Get to the Point

Blog Ads That Work

When an ad that appeared on her blog failed to impress, B.L. Ochman provided its purchaser, a television network, some pro bono feedback. "Please don't get me wrong," Ochman writes in an open letter at MarketingProfs Daily Fix. "I love you for advertising ... on my blog. But I want you to get results so you'll keep coming back, and this ad sucks."

Blunt talk, but Ochman speaks from experience: her blog ad campaigns for companies like American Greetings and Budget Car Rental have achieved click-through rates as high as 2.1 percent. And if you advertise at blogs—or have considered the idea—you might benefit from the advice she offers:

• Be intriguing, interesting, entertaining. Blog readers respond to a fresh approach, not the traditional advertising that they see everywhere else. So go ahead: Show your sense of humor. Get edgy and fun, topical and timely.


• Readers aren't interested in hearing your story; they want to know what you can do for them. Get right to the point and spell out the ROI. Tell readers how they benefit from your product or service. "We want you to tell us, in the headline, why we should care," says Ochman.


• White space is your friend. Ads compete with lots of other copy at a blog. If yours isn't easy to read at a glance, it might as well be invisible.
  

The Po!nt: Get the most out of your blog ad by tailoring your design and copy to the format and the audience.