You may have noticed that something is a little different lately on my blog. The appearance has changed. It feels a little different. Similar to a new haircut, advertising subtly changes the look and experience of a blog.
The decision to add advertising to my blog was not taken lightly. I’ve been thinking about it all week, and finally, last weekend, I bit the bullet. After getting requests from advertisers, I went for the gusto. I strategically placed ads that I felt weren’t as obtrusive and didn’t take away from the quality of my work or distract my readers. I treated this research very carefully, as if I were changing my haircut. (And if you’re a woman, you know exactly what I mean!) For all of you out there that can’t relate, I’m going to go into further detail of my analogy.
Keep it Fresh
After I’ve had the same haircut for about 6 months, I’m ready for a change. I’ve done everything there is to do with this style, and ready to move on to something bigger and better. Much is the same with a blog; you need to continually look for ways to improve the image, writing, readership, and the bottom line.
Research Options
Once I’ve made the decision to do something drastic (or subtle) to my hair, the first place I go is online. I look at different hairstyles of celebs, research the trends, and note different coloring techniques. I want something that’s new and fresh. I don’t want a haircut or color to be something that everyone and their mother is wearing, yet I want it to be flattering and accommodating to my lifestyle. Similar to this, when you are making the decision to advertise, there are many options available. You need to sort through these options to decide what kind of advertising meshes with your content and readers. The advertising needs to be appropriate and applicable. Make sure you have done your research to ensure the most effective advertising is implemented on your blog.
Here are a couple of advertising sites I’m using and currently researching:
I’m planning on a follow up post to each of these to describe in more detail.
- PerformancingAds
- Google Adsense
Ask a professional
If I’m going to be cutting off 6 or 7 inches off of my hair, I’m definitely going to want the advice of a professional hairdresser. Would this style work with my type of hair? Is it going to require a lot of maintenance? Do the hairstylist have any other suggestions on haircuts? Just as a haircut, when When you’re thinking about changing your blog, make sure that you ask a professional (aka a blogging buddy) for their thoughts on advertising. What types of advertising campaigns have worked for them? What do they suggest specific to your blog? Use them as a resource and sounding board for your questions and concerns.
Like it or Leave It
Here’s the climax. Do you make the leap of faith or do you decide that this isn’t for you? The hairdresser thinks that she can slightly alter the hairstyle that you’ve chosen but make it a little more flattering to your needs. You decide that you want to follow through with it. Hair grows back, right? That’s the spirit!
The great thing about advertising is the fact that it’s not nearly as permanent as a new hairstyle. You can completely remove the ads and start from the beginning; but unfortunately, you can’t glue hair back on your scalp. With advertising, if you do make a mistake, and end up loosing readership you can learn from those losses. On the other hand, you could love the new and improved site. If you place ads on your blog, and a week later see that it’s really hurting your return visitors, you may want to re-think the campaign. Or simply tweak it. Just like a haircut, if you don’t like the advertising, you can always make minor readjustments to improve the end result.
What are your thoughts on advertising on blogs in general? Any feedback on the ads on AverageGal?