The Waterfall Effect – Advertising on Blogs
January 8, 2008
Is advertising on blogs a great way to promote your business? Chad Randall gives some powerful reasons for doing so in 7 Reasons You Should Be Advertising on Blogs.
And he goes on to explain that because bloggers generally read other blogs and in turn recommend good products to others, just one advert could create a waterful effect for your business.
This is great news. But how do you go about advertising on business blogs?
Banner Ads: Many blogs accept banner or button ads and some only charge a few dollars per month. They will usually advertise this fact on their front page. And, if you’d like to win some free advertising – Astrit is running a competition for free Entrecard credits at his SEO Blog.
Plus points: Cheap way to advertise and once you’ve set it up you can forget about it.
Minus points: If the blogger doesn’t design the ad for you, you’ll have to design your own or get someone else to do it. And you need to be aware that some readers use special software which blocks out ads altogether.
Targeted Google Adwords Campaign: If you’d like to advertise on one of the high traffic blogs and you can’t afford their banners ads, did you know you can actually choose to advertise on particular blogs with Google Adwords? When you’re creating an ad campaign on adwords, just click the placements tab and not only will you be able to target a particular blog, but also a specific page in that blog for your ads to appear.
Plus Points: Extremely simple to set up and you can set budget limits which allows you to test and measure different ads without overspending.
Minus Points: Can still be expensive, especially if you’re targetting high traffic blogs.
Paid Reviews: Some products or services may benefit from paid reviews. Basically, you pay the blogger to review your product or service in a blogpost. You can arrange to have a paid review through sites such as Review Me.
Plus Points: It’s convenient – you don’t even need to write an ad. And if the review is good, it’s likely to generate more interest in your business.
Minus Points: You need to have an excellent product as bloggers don’t have to give a positive review. In fact, John Chow sparked controversy when he gave a business a bad review earlier this year. In his defence he made it clear that he felt it was unethical to give false reviews. However many others – myself included argued that it is also unethical to charge someone $400 for publicly slating their business.
Have you tried advertising your business on blogs? Was it worthwhile?
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12 Responses to “The Waterfall Effect – Advertising on Blogs”
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I haven’t done it yet but the one advertiser I do have received a lot of business from my website. When I look at the stats people reach me by using the advertisers name + coupon code. People get a discount going through my website. I’ve sent them a lot of business also I’ve written about them a lot. it’s a great company and excellent service.
Vegan Momma receives emails from solicitors several times each week; thus far, I haven’t added anyone else; however, a few recently have come through that I really like. I might use them on my website.
My company is starting to have some good luck with blog advertising. But if I was to start a new brand, I would definitely put money in them strictly for the SEO.
It would draw traffic and attention to the brand making my traditional buys more effective.
One thing I like about using BlogHer’s ad system is that they include exciting posts from BlogHer ad users at the bottom of the ad. Which can include me! So periodically anyone on any site with a BlogHer sidebar can see one of my better posts. (It’s especially cool because it tends to be the really good posts!)
Earns me money (BlogHer is paid per impression…unless it’s a PSA, which is like half the time) and potentially new readers.
Hi Opal – the fact that your advertiser is getting plenty of referals is good news for those who want to advertise on blogs.
I suppose you would have to be picky about who you allowed to advertise, so that they don’t reflect badly on your blog.
Do you advertise that ad space is available?
RacerX – that is good. It definitely sounds as though it works well for many businesses.
Mrs M – I saw your BlogHer ad and it does stand out. I will have to check it out.
There just seems to be an overwhelming number of advertising options now – it’s difficult to know which ones to choose.
I’m probably a hopeless duffer when it comes to blogs.
I’ve got a very sad admission to make.
I mainly enjoy them. I’m attracted to the freedom to say what you want. I enjoy visiting my favourite blogs like this.
I feel guilty that I don’t do as much hard work as you do – namely raising topics and issues that make me really think and learn.
So I’m one of those people that shouldn’t benefit from advertising. There is a difference I suspect from a purely small business-related blog – one where you engage with your clients and prospects directly (email and link to an article you feel will benefit them) – and a blog where it’s effectively a stand-alone and separate entity.
The value proposition is what is’s all about. And I feel guilty that I really get great value out of your blog without the originality of the concepts and issues you raise.
This will be part of my encyclopedia when I get around to figuring out how to do something more substantial.
I must congratulate you on a blog where everything you say wins my complete trust instantly!
Excellent points are given by this blog.
Ian – I honestly don’t know how you can say that you don’t add value to the blogosphere.
Many people who find themselves struggling financially in business will benefit from your wisdom and insights in your Phoenix From The Ashes Blog at http://www.iandenny.blogspot.com for many years to come.
And your Multisolutions blog is brilliant. Few people would have the bottle to do the YouTube forfeits that you people do.
Andria – thank you. I’m glad you like it.
Catherine,
Although I have added Google AdSense and a couple of other affiliate programs to my blog pages, the types of advertising you’ve mentioned, are not ones I have looked into yet. I”m still growing my blog’s readership, and feel I need to concentrate my energies on the mechanics of blogging and posting frequently.
When my blog has grown, I will definitely be checking this post again, and rereading what my options are.
I like how you have listed so many choices in a concise format.
Great job!
Hi Barbara – glad you liked it. I think you’re right on building up the readership first. Just writing your posts can take up a whole heap of time to begin with, without adding a whole heap of other activities.
And, of course, one of the benefits on advertising is not simply to get current ROI, but for the sake of branding. That’s mainly what TV advertising is all about. I can’t remember when I’ve ever been motivated to buy something “immediately” as a result of a tv ad. However—those ads keep the product anchored in your mind so that when you go to the grocery store you already have a built-in familiarity with the product. And familiarity breeds purchases.
Blogvertising may not be as productive as PPC programs. But if you’re trying to build a brand image and same notoriety, then blogvertising makes perfect sense. Of course, it’s always good to have a catchy name to go along with your blog ads, so you or your product will be more likely to “stick” in someone’s mind.
Hi Tim – excellent points. And often your customers have to be exposed to your brand at least three times before they even really take any notice of you.
So, it’s important to make sure that you’re marketing to the same customer base in a variety of ways.
Good point about a catchy name. A good logo is even better but if your ad is text only then the name really needs to stand out.
By the way, I hadn’t heard the word “blogvertising” until I read your comment. So, that’s another new word I’ve learned this week.