You have a small business that you are trying to get off the ground, or take to the next level. And you know you need to do advertising. But when it comes to advertising ideas, you just do not have the budget yet to spend big bucks on print or TV or even radio ads.
You have thought about internet advertising, but you are concerned that a pay-per-click effort could cost you too much money. So what can you do?
Email newsletter advertising is an option
Have you considered email newsletter advertising as one of your advertising ideas? Hollis Thomases writes for Clickz.com calls such ad use “a top-performer,” and says that “almost every publisher who sends out email newsletters to their own subscriber base sells ad space in them in the form of banners or text and logo placements.”
There are many types of email newsletters these days. Do you get one of those “Top 10 articles of the day” emails from your local newspaper or TV station? Well, those newsletters have spots for local and national advertisers to sell their products and services.
For a fraction of the price of other advertising methods, companies can buy a banner ad, text ad, or place their logo in such a newsletter.
And not only is the cost more than reasonable, but the ROI – return on investment – good. You would only have to pay for the cost of the ads in emails that are opened, so you don’t have to worry that you are paying for ads that literally nobody is reading.
There are also ezines – emailed “magazines” or newsletters — based on a particular topic or interest.
For example, if you are a football fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, you may subscribe to an ezine devoted to following the team. And since most subscribers to the list are in the Philadelphia area, this can be a great opportunity for a local cheesesteak restaurant to run an ad that will appeal to readers of the newsletter. Such an ad could offer 20% off dinner for readers of the newsletter.
Don’t forget the “halo effect”
One of the cooler things about doing such ads, especially in a newsletter where people are fans of the email newsletter’s owner, is what is known as the “halo effect.”
If you put an ad in such a newsletter, you may get people who will try out your product because they figure since you have taken the time – and put up the money – to subscribe in the newsletter, and the newsletter owner approves of your ads – your product or service gets a thumb’s up of approval. That is something that can make you get new customers.
You can look for email newsletters on your own, or as part of your advertising ideas, you can do business with a company that serves as an email advertising platform for such newsletters. They can find places that will be best to run your ad. Click here to learn more.
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Lisa Swan writes for a variety of business sites. She lives in New York City.