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Creating Value For B2B Print Advertisers
by Rob Bertrand , Thursday, December 6, 2007
THE CONTINUED EMPHASIS ON E-MEDIA solutions as a way of
offsetting the ongoing decline in print revenue for trade publications and their
corresponding Web sites, has presented online publishers with numerous
challenges. Topping this list is the lack of perceived value by traditional print
advertisers. So how does an e-marketer create online ad campaigns with
easily understood and intrinsic value? By integrating multi-media proposals
into an advertiser's thought process come budget-planning time.
B2B publications have largely relied on the strength of their editorial content
to create demand in the minds and pocketbooks of their advertisers. By
leveraging this inherent advantage with a publisher's online content, e-marketers
can tap into the natural tendency of their advertisers to pair their advertising
with a publication's editorial calendar. Since the majority of traffic generated
by most B2B Web sites is accessed at the article or content level, e-marketers
can utilize this to their benefit by creating advertising opportunities based on
exclusivity. For example, most B2B Web sites, much like their print brethren,
have regular columns authored by dedicated editorial writers. Regular online
readers of these columns routinely access them via bookmark, electronic
newsletter or direct URL entry. This habitual form of content access provides
tremendous value for advertisers in the form of such e-media products as
page sponsorship, or page-specific banner exclusivity.
In addition to these somewhat standard means of providing exclusivity to
the advertiser, new software technology is available that makes it possible
to pair an advertisers' message editorially adjacent to relevant online content
in the form of contextual micro-site links. Most traditional print advertisers
running an advertising schedule based on a publisher's editorial calendar will
quickly see the tremendous value this type of advertising provides. Delivering
relevant information at the exact time and place that a reader wants it provides
an excellent opportunity for advertisers to capitalize on the moment when a
reader is most open to listening to their product and/or service message.
Every trade publication in existence has a handful of clients who are known
for their catchy and flamboyant, 4-color, full-page spreads. Since these clients
typically like to make the "big splash" when it comes to print advertising, their
flair for the dramatic can be transferred online. This is most easily done by
creatively incorporating online campaigns that utilize rich media.
It's hard to sell a typical banner campaign to this type of advertiser for many
reasons. However, whether they admit it or not, one of the most common
underlying reasons is that they just can't get excited about a 728x90 leaderboard
or a 160x600 skyscraper. The creative for their full-page spread doesn't
translate well to those dimensions and certainly doesn't provide the pizzazz or
"wow!" factor that their print advertising does. Smart e-marketers identify this
issue and partner with their ad services or graphic arts department to present
rich-media mockups customized with their client's logo, creative copy, and graphics.
Many print advertisers aren't aware of the scope and breadth that online
advertising provides -- and most have certainly never seen a full-page interstitial, peel-back, or sponsored game. However, it is these very
products that not only make an impact on these advertisers, but coincide
with their "big splash" mentality and provide tremendous value in the form
of increased ROI -- even if measured by branding alone.
Post your response to the public Online Publishing Insider blog.
See what others are saying on the Online Publishing Insider blog.
Rob Bertrand is Online/eMedia Specialist at Reed Business Information.
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Online Publishing Insider for Thursday, December 6, 2007: http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticle
&art_aid=72245
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