Conversion

Advertising Online: A Variety Of Opportunities

You may find this hard to believe, but Internet marketing does not revolve solely around Google, Yahoo! and MSN. Whether you’re looking for fresh traffic, new business or just want to kick your marketing up a notch, there are other quality ad networks out there worth considering.

Contextual AdNetworks

AdBrite

AdBrite is offering a whole array of advertising options, besides regular “keyword targeting.” Advertisers are able to choose “banner ads” and “interstitial ads.” “Interstitial ads,” which, generally, is an ad that loads in between pages while the user browses the website, present an interesting opportunity since the ad is shown in-between websites’ pages. This is also an innovative approach to deal with idea of banner blindness — the concept that most Internet users, over time, develop “banner ad immunity.” Additionally, demographic targeting by income and ethnicity are also available. AdBrite’s notable partners include Linkedin, Friendster, and Alexa.

Quigo

Quigo has been around since 2000. Its advertising platform, AdSonar, offers novel ad-placement features not available through other networks. Advertisers are able to handpick the pages or sections of the sites to advertise on throughout Quigo’s network. Additionally, pre-selected websites in specific vertical markets are available for ad placement. Quigo’s impressive list of partners includes ABC News, Forbes, CareerBuilder, USAToday and others.

IntelliTXT

The brainchild of Vibrant Media, IntelliTXT, is undoubtedly an innovation in Internet advertising. Ads driven by IntelliTXT technology are displayed only when users mouse over specific keywords. The advertising messages are non-intrusive and user-initiated. Vibrant Media’s product supports text, audio and video content. Vibrant Media’s network includes partners of FoxNews.com and iVillage caliber.

Pay-Per-Call Networks

Ingenio

Ingenio’s pay-per-call solution is an attractive platform for many online & offline businesses. Its unique pricing model of a per qualified call basis appeals to many advertisers. Additionally, “available business hours” and pre-built verticals make it convenient for advertisers to incorporate Ingenio in their marketing mix. Some of the websites in Ingenio’s network are AOL Yellow Pages, MapQuest, SwitchBoard, and MSN Mobile.

SuperPages

Idearc Media’s advertising solution helps local businesses acquire quality leads. Similar to Ingenio, SuperPages’ pay-for-call program is easy to set up, easy to maintain and easy to understand. All activity generated through SuperPages is recorded and made available on-demand through the control panel. SuperPages uses its own user-base for pay for call service.

Other Search Engines

Business.com

Business.com happens to be a great resource for business products and service providers. Consequently, it is also a great place to advertise on. It has a robust advertiser back-end as well as an impressive network to serve ads on. Some of its partners include BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur.com, Hoovers. Business.com should certainly be on your radar and looked at further.

Ask.com

Even though Jeeves might be dead (according to Ask.com’s ads), Ask’s network is actually growing, with such traffic partners as CNet, CitySearch, Match.com and Ticketmaster. Ask.com should definitely be included in your marketing mix and subject to further testing.

Finally, if you have had any experience with any of the above or other ad networks — please feel free to share for all other readers to review.

Good luck.

Greg Laptevsky
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