new advertising website

qbert

Hi all,

I have just started a new advertising website online for residents in the washington state area. There are no advertisers currently on the site. I came up with an idea of offering free advertising to businesses until the end of April for a year just to get some advertisers on the site. The problem is this, where or how do I go about finding businesses who will be interested in advertising? another concern is this, why would any businesses want to advertise on a site where there are NO other advertisers? HELP

Liberty

What will users advertise on your site?

qbert

Thanks for your reply Liberty,

The website will be center around automotive, financing, merchandise & real estate related sales and services. The website's address is: www.pnwpages.com. If you want to check it out. I figure after the site is established and when I get over 500 visits a day, I can start charging more but most likely it'll probably will take me at least a good six months to generate enough traffic to make any kind of money at it.

SalesGuy

qbert, if I was an advertiser what we draw me to use your site versus another?

Thomas

Find businesses that are already advertising online and contact them about your service.

Tell the first few prospects that you're just starting out and make it worth their while to jump on board. Your example of "Free" advertising is helpful.

Agent Smith

SG, the first idea that pops in my mind is "traffic". If an advertiser can generate enough traffic to justify the cost (ROI) then the program is in the running.

Qbert, how do you plan to generate 500 visits per day? What will the costs be to advertise?

qbert

For right now, I have decided to offer free advertising to generate the traffic until I get enough traffic to the site to justify the cost for businesses to advertise on the site. I was thinking of sending out postcards to local businesses who might want to take advantage of free advertising. The site is currently "empty" without any advertisers. What do you all think about the postcard idea?

Marcus

The postcard idea sounds like an expensive way to prime the pump considering potential response rates of 1-2%. Have you thought about advertising on search engines? Advertising an online service "online" seems like a better fit.

Agent Smith

When you were in the planning stages of this new business what did you decide would be your plan for attracting advertisers and what methods did you determine would generate the traffic you wanted?

mrs75

This is a wonderful idea.

In addition, you can also advertise your free advertising offer through a press release. Use the press release to announce your new Web site, and in the release include your special free offer. This does two things, it draws traffic to your Web site, and it draws in the advertisers you need.

Another option: Write an article or two about the benefits of advertising on the Internet, or something related to advertising. Next, place these articles on Web sites that offer free reprint articles for newsletters, e-zines and Web sites. Make sure to include your bio at the end of an article with a link to your new Web site. You can even mention your free advertising offer in the bio, just keep your bio short, and don't make the article an advertisement for your business, make it an informative article about advertising. Or you could even write an article about automotive, financing, merchandise or real estate. Which ever subject you choose, make sure the article includes your bio at the end.

Visit forums related to automotive, financing, merchandise and real estate, and while you're there post your free advertising offer, but make sure to read the forum's rules before you post, and only post the offer on the boards that allow advertisments.