Does blog banner advertising work?

Hello everyone,

I'm considering advertising on a huge network of blogs which would give my banner a total of ~500,000 impressions per month. The sites are all blogs related to blogging, IT etc. And the cost for that is $580 per month.

The person I'm dealing with has told me that the CTR is around 1-2%. Do you think this is a good deal? Also keep in mind that the website I am promoting is pretty open ended - It's a social network for bloggers so it could appeal to anyone really, not a specific niche.

What do you think? Is this a good deal? Do you think banner advertising still works?

Thanks
Marc

 

It can work, or there would be no banner advertisements. The question really is for you, are you willing to spend around 600 bucks for up to 10,000 clicks from that site? On a side note, over $1 per thousand impressions is a little high for a single banner. Buysellads you can generally get the same amount of impressions for twenty cents or less per thousand, so on buysellads you can get the same amount of impressions for around $100.

 

Here are a couple tips on why it wouldn't work and how to make it work even better for you.

-Users block out banner advertisements.

Banner advertising is much more mainstream today than what it was 5-10 years ago. With more and more placements available on major portals and increasingly on social networks, users are being bombarded with offers. Flash today is also much more mainstream. For example, the mortgage banners of a person jumping and dancing around show low teaser rates. Our minds accept these arguably intrusive banners and over time have learned to block them out.

-Advertise above the fold.

Be weary of networks that will not guarantee impressions above the fold or that state merely that their inventory serves above the fold. Get it on paper. Take a look at the inventory available on TMZ.com and notice how many placements are below the fold and how long the fold extends!

-Cap spending on new buys.

Whether you are working with a network or directly with a publisher ensure that you establish daily impression/cost caps. This is the quickest way to get burned, so you always need to protect your organization in this manner.

I didn't want to make this post too long so if you want even more info send me a messege.

I also just joined an online club that helps you make your business boom. It teaches you the exact steps to make you the money you deserve and how to get your business going in the right direction. You can ask me for more info on that too if you'd like.

-Feen

 

As an advertiser myself, I can give you a few tips, but I can't go deep into detail unless I see the blogs and your ads first.

He says that the click-through rate is 1-2%?

1%, yes, but 2%? ... Not likely.

When doing the numbers, I would put down 3/4 of a percent. That is more like it.

It's according to the ad, where it is placed, and how many ads are on that page too (many get up to 5%), but that is petty much the norm. Very few click on ads.

How many monthly visitors does he get? That is crucial to know.

Let's say, for example, he has 10,000 monthly visitors. 1% of them click on your ad. If that many. Of the ones going to your site, maybe, maybe, 2% will buy.

Do the math. Will you get your initial money back, plus a profit?

My products are around $27. Shit, I'd not only would lose my sirt, but my fucking pants. I'd lose over $500!

And, always advertise BELOW the fold.

And, yes, banner advertising does work. If it is the right kind of ad, that is.

 

Personally I think banner advertising is a dead form of marketing. Much better to use the free ways of advertising such as social bookmarking and article writing. You should really consider contacting some blog owners and ask them to review your site.

 

I could be wrong, but I think he wants more than just a few hits here and there.

 

Thanks for all your feedback.

Indeed, I'm looking for more than a few hits here and there. Unfortunately, my website doesn't sell anything. In fact, I very much doubt I'll be earning anything substantial from it for quite a while! Since it's a free service, I just want people to sign up and start using it.

So in reality, I'm always gonna lose money for the time being, which is why I'm looking for the cheapest way to promote the website.

I'm looking at the big picture here - I might not earn anything decent for the next few months, but if it kicked off, then the sites profits can be quite high.