Types Of Advertisements
There are several popular types of advertisements you are likely
to encounter in the on-line marketing world. The type of media
involved usually determines what types of ads are available.
For example, PPC ads are almost always contextual ads, whereas a
newsletter editor may offer banner ads, skyscraper ads, text ads,
pop-up ads and/or e-mail ads.
Pop-Up Ads:
More than likely, if you've been active on the web for very long,
you already know what pop-up ads are. They are the ads that
pop-up, usually in a smaller box, when you access a website.
They can be a powerful advertising tool, but they can also irritate
visitors. Pop-up ads can be placed on your own site, or
purchased as an ad on another site.
Pop-up ads can contain any information you like. They may
show your entire home page, or another page of your site. You
can use them to promote a certain product or service, or you can use
them to gather e-mails addresses for your mailing list.
If you elect to use pop-up advertising outside of your own site,
you will need to make certain that the site you are advertising on
is a high traffic site. Small-time sites usually are not
effective. This type of ad can be costly to place, especially
on a top tier site, and there is also the problem of some of your
pop-ups being blocked by recent technology. However, a well
placed pop-up ad can be quite productive. You'll want to look
for a tracking option, so that you can calculate your CPA and make
sure your money is well spent.
Pop-up ads can be changed easily, so that you can try different
USP's and different sales copy on them.
Pop-Under Ads:
Pop-under ads are similar to pop-ups, except that they appear
after you have left a web site. No doubt you've encountered
these ads also if you "surf the web". They function in much
the same way that pop-up ads do.
Text Link Advertising:
Text link ads are similar to those that you see on Google and
Yahoo (Google and Yahoo ads are actually called contextual ads).
They can be on any type of website. Basically, a
text link ad is an ad with text that links to your home page or to a
specific product or service page within your website.
Recent research has indicated that text links, especially those
to individual product or service pages, are often more successful
than banner ads.
Other Website Ad Formats (Banners, Buttons, Skyscrapers and
Medium Rectangles):
Other types of ads that you may see offered on a website are
banners, buttons, skyscraper ads, and medium rectangle ads.
Banners are usually the least expensive type of ad, but may not
be as effective as other types of ads. They are, as the name
implies, a banner with a company or product name which a potential
customer can click on to be taken to the corresponding site.
They are offered in a variety of sizes and shapes.
Skyscrapers are simply vertically oriented banner ads. You
often see them along either the left or right hand side of a
webpage.
Buttons are, as the name implies, buttons which can be clicked to
send a customer to your website.
Medium rectangle ads are the ads that you see between the text on
a website page. They are usually found in a box to set them
apart from the article text.
E-Mail Ads:
E-mail ad campaigns are a very popular form of advertising.
If you have your own e-mail list, you can safely undertake an e-mail
campaign with your own prospects because they have either agreed to
receive mail from you or have purchased from you previously.
You can use e-mail campaigns to introduce a new product or service
or to announce a sale or special.
You can also purchase e-mail marketing from a third party.
If you choose your list carefully, this can be a successful form of
advertising. The cost will vary depending on the list you
utilize. Generally, charges are calculated on a CPM basis.
Make sure that the list you are sending mail to is relevant to your
service or product. If you send an e-mail about gardening to
someone who has joined a list dealing with fitness products, you
probably won't get a very good response. Target your e-mails
wisely.
Be aware also that e-mail delivery rates have gone down recently
because of the increased use of spam filters. Many servers
automatically delegate e-mails with certain words or phrases to a
spam folder.
Another risk you need to be aware of is that of spam. You
need to know where the list that you're using came from. The
list owner should be able to offer some type of assurance that the
list recipients are "opted-in".
This is a good time to talk about spam. Sending
unsolicited e-mails is called spam. It is illegal and not
tolerated by First Class Cash Flow Handlers. We know that none
of our affiliates would knowingly commit this type of crime.
However, without being cognizant of the rules, it's not difficult to
run afoul of the law. Penalties for those convicted are severe
and expensive. If you have any doubt about a list owner, or
about whether or not one of your prospects has agreed to receive
your e-mails, err on the side of caution.
*Please note, if you elect to do e-mail marketing, we
encourage you to find out about the current anti-SPAM legislation
and follow the rules carefully. First Class Cash Flow Handlers
follows a strict "no SPAM" policy and your affiliate membership may
be terminated without notice with forfeiture of any unpaid
commissions and we will hold you liable for any damages or penalties
incurred by First Class Cash Flow Handlers in the event that you are
guilty of not following the anti-SPAM rules laid out in the CAN-SPAM
Act of 2003. Specifically, this law prohibits fake or
misleading e-mail headers, requires an "opt-out" button to block
future mailings, demands that the subject line identify sexually
explicit e-mails and forbids "harvesting" of e-mail addresses in
bulk from the internet.
Articles:
Articles can be a great way to establish yourself as an expert in
your field while promoting your products or services. You can
post an article on your own site, or submit the article for
placement on a newsletter or e-zine. In fact, many newsletter
and e-zine publishers actively search for content to add to their
publications.
When writing an article, you need to make sure that the article
offers useful information to the reader. Articles cannot
simply be a sales pitch. However, it is customary to add a
paragraph at the end of the article which describes you, your
business, and your products or services. Don't forget to
include your contact information.
Articles can be submitted directly to
the editor or publisher of a given e-zine, newsletter, or blog.
In addition, there are a number of sites where you can submit an article
for distribution. Newsletter and e-zine editors frequently
peruse these sites looking for content. If they pick up your
article, it will include your company summary and contact
information. You can gain a great deal of quality traffic from
this type of exposure. Visit our "Resources"
page for a list of these distribution sites.
Press Releases:
Press releases are similar to articles in that they must contain
useful information, and will include a paragraph at the end about you and your
company, your products and services, and your contact information.
Like an article, a press release can help establish you as an expert
in your field, which makes it easier for your prospects to trust you
and consider your offers.
Press releases should be written like any other news article and
include information about the who, what, where, why, and (if
applicable) how, of a story. Press releases should be timely
and should be of general interest. Potential press release
subjects might be things like an award or special recognition given
to your company or one of your employees, a humanitarian effort or
community activism, a new product or service offering, a quarterly
report, announcing a new employee or an employee promotion, a
high-profile personnel change, a merger or acquisition, or a
business trend.
There are a number of sources which will distribute your press
release to interested parties. You'll find a list on the
"Resources" page.
Signatures:
You can incorporate your business name or the products you offer
into your e-mail signature, and even include it in snail-mail
letters.
