{Personal Image}
I’m about to say something that you might not like. But, I can’t help myself.
I see creative entrepreneurs wasting their small marketing budgets over and over and hoping for amazing results while getting little in return.
What am I talking about?
Advertising on blogs. It’s a waste of money, honey.
I get asked this question during almost every consulting session: “Should I pay for advertising on blogs?”
My response is usually, “I don’t think it’s extremely helpful. But, if you do, you need to be careful in selecting the blog{s}, and I would experiment with it for a month and see if you get positive results.”
Before the people who offer advertising space on their blogs send me scathing emails, check out the reasons that I think it’s a waste of money:
1. People don’t pay attention to those ads.
When blogs first started utilizing advertising, people noticed. They paid attention and sometimes clicked on the ads. Now, we’re so bombarded with advertisements, that we ignore them. We’ve trained ourselves to block out advertising. We fast-forward through commercials, we barely glance at billboards, we avoid pop-ups whenever possible. And, it’s getting to point that we don’t pay attention to ads on blogs.
2. There are too many ads.
Too many choices lead to decision paralysis. I may notice the one advertisement that you’ve highlighted on your sidebar—but I can guarantee that I’m not going to pay attention to the 25 ads you’ve got cluttering your sidebar. In fact, that clutter on your sidebar pretty much guarantees that I’m not going to pay attention to anything on your sidebar. You want me to notice that spiffy email newsletter signup buried in the middle of your ads? I’m not gonna.
If your ad is next to 37 other ads, what are the odds that the readers are going to click on yours? Do you click on all of those ads when you read a blog?
3. Many loyal readers get their blog updates via email or Google reader.
Who are the people most likely to click on an ad promoted by a blogger? The blogger’s loyal readers. The ones who know, like, and trust the blogger and know that the blogger only promotes good stuff. But, how do many of those readers read the actual blog? I’m gonna guess that many of them get email updates or use Google reader.
If I want to read a blog on a regular basis, I know that I’ll forget unless I sign up to get updates via email or add that blog to my Google reader list. I never even see the ads on those blogs, because I don’t go directly to them.
The reader who comes to the blog, because she follows a link on Twitter will probably read the post and leave. Unless the post is Ah-Mazing. Then she might read more posts and perhaps click on your ad. But, I wouldn’t count on it.
4. Multiple “touches” lead to sales.
Most of us don’t buy something the first time we see it. Once we see it over and over, we’re more likely to buy it. So, if a reader clicks on your blog button and comes upon your Etsy shop, she’s not likely to buy right then. If she doesn’t buy right then, she’s likely to forget about your shop even if your stuff is awesome. We live in a society where our attention spans are getting smaller and smaller. Information overload is rampant. We don’t remember about your adorable handbags a month after seeing your shop. Or, we might, but we’ll forget where we saw them and the brand, making it impossible to actually find them.
This means you can’t buy an ad and hope that it’ll convert. You need to stay in touch with the small percentage of people who actually click the ad and come to your shop via social media, email newsletters, and your blog.
To be fair, I must mention that blog ads can work in your favor in this one regard. If readers have already been exposed to your brand, your blog ad might stand out to them. And, it counts as another touch. But, this means that the reader needs to already be aware of you and your stuff.
5. You’re lazy.
Okay, I’m being stereotypical. Not everyone who buys ads is lazy. But…some are. Too often, I’ll hear, “But I don’t want to put in the time and effort to redo my product pictures…to land interviews…to write stellar product descriptions…to put together a press kit…to build relationships with bloggers who will promote my products in a post…to write guest posts…to write good content for my blog…to make my website look professional. Can’t I just buy some ad space instead?” Ummm, no.
If your product photos stink, the ad isn’t gonna help you. If you don’t have a professional looking site, the ad isn’t gonna help you. If your product descriptions don’t resonate with your target market, the ad isn’t gonna help you.
Still don’t believe me?
I’ve been conducting interviews for ARTrepreneur with successful creative entrepreneurs and not one of them has recommended buying ad space on blogs as one of the best ways to market your business. Yes, a couple of them do/have tried paying for ad space on blogs. But those interviewees have said the same thing: I’m really careful about the blogs I pick for advertising and I don’t spend too much of my budget on it.
With all that said, if you do want to try out buying ad space on a blog, do your research. Pick a blog that your target market reads, and don’t blow your entire marketing budget on it.
So, if you shouldn’t spend your marketing budget on ad space on blogs, you might be wondering where you should spend that money. On Friday, I’ll cover that topic and give you creative ways to spend your small marketing budget.
Definitely interested in hearing about this! It’s hard to tell if people notice or not… but I think it might be too passive a way to engage your audience. When someone does a post or more in depth mention, then maybe I would click thru…but ads sort of fade into the design for me…
I think it definitely makes more of an impact when the blogger incorporates the ads or sponsors in more in depth ways such as interviews or spotlights.
However, when the blogger says “Sponsored Post,” I always skip past it unless it’s a blogger that I really like and trust. I guess I’m jaded 🙂
I totally agree, April! In my experience, I haven’t gotten good return on ads I’ve placed even on very popular blogs and I think you’re right on explaining why. I also totally agree with your caveat in #4 – I think it can potentially be a good strategy to buy space in a targeted way in multiple places so that viewers notice you repeatedly, even in skims where they don’t click. However, I would still keep it a low part of the budget and do it very strategically. (I’d including buying space in curated “markets” in this as well.)
Thanks for sharing Zoe.
Very strategic is key! If you’re going to buy ad space on blogs, I think it should be in a effort to raise more awareness around your already amazing brand. Too many people hope that it’ll lead to an onslaught of direct sales–and it probably won’t.
I agree. I do click on ads but only if there are a small number and they are not competing with a lot of other widgets. (I cannot stand blog clutter).
You have mentioned the importance of guest posts and interviews in the past. I plan on using these methods to promote an upcoming ebook project and creative workshop. I think those strategies will be more powerful than an ad I place on a blog I am not sure will even bring traffic!
Hey Erika!
Sounds exciting. I’d love to hear more about the ebook project and creative workshop 🙂
Seeing that I subscribe to blogs via my google reader & on the chance that I do go to a site, I never pay attention to the ads, precisely because of what you said about overload of ads. Its refreshing to hear someone say its a waste of money.
Thanks for sharing Danielle.
You are so right! I have been thinking about venturing into buying ad space, but I didn’t even know where to begin. And you’re right…I read my Google reader and avoid all the ads. And when I actually do go to the site, I ignore everything on the side bars. Great post! Thanks for the heads up…
Glad I could help Meg. BTW, just visited your shop. Love the pillows–so fun!
Thanks for the heads-up April! This was the post that stood out for me today, and I have been visiting quite a number of blogs! Will definitely take this into consideration in my future marketing plans 🙂
Yay! It’s nice to stand out 🙂
Terrific, thoughtful post!
I agree and believe strategy is super important.
Seems like I often see folks purchasing blog ads, but if you look at their site/shop it’s not even ready to promote yet! I know I made this mistake early on too…it’s like a quick fix. But, really focusing on photos, authentic voice, and differentiated products make any impression- from wherever it comes from- worth it!
It’s an easy mistake to make. I think most people get excited in the beginning stages of building a creative business and want to get their products in front of people before they’re really ready for that 🙂
I completely agree that focusing on other things such as amazing photos will make a much better impression!
I think you’re spot on, April. In my personal experience, blog ads lead to very little traffic and I definitely haven’t seen an increase in sales from one. I don’t know that it is just laziness, but rather not knowing more effective ways of getting word out about your shop or website. I think we’re so engrained with traditional advertising that it’s really hard to break free of the mindset that we have to place ads to be seen.
I am looking forward to seeing your suggestions on Friday!
You’re right Kelsey. So many of us go right to traditional marketing when we think about ways to promote our businesses. I hope Friday’s post doesn’t disappoint 😉
Really good points! I’ve been thinking about venturing into paid blog advertising too for my shop but I’m hesitant for all of these reasons. I know I read all of MY fave blogs on Google Reader, so DUH why wouldn’t everybody else be? I think we sucker ourselves into thinking they don’t work for “everyone else” but that once YOUR ad is up there, it’ll be a different story. Sadly, this is most of the time not true 🙁
Hey Patty! Thanks for joining the conversation. I agree that we want to so badly believe that something will work for us when we know it doesn’t work for most other people. We have to remember that we usually get what we pay for–so a $20 blog ad on a sidebar next to 50 other ads isn’t gonna take anybody very far.
Ohmygosh – I’ve been SO bad responding on blogs lately, but I couldn’t not respond to this.
I both agree & disagree with you, smart lady. I think that buying blog ads is a good investment IF (and usually only if!): (1) it comes with a sponsor ad/contest/spotlight in a post, so that you’re not just buried in a sidebar (it surprises me, but people SO read ’em!) and (2) if it’s affordable for you (aka don’t spend $200 – or even $30! – if it’s not in your means & will put ya in the red for the month) (3) you love that blog and get the warm-fuzzies sponsoring it.
As someone who put about $100/month into blog ads when I first became an entrepreneur, I’m now down to sponsoring just one for about $30/month. That’s ’cause that blog has been credited with bringing me the most clients (I ask everyone who works with me how they found me, and that blog’s been mentioned more than once), and I love them to bits (spoiler alert: It’s Kind Over Matter). It’s a win-win for me. But when I have something specific to promote, I’ll head to a handful of blogs that I know’ll give me a sponsor post and/or offer a giveaway, and that’s absolutely worth the $ for me.
In case it’s helpful, I broke down where my clients are coming from earlier this year:
http://whenigrowupcoach.com/blog/2010/12/03/where-my-clients-are-coming-from-the-mind-blowing-edition/
Thanks for the discussion, chickadee!
Yay Michelle! I’m so glad you joined the conversation. I was hoping that someone would talk about how this works for them–because with all biz advice–there’s always another side 🙂
I think you nailed it when you said that it needs to be MORE than just the ad on the sidebar and that it should be a blog that you love. I checked out the post you linked to {which I love that you share this kind of information with your readers!} and what stood out to me was that you had guest posts and multiple mentions on the blog. That in combination with an ad can do a lot to promote a business.
Plus, I have to point out that your business rocks and has a hugely unique appeal. I don’t remember where I first saw your business name, but I do remember thinking, “What the heck is a When I Grow Up Coach?” and immediately had to check out your website. And, if your website hadn’t made me think, “hey, this is really different,” I don’t think I would have stuck around for as long as I did. The first time I landed on your website, I signed up for your newsletter, read a bunch of blog posts, and listened to a recording you had on your sidebar. That says A LOT about your–to use your own word–uniquity! You pulled me in as soon as I clicked on your site.
If creative entrepreneurs focus on creating that unique appeal first, their promotional efforts will be so much more successful.
Thank you for this April! Because I was feeling like I SHOULD be buying ads, although I rarely click on them myself. You totally just saved me money:)!!
I am guilty of this April- but that was a couple years ago now. I didn’t just buy ad space though, I had to buy my way into giveaway sites, and only one actually resulted in a very big sale. I don’t remember now if the price of my sale covered the cost of the feature.
I think too that people should take this advice for putting ads on their own blog. I am guilty of this! I use Project Wonderful Ads and it’s not very profitable, but it’s very economical for the people who want to buy ads.
I also think what Michelle said is great- that having a relationship with a blog that you sponsor is way different than just buying ad space. It’s like having someone root for you whenever you have something new. That is what I want to achieve.