1. Ask for extras
Another way for advertisers to get the most for their investment is to ask for little extras here and there that can really add up and increase a client's visibility. Some bonuses included link sharing, offline efforts and added value impressions. One of the most viable extras in my opinion is inclusion in their newsletters or website features. This cross-promotional effort can be very a effective and realistic way publishers and agencies can trade services.
2. Ask for a test
As I mentioned before, one way to stretch a media budget is to make certain that buys will garner relevant traffic and impressions. If publishers are willing, running a free pre-campaign test will help advertisers fine tune their campaign and ensure money is being spent on the best placements. Getting these kinks worked out before launching the full-blown campaign can greatly improve conversion rates and deliver ROI for clients.
3. Be flexible
One key component to stretching media dollars is being adaptable at the negotiation table. If marketers are too locked into their preconceived plans, they might miss out on ideas presented by publishers about how funds can be cost effectively distributed. Certain variables are more concrete, but if advertisers can be flexible about their impression load, dayparting or filtering through their lower priority targets, they are in a better place to get mileage out of a media budget.
4. Leverage your future/past buys
Publishers want to make money -- and rightfully so. As we in the advertising world know, it is most efficient to retain customers instead of acquiring new ones. Applying this theory to publishers and vendors, agencies can get covetable inventory and price rates if they can guarantee future projects or increased budgets based on campaign results. Especially when working with one publisher for several campaigns, agencies are in a better position to bundle their past and future buys to make the most of a campaign where funds are lacking.
5. Be a "test subject"
Another way advertisers can make campaigns go further on limited budgets is to offer to be a guinea pig for publishers. It's easy to forget that publishers are trying to keep up with one another, and by offering to be a prototype -- in return for impressions or a service offering -- publishers can be on the cutting edge of their industry. This will also help establish clients as progressive and might result in additional marketing opportunities outside of the media campaign.
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