Advertising! We all want it!
PW, as I abbreviate it, is an online advertising auction that is so automated behind the scenes that even those who are not online savvy can use it. It is a GREAT way to get into online advertising without much stress.
The main groups that use PW are online artists, handcrafters, designers, gamers, and online web comics. Because we are all on iCraft, we are crafters and artists that might like to advertise on another artist’s blog or web site (because people who love art and handmade are the audience).
I decided to try to make PW money before I spent money on my own product PW ads - this is possible!!
My PW advertising has been fully self supporting since the beginning - I have not spent a dime - because I started placing ads on my jewelry blog, GalleriaLindaShowcase January 1, 2009. In about 4 weeks, I had $6 in my account and $15 by the end of February. Then I wanted to graduate to paid advertising for my products. I was nervous!
Things I learned as an advertiser:*It is easy to find places for your ad that have $0 cost and is a great way to try this without spending money. Your ad may show only off and on, depending upon the bids for those slots. The ad boxes fluctuate in bid pricing all day long
*Obtaining FREE ad space is allowed only for a two-day time so you will have to manually renew every two days if you wish.
*It IS possible to get free ad space on a site with significant traffic, but it will be only for a short while. Most free spots are on sites that have minimal traffic, but still is a great way to start and learn!
*If you are picky about where your ad is seen, you have control, although it takes time to do a keywords replacement and handpick those you want. If you are not so picky about where your ads are seen, you can do a campaign using replacement terms, and “let ‘er rip.”
Things I learned as a publisher:*If you want to add the PW ad boxes on your own blog or web site, it is fun!
*Realize that is not a given that people will fill up your ad box, so only do a couple of slots at first. It depends upon your blog/web site promotion, traffic numbers, and dedication to make this work well for you.
*PW ad campaigns will automatically find your ad box if your box description fits the key words and fits the traffic criteria setup by the ad owners. Strong key words are essential when you set it up. Be sure to use the PW tag cloud as a key word resource.
*To get the most from your PW ad boxes, you should promote your page with the advertisements and update it frequently to bring up those traffic numbers. The more frequent you update, the more traffic you will have that may capture more ad campaigns automatically.
I encourage all of you to go to the site, read all about it and just jump in looking for the free ads to start!! You will get hooked!http://www.projectwonderful.comBe sure to make a super-duper shop or product graphic that is 125x125 pixels that will link to your shop. This is by far the most used ad size.
Perhaps some graphic artists can post here as a resource for those who cannot create their on 125x125 ad!
When you try it, post here - let us know your experience!! We will celebrate with you!
ADDITIONAL PW RESOURCES:The details of my experiment with ProjectWonderful.com are in this article:
http://indieceo.blogspot.com/2009/03/project-wonderful-online-advertising.html Ways to promote your web pages and blogs can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/7gf9zfTo get a good feel for the process, here is a great tutorial on using Project Wonderful posted by TimothyAdamDesigns:
http://tinyurl.com/6q9ba5