When it comes to making money online, one option is to display
advertisements for complementary products and services on your website.
This is great for all types of websites and blogs, whether you write for
a living, have a photography hobby website or are a multi-national
million-dollar company. The question is where do you start looking for
advertisers? How do you make it clear that you have available
advertising placements?
Check Out Your Competitors
The first thing to do is looking at the competitors in your niche. They
possibly have some marketing placements and are encouraging interested
companies to purchase them. This gives you a way to find the names of
companies that are already willing to pay for advertising slots.
Companies proven to opt for this route are more likely to be open to
placing their ads on more websites. At the same time, you can also
gather information about business model and pricing structure from your
competitor's websites.
Search Your Industry Directory
Check your industry directory for the names of companies within your
business sector. A simple online search for a product that is related to
your website can yield many leads. You could open ad slots specifically
for those that offer something you do not offer or sell, as a way to
encourage partnership and opportunities for cross-selling complementary
products and services.
Attend Industry Networking Events
Many conferences and networking events are organized every month. You
can find an event near you and attend to find potential advertisers and
also explore other business opportunities. You do not need to rent a
booth at the event to raise your profile, even though that certainly
helps if your marketing budget allows. By being a normal participant,
you can explore the booths and talk to other visitors to expand your
business network. Use these events as a starting point for further
discussions and meetings.
Explore Your Business Contacts
Referral is one of the most powerful and convincing channels. You can
email your contacts or post on your social network profiles to let them
know that you are looking for advertisers. Your friend might know
someone who might want to sponsor a section on your website. Or they can
give you more leads to explore on your own.
Let Them Find You
Potential advertisers are often your website visitors. If they browse
your website and want to advertise their products or services on it, you
should make it easy for any potential advertisers to get more
information about your advertising program and how to contact you. A
media kit can provide this information. It lists the available ad
placements on your website and description about your audience. A more
advanced media kit can allow potential advertisers to place the ad order
directly from your website on their own and you can then review and
approve the incoming orders. For a self-service advertising setup like
this, you can use a comprehensive ad server that provides all the
necessary tools: from placing ad orders to ad serving to performance
reporting.