There is one guarantee that every one of the over 3 billion global social media users can count on – social media is here to stay. As it continues to improve with innovative ways of making it a one-stop shop, every entrepreneur needs to find simple and creative ways of making social media work for them.
Advertising is a great way to add a revenue stream to your business, but the lure of something assumed to be easy money may take just a little more effort than you think, and you may want to consider adding another company’s products to your site. Let’s look at a few ways you could use to find and attract potential advertisers.
Approach companies directly
Before you consider this method, you should understand that most companies will want to know who will be viewing their ads. It is therefore key that you understand your audience, and demographics data is extremely useful when it comes to matching a targeted audience.
Armed with this information, the best approach would be to look for sites offering similar or complementary products in your niche. Your approach matters more than you think, and it is always more professional to engage in contention with potential advertisers via phone rather than email.
Affiliate products
This is one of the simplest ways to get into the advertising field, and although affiliate links aren’t actually ads, they do offer an income stream through the promotion of someone else’s product. The plus side of this is that you’re able to promote as many affiliate links as you’d like, and earnings are generally commission based on every sale as a result of your promotion. This can be quite intricate, and we’d suggest shopping around for the best program to suit your need.
Targeted advertising with Google Adsense
You’re sure to have seen an “Ads by Google” box at some point on a site. And while this may seem annoying, this strategy actually makes people lots of money. These targeted ads are paid for by businesses that use AdWords, and generally reflect the nature of your content. These ads are automatically run by Google Adsense, meaning all you do is collect each time a visitor clicks on the ad on your site. And the bonus? It’s absolutely free to join!
Blog specific programmes
If you don’t already have a blog set up, now is a great time to consider it. Not only do people love stories, but you could also sign up for blog-specific ads. There are a number of programmes that you can sign up for, including:
Google AdSense
Amazon Associates
Crisp Ads
Blog Ads
AdBrite
Remember that with most of these, it would appear as an endorsement and your clients are therefore likely to see these ads as a recommendation and bear in mind that your brand’s reputation should precede you.
Finding a programme that works for you is key, and the only way that you can do this is by investing time and effort into some research before committing. You also need to be aware that your audience may not be very open to this, and it is important to test every campaign that you run.
