If you have created a new website and are looking for advertisers for the same, you need to need to take steps towards it right from the very beginning. Owing to the vastness of the World Wide Web, finding a website is like searching for a needle in a haystack. It is hence recommended to follow some basic steps right from the very beginning to get the flow of traffic to your website, which will eventually attract advertisers.
1. Create a Unique and Niche Oriented Website
In order to be good enough to attract advertisers, your website should be niche oriented and unique. If your website has an authority in the chosen niche, then you are definitely going to have a large base of loyal visitors, which the advertisers cannot afford to ignore. For example if your site targets audience like baby boomers, whose number is around 70 million in the US alone, advertisers will make a big mistake if they ignore your site to advertise on.
Your content should also focus on niche topics within that niche. Suppose you choose a niche about men fashion, then your content needs to target topics related to that niche. Continuing with our men fashion example, your content topics can be about “What tie should you wear on bright shirts?” or “Asian cufflinks that are trending this year” or “Show support for a cause (like breast cancer, save animal, etc) by using these fashion tips”. These topics address a specific issue and add to your credibility.
2. Ask Yourself Some Questions
Think about the kind of advertisers who can derive some value from your site. Here are four questions that you must ask yourself after you have designed a website on a chosen niche: What topics does my website cover, are there enough companies online that offer related products and services, why is my audience unique and what kind of companies can be interested in my kind of audience?
It is recommended to be as creative in answering these questions as possible. For example if you have a website on pregnancy or motherhood, an obvious advertiser base would be those selling diapers and other baby accessories. However a little broader thinking would indicate that any company interested in female demographics would also be interested in advertising on your site.
3. Include an “Advertise Here” Banner
Another good method to attract advertisers is to put an “Advertise Here” banner on the pages of your site. This will be an indicator that advertisers are welcome on your site. Make sure the banner includes contact information, demographics relating to your audience and theme of the website as well.
4. Employ Strategies to Drive Traffic to Your Website
Ignoring the importance of traffic flow to a website is fatal to the website. There can be no point when you shall be satisfied with the traffic generated; there is always scope for more. More traffic means more chances of the advertisements being noticed and hence more attention by advertisers. Manufacture good content and submit them to the article directories. Submit press releases to reputed press release websites.
Exploit social networking for getting traffic. Advertisers are bound to take a notice of your website when mail and feed subscribers are high.
It is wise to invest some time and money in making the website appealing and professional looking. A website that looks professional and has informative content is more likely to attract advertisers who want to share your page. Also, make sure that your website design provides adequate space for advertising.
5. Actively Reach Out to Advertisers
Two methods to reach your advertisers are through a phone call or through an e-mail. Make a convincing presentation about the benefits of advertising on your website and send it across to advertisers. Also make use of the phone with same intent; however avoid sounding like a telemarketer.
It is recommended not to start sending mails and calling people without knowing the kind of business, they are into. Do a thorough research about the advertiser by analyzing the sites he is already advertising on, before reaching him. Start with small businesses and later on progress towards bigger ones.
6. Ask AdSense
A number of services such as Google AdSense provide these programs online. Enlisting with a service as AdSense allows you to sell advertising directly. The network itself shows relevant ads to your audience, once you have appropriately done the settings. One must remember that AdSense charges a cut from the revenues that you generate from advertising using AdSense.
After the above reading, you would have realized that getting advertisers to advertise on your website is no rocket science. There are few important things to keep in mind while targeting a particular advertiser and they have adequately been elaborated in the paragraphs above.
Remember, it is all about the buzz that you make. If your audience keeps coming back to you for more, you have won half the advertising battle.
Photo Credit: Flickr/Matt Chan
