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Step 3: Understand what their numbers mean!
Advertiser sites will provide you with a media kit (or should) when you request advertising information. In this kit should be a breakdown of who they are, the market the reach, their current stats and package options.
Read this carefully. Make sure their market reach is the same as yours. If you are looking to reach prenatal moms & their site is about post-natal baby care… they are not a fit! Don’t get excited by glossy pages and exciting numbers… focus on YOUR ideal client and find a match that way!
I also look for companies who do regular promoting of their past and current clients. Ask for a list (reference list) of past advertisers and see what happened after they paid their money. Was their ad up on time, was their follow up with the stats from the advertisement, are they still supporting the company in other ways?
Google Analytics Statistics
Stats can be a bit tricky to understand at first, but will give you a good idea of WHO is coming to the site, how often and for how long!
Monthly Pageviews: How many pages on the website have been visited in the month
Visits: How many times people came and visited the site in a month
Unique Visits: This is how many unique individuals are visiting the site each month – they only count the first visit
Example Image of Google Analytics
Unique visits may not be included in the original stats you are given, but they are a good number to know. For example, lets say the site had 5000 visits a month, but their unique visitors were only 500, this means that 500 people visit the site 10 times each in a month. This will give you an idea of the relationship has with their viewers. A different relationship than the site that has 5000 visits and 5000 unique visitors… each person came once, and then left? Understand?
Your digital ad charges will relate to the pageviews number – each page equals 1 ad impression (see pricing above)
Subscribers:
You will also be given a number related to newsletter subscribers. I often like to ask if they have any large subscriber pushes coming up (trade show, contest etc) This is always a good time to invest. If you purchase a newsletter ad and they attend a tradeshow before the ad date, you very well may get a few extra subscribers for free!
Packages:
Each company puts together package deals. It is better for their budget line and easier to manage less advertisers with more purchases. Check these out, do the math and make sure they make sense!
Custom Options:
anything from sponsorship to contests… if it makes sense, and they can explain their numbers and it benefits your business, follow your instincts! Creativity is awesome, but make sure they know what they are doing and it is a proven method!
Step 4: Buying your Ad
Once you have exchanged details and made a purchase, you will be asked for advertising buttons, text and other info (photos, links etc)
Be sure to check the drafts before any ads are published and test the links!
After your ad is complete the company should provide you with you advertising stats – you will want to know how well the ad performed, how many people clicked through to your site, etc.
It can often be a benefit to create a custom landing page on your website so you can track the number of visits from a particular ad. This also ensures the numbers aren’t tweaked from the other end!
If it works, digital advertising is an affordable way to promote your business. Make sure you have a call to action and a specific purpose for your ad (no, increasing fb fans is not a good purpose) Have a deal, or a special and push your clients the last step to make a purchase!
