My website is hot. How do I attract advertisers?

Hi Aunty B,

I run a small medical distribution company and have started a medical website that I have been told is very good. We publish new articles a few times a month. How do I get advertisers for it?

Debbie Z,
Adelaide

Dear Debbie,

Website? Advertising? Why does everyone wants to be a publisher all of a sudden? What has happened to the desire of all Australians to write a book – or has this morphed into running a website – with advertising? Because I have been rushed off my stilettos with questions like this.

And why would anyone want to be a publisher? It’s bloody, hard work. And you have to answer questions like this.

Sigh. Alright. For a start the magic advertising dollar that everyone thinks flows like red gum honey actually has to be earned. Advertisers are not former cocaine addicts willing to throw zillions of dollars at start up websites. Most are very canny, want a solid return on investment and have a lot of choice.

So don’t ask how can I get advertisers? Ask how can I help my advertisers get new customers and those new customers get new customers… and so on?

Once you see your place in the great circle of business, you start to see your true purpose: to serve your advertiser.

Start by finding out everything about your advertisers, want they want and what they might want but haven’t though of today.

Then work out ways you can deliver this in new, exciting and accountable ways.

Write a long list.

Here is an example:

My potential advertisers want:

Their brand to register in the minds of everyone on earth in their target demographic.

To reach and convert a zillion people to buying their products.

To demonstrate to their boss that they have generated a load of leads and converted those leads to sales through their pipeline and this deserve a whopping bonus.

To understand everything about their customers and potential targets… and I mean everything.

Loyalty, understanding and love…

Deb, you get my drift.

So I would stick to my knitting, if I was you Deb. What are you? A specialist distributor in medical products. Heard of the Long Tail? Why not set up some websites in distributing very specialist medical equipment around the world? That’s going to make you more money than publishing.

Good luck, Aunty B!