It's the Online Advertising Objective, not the method!

If you talk to one group of people, they are all about the clicks.  Talk to another and they only want to talk about leads, another…sales, others…impressions.  Talk to me and I’ll tell you that it depends…upon your online advertising objective. 

Impressions are a ridiculous stat that doesn’t mean a whole lot, but if you want to be seen and you get a really, really good rate, it might be worth advertising that way.  Clicks are a way to measure response to an ad, but some ads don’t drive clicks.  Additionally, clicks don’t take into account the exposure to a business that didn’t result in a click.  On the other hand, if someone does click do I just want traffic, or do I want someone to buy?  Leads are great, but do you have the tools to track the effectiveness of the leads, is your business suited to a lead and then a phone sale?  Sales are a fantastic way to measure the actual result of an ad, and in a business where sales are the objective, it is a great way to reduce your risk to near zero.  Sure, paying for advertising based upon sales will cost more per sale, but at least the cost is fixed. 

The truth is, all of the different options work.  There is no best way.  The education industry buys leads and they are proud of it.  They have everything down to a science they track each lead—who provided the lead (checking for quality of a lead generator), percentage of leads that can be reached by phone, the percentage of those reached that come for a tour, the percentage of those that fill out an application, then those that fill out student loan paperwork, then finally those that show up and actually pay.  They pay less to bad lead generators and more to better ones.

In the end, you have to match up the online advertising objective with an ad that will get the desired result and then pay for the advertising in the manner that works for you and the entity you are paying for advertising.  When it all is done right, everyone is happy.  Most of the time either the objective, the ad, or the method of payment is adjusted to get the desired result for an agreeable price.

Technorati Tags: advertising objective, clicks, impressions, leads, sales

In my view, “impression” based internet advertising is riddled with problems.  That said, if you just want to get your message out there without a concern for response rates, you can negociate a good deal.  On the other hand, pay for performance (click, lead, acquisition, subscription) campaigns don’t always do online “rich media” advertising justice–what I mean is maybe you intended to drive an online response, but the ad actually gave you a foot in the door that isn’t tracked.

Due to these issues and others we chose to partner with a company called RealVu Technologies, www.realvu.net.  RealVu technology tracks when our ads actually come into view on a person’s screen, and is then tracked as a “view“.  You can see this in action on www.exchangemyad.com, or by going to the RealVu site linked above.  Look above the upper right hand corner of the ad and watch for when the red checkmark appears in the RealVu logo.  This gives us a few advantages when it comes to exchanging ads. 

1.  Whether or not someone places exchange ads on the bottom of a page or buried on some obscure page in their website, credits on ads will only be earned when they are “viewed” by someone for a full second.  By the way, this is great for someone that hasn’t been able to sell the remnant space on their site.  Let me restate that, you can now monetize remnant space on a website with this technology–or at least use it for earning exchange ads.

2.  You will get the reporting to show when and where on the network an ad was “viewed”, and the ability to compare impressions to views as well as click rates.

3.  Since you can see the response rates of your ads on the sites it showed up on, you can stop your ad from showing on sites with lower response rates–making your campaign more effective.

The list of benefits for the RealVu technology goes on and on, but that list will provide subjects for future blog entries.

Suffice it to say, you can rest assured that your ads are fairly exchanged.  That is the bird’s eye “view” of the Ad Exchange Program.

Technorati Tags: ad exchange program, exchange ads, impressions, internet advertising, RealVu Technology, view

The Ad Exchange Program at ExchangeMyAd.com is set up so that business owners around the world can help to provide relevant advertising space to each other and keep businesses running in a difficult and uncertain time.  I am a business owner and understand how difficult it can be to adapt to a changing environment.  Advertising, in particular, is a sore spot.  Try as I might to watch the ROI on various campaigns for different businesses and make prudent decisions in good times, I am extra careful, cautious, and analytical during difficult times.  Advertising mistakes just seem extra costly when the margins are thinner; on the other hand, I know that to keep the business going I have to keep in front of my customers!

Some conversations with friends and associates led me to help create ExchangeMyAd.com where we can do our part to help the business community.  There are some challenges in making an exchange of advertising fair and effective.  First, online advertising that is based on “impressions” is begging to be wrought with fraud (especially in tough times).  Second, “clicks” aren’t a fair way to exchange–one “click” to one company may be worth a lot more, and the percentage of clicks varies on so many factors.  Third, you have to be able reach your target audience.

The first and second issues were dealt with through an arrangement with RealVu Technologies, www.realvu.net.  They have a patented technology that tracks when an ad comes into view on a person’s browser.  Tracking “views” facilitates a fair method to allow an exchange of advertising.  In addition, the reporting tool allows you to to actually compare impressions, views, clicks, videos watched, along with a whole host of other information that is useful for honing in your campaigns.

The third issue will be dealt with in time, which is why we are currently in beta.  The more websites that are exchanging ads, the better for everyone.  Even tiny sites are great, ones that wouldn’t normally be able to get advertisers, because when they are all aggregated it creates volume in even very niche markets.  Additionally, there are plans for local businesses to be able to target local customers (geotargeting). 

The greatest thing about the Ad Exchange Program is that I test out new messages, promotions, graphics, and videos until I find something that works.  I know the ROI, before I spend any money on additional advertising!  Crazy.  I will spend money on advertising all day long under those circumstances!

I am excited to have launched this platform for exchanging advertising, and for the future planned developments.  I am sure that there will be bumps along the way, and I thank you for your patience as we deal with them.  I appreciate your participation in the Ad Exchange Program and welcome feedback.

Technorati Tags: ad exchange program, business community, exchangemyad.com, impressions, patented technology