One way to strategically monetize your website is by deliberately seeking out brick and mortar companies and advertisers. And canvassing them to buy up ad spaces on your website or blog. This can become a successful venture and help cut the time of waiting on your website to meet the always-changing standards of online ad placement companies.

You will have to make sure you make a success of this strategy from the word go. The tips below can help you to do just that.

1. Your Blog Must Meet Advertisers Standard

If you are going to advertisers and companies, you should have a website that would meet their standards. It will be a combination of visual appeal, content, target audience, engagement, traffic and cost of ad space.

Since this could be a great way of monetizing your website, I will not want to rush through some of the things I have just mentioned.

SEE ALSO: Disadvantages of Sourcing for Direct Advertisements

Visual Appeal

Your platform can have any kind of design. But it is important that you design it with the kind of advertisers you want to attract in mind. Of course, the design would lean heavily on your content and target audience but the combination of the two we just mentioned will give you a clear idea of the type of businesses you should target. This means such advertisers are more likely to accept the aesthetics of your website than others would.

For instance, a website that deals focuses on finance and particular money instruments or stock market should naturally have a design that will appeal to that segment of the industry. Most will say that your website should have a modern but conservative feel about it.

It might work against you if your website looks like it has been designed for high school students. Even when it is still talking about finance and stock trading in particular. The design should appeal to the target audience, which will in turn attract the “right” kind of advertisers.

Word Of Caution

We are focusing on advertisers you should target for the adverts in question. This is different from companies and individuals coming to you to ask to buy advert space. Anyone can do so and this includes the most conservative of financial houses. Even if your website looks as if it has been designed with toddlers in mind.

Another thing here is that it is the proposal you take along with you that might make your website more appealing. Though the visual side does not seem to go along with the theme. That is, you might go into the most conservative looking of such establishment and sell a proposal tied around an article series you want to start, a series that will have a dedicated section.

Part of your pitch will include how it would benefit the advertisers in question. May be because of the target audience. For instance, if your finance slash stock trading website that looks like it has been designed for toddlers in mind will soon have a series of incisive articles targeted at mothers on how to buy stocks in the name of their toddlers, setting up trust funds for them and using the services of expert financial houses, the financial company in question might decide to buy up all the ad space available.

Content

Content strategy will work best if you go after advertisers that will have vested interests in your site content. The more appealing your content to them, the easier it will be to get them onboard.

Target Audience

The content of your website is meant to attract your target audience. The companies you should go knocking on their doors are those that would love to advertise to your target audience. It will be less cumbersome on your part to convince the advertisers to buy ad spaces on your website.

Target audience is specific in nature and you do not have to have millions of people visiting your platform for these businesses to see the potential of advertising on your platform.

This is more the case if you are dealing with a niche that they consider to be of high value. This might compel advertisers in that niche to start patronizing you immediately. They may want to have a sort of secure space through which they can use to grow with you.

Engagement

The level of engagement could be an indicator of what you should be charging for ad spaces. However, it might be better if you package the pricing in a way that makes it look like a promo. That is, since you are the one going to them to advertise, you should offer them spaces at discount rates. You can present multiple options for them to pick from and all at “discount” rates. Let them know the discount will not apply in the next cycle.

Engagement has to do with how visitors interact with your site and with each other on your platform. High engagement means they will be spending more time on the site. This normally adds to the value of your platform to advertisers and should reflect on the rates.

Traffic

Traffic to your site can play a key role in how these companies will regard you. High traffic to your website increases the willingness to do business with you.

SEE ALSO: Basic Tips to Drawing Traffic To Your Website

Cost Of Ad Space

We have already mentioned this when talking about engagement. The cost of your ad space may have a big influence with those that will eventually decide to accept your invitation to advertise on your platform. it is therefore important that you have a package that they can find something they can accept.

Look to improve every aspect of your platform so that it meets to the standards that will give you the confidence to approach potential advertisers and companies.

You can monetize your online platform by devising means of getting brick and mortar companies to run ads on your website. Now, take time to reflect on the just concluded part one before we proceed to part two.

2. Summary Of Part One

Part one looked at what you should do before stepping out to look for the advertisers and companies. Some of the points raised include:

You must make sure your website is up to standard

• • Looking at the visual appeal of your platform

• • Look at the type and quality of your content

• • Make sure your target audience suits the advertisers you are targeting

• • Show that your visitors are fully engaged

• • The traffic to your website can influence them and this should be used when it favors you

• • The cost of your ad space can be packaged in a way that they will be interested in buying it

Go through Part one to read how each point is explained. In this concluding part, we will continue with the things you have to do before setting out to get these companies as well as look at a possible action plan you can adopt.

3. Give Advertisers Your Traffic Info

You will be needing a boilerplate section of your proposal that will give the hard and fast details of your website. This is more important than your typical boilerplate because it will be giving them info they would want to relate with as it concerns your reach.

SEE ALSO: How To Handle Full Disclosure When Monetizing Through Product Reviews

4. Include Anything That Adds Value to Your Brand

Highlight anything that will add value to your brand and the platform. Take it as if you are writing a resume. Give special emphasis to things that will underscore expertise, integrity and achievements. This may come in form of personal awards or the association you belong.

You could submit your website to associations that serve as watchdogs. Organizations like the Better Business Bureau comes to mind. Look to be part of groups whose seals would mean something of value. The endorsement of others would act in your favor and should be part of your submission to the companies in question.

5. Show Advertisers Your Existing Clients

If you already have clients, it will add to paving the way for these companies to come on board. If not, use another angle that highlights what you have going for you. You may not have launched the website advertising drive yet but a thorough proposal can still get them on board.

6. Prepare Action Plan

This is an action plan that will give you a step-by-step guide through the process of planning and sourcing for these brick and mortar companies that will be willing to advertise on your platform. This may not be the only way of monetizing your website but one advantage it has is that you do not have to wait for so long before you can start earning from your website.

Make Sure Your Site Is In Order

Follow the steps we have mentioned in the Part one of this article on how to make sure your website is up to standard. Note that you do not have to be perfect and what you already have might just need a little tweaking. Besides, you can create a marketing module around what you already have and find companies that will best suit what is on ground.

This will help those who may not have the finance to upgrade their platform. However, you should note that most of what we discussed I Part I and above does not have to do with you spending so much money. All you may just need is the time to do a makeover or just add one or two things to your platform so that it would suit this method of monetization.

Draw Up A General Proposal

This will include the boilerplate information as well as the general structure of the proposal. The target audience, online engagement of visitors as well other aspects of your platform we looked at in Part I should be highlighted and showcased.

You proposal should also have a section dedicated to what the clients will be getting from advertising through your platform. Look at customizing your proposal for more details.

Research And Make A List Of Companies To Approach

Research the brick and mortar companies you want to approach. Make a list of those that best fits your platform. they should be companies that you do not have to stretch your imagination to show the benefits they will derive from placing ads on your platform.

Customize The Proposal To Fit Each Company

Now it is important you customize each proposal to fit the company. In Part I we mentioned where you can sell the idea of developing a series that will focus on an area that they might be interested in and would want to place their ads on that page. This is not about sponsored post but your proposals can be made to be flexible enough since the sole objective is to secure their patronage.

The underlying theme is that you can get direct advertisers by looking at specific brick and mortar companies around you and drawing up proposals that will get then interested in advertising on your platform. You do not have o wait for them to come to you or form online ad serving companies to start paying you per 1000 impressions.

My name is Darlinton Omeh, you can connect with me on Twitter. Lets have your comment below.