Speaking of advertising..

1. 90

   Pcunixposted 13 years ago

   I just had an email from a large company wanting to discuss direct advertising on my site. They mentioned that they might want an "exclusive" deal.
   
   I'm a bit surprised by that, because I would think it would be smarter for them to simply use Google targeting - what advantage do they get from dealing direct? All I see is disadvantage (multiple publishers to deal with), unless they think I am going to be bamboozled into some very low price.
   
   This is a legitimate company and they are impressively big. My site demographics are just who they want as customers.  Am I missing something obvious?  Why would they want to go direct?

   replyreport
   1. 57

      C.J. Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      It's the "do" man, you know that! Just kidding, congrats! Sounds like your doing all the right things! Normally I would be skeptical, but your one of the more "web" savy folks here. If you say the company is legit, the offer probably is too. Hopefully you get a deal thats profitable.

      replyreport
2. 68

   lrohnerposted 13 years ago

   PCUnix, this is exactly the kind of advertising you want. Many larger advertisers will pay big bucks to advertise directly on a site with targeted traffic. Most advertising agencies pick a certain number of sites to deal directly with, and then fill in other advertising through ad networks.
   
   One of the websites I used to manage sold banner ads directly to advertisers at a price of anywhere from $1k to $9k per month -- depending on whether it was only on certain pages or had run of site, and what the share of voice was on the placement. Some companies charge by impression, but smaller sites (possibly like yours) may do better with a standard monthly fee. We were always sold out of our ad placements six months out or more.
   
   This is a good thing!

   replyreport
   1. 90

      Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      No, I understand it could be good for me.
      
      I'm trying to understand why they just would not use Google targeting.
      
      Where is their advantage? What do they gain?
      
      Understanding what they get out of it helps my bargaining position.

      replyreport
3. 70

   thisisoliposted 13 years ago

   I would try and make a deal, definitely ask for more though, since you will be giving them a dedicated presence on your site.
   
   Only you can judge exactly which is the better deal for you though!

   replyreport
4. 90

   Pcunixposted 13 years ago

   And I guess also, is there any downside for me?
   
   Le's say I tie in and then five years later, they drop me. Have I lost any credibility withGoogle? Would I have a harder time getting good ads from them? Obviously I could tick off those who do target me already...

   replyreport
   1. 70

      thisisoliposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You would be surprised how many companies, even marketing companies, do not realize you can target specific websites with Google. They might simply not be aware they can target your site.  In which case, would it b worth your time showing them how to do this to increase the competition of advertisers bidding on your site?

      replyreport
      1. 90

         Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Oh, I don't think that is possible. Far too big not to know that. I bet they have a team of dedicated Google people who work with them every day.

         replyreport
   2. 78

      Sally's Troveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Maybe that's their first step in wanting to buy you outright. That possibility should give you an edge in your bargaining position.

      replyreport
      1. 90

         Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Well, I have been down that road before.  Nobody has every offered a tenth of what I would want.

         replyreport
         1. 78

            Sally's Troveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            There's always tomorrow.

            replyreport
5. 63

   Greek Oneposted 13 years ago

   Tell them I will double what ever they are offering.. let's start a bidding war!

   replyreport
6. 80

   skyfireposted 13 years ago

   Why ad targeting has to be from google ? (Sites with 500-mil impressions in industry usually don't use products of google). There are many private targeting softwares available which you can use. If not private then there are some free like openX. I'm sure you know many sites with openX enabled.
   
   
   
   Heard of CPM ad networks ? This is in no way different than those CPM ad networks like CPX interactive, Blast media etc where you take ad deals personally. Showing ads through ad-server has no issues at all with any SE and has no relation to google credibility or SEO.

   replyreport
   1. 90

      Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      No, this is not another ad network approaching me. I have had that happen; they never match Google.
      
      This is one large company.

      replyreport
      1. 80

         skyfireposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I know that but my point was companies do approach directly for display ads. PPC/CPC campaign is not what they want for exposure so they ditch google's tools and approach publisher directly.

         replyreport
7. 68

   lrohnerposted 13 years ago

   If you "own" a good portion of your niche and have the targeted audience that they want, they would definitely want to deal with you, the publisher, so that they have total control of their campaign. Also, by going with you directly, they don't have to pay Google anything, so all of their marketing dollars for the campaign are going directly towards the campaign.
   
   By dealing with you, they guarantee themselves a placement for as much time or as many impressions as they pay for, they can use whatever tracking code they want behind the banner or go through a third-party to serve the ad and I believe they have more control over tracking conversions directly related to the campaign with you. 
   
   I used to sell ad space for our site on a monthly basis, with discounts for a prepay of 3, 6 or 9 months. Most agencies/marketing departments won't tie into a placement for longer than that -- 3 months yes, 6 months maybe.
   
   My advice -- always have them PREPAY and never, ever, ever run an ad until the money is in your hands. I once ran several campaigns for a huge well-known brand with the initials RC (I don't want to shame them too badly -- but it's a large hotel chain). I didn't make them prepay because, after all, the company was so ethical and all. Nine months later, I had to have our company prezzie call their company prezzie and shame them into paying us the $30k they owed us -- and we did deliver. We had a better conversion rate for them than the NY Times!

   replyreport
8. 88

   RedElfposted 13 years ago

   You're getting some wise advice from lrhoner - she knows whereof she speaks. I was similarly involved for a number of companies - ins and outs not so important; the last one was a large chain store - but discount for pay in advance is smart.
   
   ...and CONGRATS!

   replyreport
9. 90

   Pcunixposted 13 years ago

   Nope. Turned out to be the typical bargain hunter looking for a naive publisher to take advantage of.
   
   I'm sure the hunting is probably fairly good right now. A lot of people are struggling  and normal dips may cause them to panic.
   
   I'm not easy to sucker

   replyreport