Advertising Management: Investing Wisely
by Marc Laffer, AdultChamber.com
Managing your advertising expenditures can become time consuming,
expensive, and frustrating; but there are things you should know,
steps to take, and things to do in order to avoid wasting time and
energy.
How and where you advertise will determine how much effort is needed
to watch your expenditures and their effectiveness. It's easy to select
a place to advertise but spending your money wisely is never easy.
Research takes time and evaluating the various advertising avenues
brings up the question of Risk vs. Return on Investment (ROI).
Understanding Media
One good way to determine if a magazine or Web site is appropriate
is to see where the big boys are spending their ad dollars. Larger
companies have one full time employee [or more] with the responsibility
for advertising and ROI. But first understand that the big boys have
the financial resources needed for name Branding, in addition to using
their ads for traffic and sales.
Print media and online advertising certainly differ in format, but
not necessarily audience. The magazines can more easily define their
readership since copies are mailed directly to individuals who provided
subscription information. Web sites on the other hand may be less
targeted unless you define and understand how they actually draw their
traffic. A personal verification of stats will make you feel more
comfortable with your selection. Keep in mind that a given copy of
a printed magazine is likely to be read by persons other than the
recipient, on campus and in offices, with older copies referenced
for articles on specific subjects.
Balancing Your Budget & Avoiding Pitfalls
If you're serious about reaching the Adult Webmaster, be it for Content,
Merchant Processing, an Affiliate Program, etc., you should set a
goal for exposure in both print media and on popular Webmaster Resource
Centers. Both Magazines and Webmaster Resource Centers have cross-over
audiences. Being at the right place at the right time is the key to
sales. Consider where your customer will be, or where they will look,
to find your specific product, service, or offering. Having a presence
in print and online will address both audiences and assure you of
reaching your target market. Know how much you really have to spend,
and make a decision to balance your budget.
You need to address and avoid two common pitfalls. They can happen
to anyone, and you need to address reality to avoid financial loss.
The first is to take a careful, honest, and objective look at your
Web site. Be open to criticism while making sure you are not the only
one who clearly understands exactly what you are offering. Regardless
of where you run an ad and your cost per click, every ad will get
a finite number of interested parties per month. Every lead costs
you money. Have someone who is not as experienced as you are go to
the same page you will be sending your potential customer. Expect
an attention span to be short, and see if they clearly understand
your offerings. Resolve any confusion or misunderstanding before you
advertise. If you have any questions as to the reliability of your
Web site's operation or your hosts ability to stay up and running,
fix the problems before your ads appear and the meter starts running.
Part 2: Reaching
Your Audience
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