Do you purchase ads?

[InertiaNetworks]

PPC is not the way to go for a small start-up

 

[Artashes]

PPC is not the way to go for a small start-up

So what would be the way to go for a startup?

 

[ventureer]

Could people please share their experiences in PPC, adwords, blog, banner, etc campaigns?

I would like to know your success (or unsuccess) cases.

Thanks!

 

[AHost1]

like they've stated above PPC is not a good idea for startups, not enough return on investment.
We've had the most success running banner ads on small-medium sized blogs.

 

[painperdu]

Randall, don't you just hate it when people don't actually read or comprehend your question?!

I don't advertise on hosting industry related content because my target base are those businesses that are either scared of this technology or just don't have the time.

I search out content that appeal to local small business people and try to convince them to let me handle their website stuff.

 

[Iniz]

We advertise on blogs/forums related to our market but have tried Adwords/Bing and it just doesn't work for a small business unless you target locally and don't want to folk out a few thousand to be on the first page on some keywords

 

[azzavps]

has anyone used buysellads.com? you can search on your industry / target market and buy ad space on various sites.

any other suggestions?

i know adwords is ok, but facebook??? not too sure

 

[EasyAsPie]

I haven't done that yet but when my advertising budget gets higher I will certainly give it a try. I tried Adwords a while ago for one website with over $50 and it didn't bring any new customers. Adwords is very good for targeted visitors though and if you have a high advertising budget it should be worth the investment.

 

[azzavps]

im also concern about banners, has anyone had professional banners made? if so by who?

thanks

 

[EasyAsPie]

We have tried banner advertising and it has brought a few customers. Our staff members have created all the graphics, including banners, for us.

If you don't know anyone with the required photoshop skills you might be able to find someone on some tech forums. Some people do it even for free and even if they charge for it, it will most likely be less than $10 per banner.

 

[CeraNet]

Try local if you have special for a specific market. You can run radio (see if they will trade hosting for ads), paper, hand out fliers, etc.

We've found forums, like this, are a good way of getting business by building trust and highlighting expertise.

It depends on what you are selling & who you are trying to sell to...

 

[Alex - A2 Hosting]

I haven't done that yet but when my advertising budget gets higher I will certainly give it a try. I tried Adwords a while ago for one website with over $50 and it didn't bring any new customers. Adwords is very good for targeted visitors though and if you have a high advertising budget it should be worth the investment.

Most of the big players use advertising networks such as Google, we even use it at Arvixe. It really comes down to the marketing budgets available, you need to bid quite a lot for certain keywords relating web hosting something that is not available (and something I wouldn't recommend) to start-up hosting operations.

Best to grow organically and once you have the available budgets start heading out into online marketing through advertising networks, affiliate programs etc...

 

[anyNode]

Do you purchase ads on the websites that are featured toward your industry?

Do you purchase post and ads on Blogs?

We have an AdWords campaign running, we don't have any purchased ads on any forums or blogs as of now.

 

[jodihost]

I am planning to do that, yes.

 

[BlastPort]

We have pumped a lot of money into Facebook ads in the past, but we really have not seen great results from it. We have gotten a decent amount of "likes" on our page from it, but we don't feel those have really translated into actual purchases and customers.

We plan on trying out Google AdWords, but I've heard mixed results there, since we'd really be competing with some large companies in the field.

Targeted posts and banners in forums such as these may be a good way to get the most bang for your buck.

 

[bermuda]

Yes definitely because what you refer to is actually trying to use targeted traffic which is critical to running a lucrative business these days. When you purchase ads on blogs, forums, directories and other relevant sources visited by prospective clients, you will increase chances of generating sales and profit considerably. Even reputable firms with decent search engine traffic shares already buy such ads.

 

[cpoalmighty]

That would be the sensible thing to do. You would not want to post an ad or even pitch an idea to a group who were not interested in your product or service. It's just a waste of revenue

 

[HostUG]

Yes, we do very often. It is a good way to advertise your business.

 

[micohosting]

Of course you do! Its calling advertising! How to keep up in bussiness if you dont advertise?

 

[FusedServers]

Do you think certain purchased ads on forums and blogs have a better ROI then purchasing adwords?