adjustments when needed.
Violeta Matei recently posted..Restless Traveler
Twitter: Ajayudayagiri
says:
We cannot make out good exposure by just investing money on advertising. It is always suggested to look after the percentage of people interested in the topic and how many of them searching for it. All that requires is Research.
Ajay recently posted..Top 5 Best Android Tablets Below 10000 Or $200
With or without a budget, you need to optimize your campaign. The more you optimize, the more you save time and money. Closely compare statistics from Google Analytics (or whatever tool you use to measure traffic)
Twitter: ElisaNavarette
says:
I have to laugh because I made massive mistakes with AdWords and lack of budgeting when I first got started online and developed that same aversion. On the bright side the education on keywords I got helped a ton when I got to SEO.
I do use paid traffic now but I have learned how to really target and hone in on who my audience is before I even get started. And of course I have a budget;)
Thanks,
Elisa
Elisa recently posted..Make Your Own Photo Book Online
Twitter: taxfile_india
says:
Really depends on your needs. PPC is not for bloggers. However, if you’re trying to get viewers to showcase your SaaS, then it’s just the thing for you!
Advertisement on a budget should be done for a blog. It can be done by Google adwords also.
Twitter: techblowup
says:
Some investment is required for getting exposure to our blog. So advertisement is a great way for getting exposure.
Prakash recently posted..UC Browser download for PC or Computer Free | UC Browser for PC
This is one of the great article. You included Craigslist list in this post. I think that Craigslist is one of the most effective and well known consumer websites around.
siva recently posted..allu sirish gouravam Telugu Movie Story
Twitter: brokerhollywood
says:
Hello again Kiesha!
This is another great article. You included Craigslist list in this post. I think that Craigslist is one of the most effective and well known consumer websites around.
I have had much success with Craigslist :)
Sam
Sam Martinez recently posted..Short Sale Process is expedited by Bank of America
Haha I think every internet marketer starting off “getting broke” with PPC xD I also used up my coupon within minutes… And no results.
I like the idea that you mentioned with the real purpose behind the blog or website. Somebody that want to subscribe to your email list or another person that want to buy have a completely different mindset. So ya one should focus on what works best for that specific blog.
Peter recently posted..Ps3 Red Screen of Death Fix updated Sun Mar 10 2013 5:17 am EDT
I have tried the PPC as well and got just about the same result. I have also used some cheaper alternatives on social media sites and have not really had any luck there either.
Genna Weisheit recently posted..10 Ways To Make Extra Money
Twitter: Incionweb
says:
We are on a project where we can earn some amount money on advertising other company’s products. I hope our idea will work for us. I will consider your article points for the same.
Alex Thompson recently posted..10 Web Design Patterns for 2013
spending on ads must be properly planned otherwise it will go horribly wrong. Thankyou for writing for such a nice article.
Techrush recently posted..New Xolo X1000 With 2 GHz Intel Medfield CPU Launched For Rs 19,999.
Twitter: FerbHinlor
says:
Hi kiesha, advertising is the most effective way of growing a business but the important is stay safe and not broken. Love these great free ways of advertising. I’d definitely love to try them all out as I’ve never tried it.
Thanks – Ferb
Ferb recently posted..10 Secret Strategies to Make You Look Good on Twitter
I was planning to spend money on advertisement of my blog and after reading your article I am going to do that in a planned way. Gonna use the ROI factor here and see whats the output I am going to get in long term. Thanks for yoru post.
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