Choosing pixel advertising that Works for you
By Mark Towers
It doesn't take a genius to figure out who is responsible for the rise of pixel advertising since late 2005.
The young Englishman, Alex Tew, may not have been the originator of pixel ad sites, but he did something none of his predecessors have done effectively: He promoted his website to create the vibe needed to get it noticed, and earned himself $1m pretty quickly.
It's a fad, right? On the surface you could be forgiven for thinking so. Tew's success certainly generated numerous impersonators trying to cash in quickly, many of which have simply copied his site almost exactly. Some haven't even changed the words!
Copying Tew's method of pixel advertising is extremely limited, and it is this type of pixel advertising that will fade away. Indeed many of these copycat sites have a dusting of advertisements at best. Prices vary, but in essence they're all the same: no substance. The only thing some of them do that is different to Tew's is they use affiliate links and massage the figures to make them seem more popular. This isn't new. A lot of websites have used these techniques in the past.
What Tew's success has unearthed is a new and innovative area of internet marketing. Companies or websites DO want to advertise on the internet, and DO seek new ways to do it. Customers are also seeking a change- they are bored with traditional methods of advertising (TV/Paper/radio etc.) The new audience is on the internet and they want diversity in how products are advertised to them and pixel advertising (done right) is one of them.
So, as an advertiser, you have these choices.
1. Ignore the pixel advertising market and risk missing out this potentially great (and low cost) marketing technique.
2. Decide to advertise on pixels, but go for the lowest cost (or even free) pixels you can find, or you may pay the premium prices under the false assumption that you would get more value advertising (after all, some of these sites do look glitzy.)
3. Make an educated decision about where to pixel advertise and choose a pixel ad site that can help you achieve your advertising potential.
To help with the final choice, I've jotted a few criteria below for consideration.
♥ Does the pixel advertiser have any other content on the site? For example, are there games, a blog, cartoons, news and other content of interest? Such things help to attract and retain visitors, who in turn may visit your site.
♥ Is it stand alone, or Does it link through to similar or complimentary sites, which can all equally benefit each other from click-through traffic?
♥ Does the site offer something unique to increase visitor attraction?
♥ Is their any targeting of a segment/ region that fits with your target market?
♥ Does the pixel marketer allow you to add additional "incentive" slogans to encourage visitors to visit your site?
♥ Do you have the option of updating your advertisement?
♥ Is there additional benefits for you such as a access to material to help you with your website, and internet marketing?
Other things to think about are the cost (of course) and the lifetime of the advert. How much would these adverts cost compared to other advertising methods (traditional or new wave such as the annoying and expensive viral adverts.) Take into account the lifespan of the advert into account when making your decision.
The great news for potential pixel advertisers is that there is a site out there that meet the above criteria. And you do not have to go far to find it. www.totalclientmarketing.com is pleased to offer pixel advertising at www.norwichpixels.co.uk