I’ve talked about the 6 Easy Ways to Get Advertisers to Your Blog or Website before, but one of the biggest questions I get is, now what? Well, if you’ve followed the actions in that article, but you’re looking for more advanced strategies on how to get advertisers for your website, here’s a great resource for you.
Some of these explicitly require you to to have made it easy for advertisers to find you, while others will take a bit of sleuthing around to find the right contacts.
The Money is in the List
In my first article I mentioned setting up your website with an “Advertising” page to attract advertisers to your site. After you’ve done that, I encouraged you to treat all emails as potential leads. But that’s only the first part of what you should be doing.
Every lead and every deal, regardless if completed or not, should be added to your “list”. I keep my list in Google Docs, but you can use something that is conducive to you. On this list, include the following:
- Name
- Company
- Contact (email, Skype, social media, etc.)
- Terms of Advertising
- Other
No matter what, I add my contacts to this list. Now, here’s where the money is – ping your list every 3 months.
I send out a generic email as follows:
Hi Advertiser,
We recently did business together and I was reaching out to see if you had any other advertising needs. If there is anything I can help you with, please get in touch.
I value our continued relationship.
Thanks!
Quick, simple, and too the point – but the great thing is that you’re trying to help your advertiser. Typically these guys run lots of campaigns and are dealing with hundreds, if not thousands, of sites. You never know what new campaign they are working on now, and if it could be relevant to your sites. Sending them a friendly reminder you exist is a great way to get more advertising.
On average, I would say I get a 10% conversion on these emails.
Keep Diligent Records on Timing
One rule of thumb for advertising – never accept permanent advertising on your website. Some companies only want permanent advertising, but that just doesn’t make sense. Could you imagine permanent advertising in the real world? You’d never see this:
If you wouldn’t see it in real life, don’t put it on your website. Plus, having a permanent ad could have negative SEO and search implications as well.
Instead, I always setup timelines on my ads – typically one year, but I’ve done anywhere from monthly to 3 years. The great thing is that this opens up another way to get more advertising – renewals. Keep a diligent list of your advertisers and when they expire. About 30 days before the ad expires, reach out and ask for renewal.
I would say about 20% of the time they renew, and another 20% of the time they don’t renew, but instead place a new, different ad.
Get an Affiliate Manager
Another important part of advertising is affiliate advertising. I’ve talked before about how I’m developing my affiliate income, but one of my biggest learnings is to get an affiliate manager to help you when needed. Every affiliate company has affiliate managers that help you with your account – it’s beneficial for them and you. When you make more money, they make more money.
As such, an affiliate manager can help you:
- Get into specific advertising programs
- Get bonus commission rates
- Get special incentives for your readers (i.e. discounted pricing)
- Get customized banners or other advertising
You may not think you could get an affiliate manager, but I promise you that you can. At most companies, someone will naturally reach out to you. If they don’t, use the contact form and ask to be put in touch with an affiliate manager. When it comes to sales, nobody is going to turn you down if you want help selling more of their products!
Connect on Social Media
This is a new one, but I’ve had three successful advertising deals close this year directly from social media. I’ve done one deal each on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The trick is to follow a brand and people related to the brand. You also need to include your website details on your profile.
Then, when you talk about a brand (in a positive way), be sure to tag them or tweet them. No doubt they’ll be checking out what you have to say, and it could lead to a meaningful relationship.
The second approach is to contact them directly through social media. I used this strategy on Facebook and LinkedIn, with some success. Typically, brands outsource their social media endeavors to PR companies. Well, these same companies are typically responsible for advertising as well. In both cases, the social media manager gave me the contact information for the advertising manager, and we were able to connect and put together a deal.
Ask Around
Finally, it never hurts to ask around. If you want to work with a specific brand, search for people that may have advertising already with them, and see if they can put you in contact with the specific people. Or, contact the brand directly and see what happens.
Another option is to ask your affiliate manager for info on the brand. If they don’t offer an affiliate program, the manager may still have contact info you can use. In fact, this worked for me once, and I was able to connect with one of the most elusive personal finance brands on the Internet. I haven’t solidified a deal, but at least I’m talking to the right people now!
The Overall Theme of Online Advertising
Are you seeing a pattern here? The key to online advertising is building relationships. And it takes time. And it requires give and take. You don’t want to undersell your advertising space, but would you offer a discount in exchange for volume?
Remember, advertisers have a clear goal – increase exposure for their products and services to make more money. Advertising is an expense to them. You need to align your goals with your advertiser and make it mutually beneficial for both of you. Become a partner and help them. That will in turn send more business your way.
One advertiser of mine consistently accounts for 10% of my advertising revenue. Why? Because we’ve built a solid relationship and fully understand what we both need. You can do that too!
What other strategies have you used to get more private advertisers for your website or blog?















