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Five challenges with selling ads on your website directly to advertisers

One of the major benefits of having a successful website is the ability to sell advertising space on your pages. There is definitely money to be made in doing so, but it can be difficult to get the advertisers you want. They are going to need some very good reasons outlining why spending part of their advertising budget on your site is a good idea. It is definitely a challenge, but one that can pay off handsomely if you are able to achieve it. Here are five things that you might struggle with when trying to sell ad space directly to advertisers:

Building a relationship

Getting in touch with potential advertisers is probably the most difficult part of the whole process. It is fairly easy to figure out which companies would be a good fit for your advertising space, but knowing who to talk to and being able to reach such a person can be daunting. You might find yourself being passed around from one person to the next without ever getting the chance to present your data to the person who is in charge of making the advertising decision.

Negotiation

Even if you do find the person you need to talk to right away, it can be tough to determine what rates you should offer for your ad space. Potential advertisers are looking for the best deal possible, so do not expect to close a lucrative deal quickly. Be prepared so that when you do get ahold of the right person you can present your advertising rates and have an explanation behind such numbers. Most often, reaching an agreement will take some negotiation.

Time

There is a very small chance that you will make a deal and close a contract with an advertiser on the first call, especially if you are just getting started. This means you will be spending time sending emails, talking on the phone, and perhaps even meeting in person with potential advertisers. This also means that you will have less time to dedicate to the day-to-day activities needed to run your business. Manage your time wisely so that your website keeps getting quality traffic while trying to monetize it.

Skill set

There are some people who are adept in sales, and then there are others who really struggle their way through a sales call. If you fall into the latter category, it may not be in your best interest to try and sell ad space on your website yourself, as you might fail miserably and not get a second chance. If you are not comfortable with selling, try to find someone who is. This will increase your chances of closing your first deal.

Return on investment

The entire process of monetizing your site with direct advertising can take a lot of time. Do not forget, that such time spent, is time you could have spent elsewhere. So, do your best to consider the amount of time you are taking to try and sell advertising, and how much money you are asking for your ad space. Spending some extra time to get things started is fine, as long as you are able to negotiate a new and more meaningful in the future. Always keep in mind that you want a positive return on your investment.

Also, consider that the first deal is often the most difficult as you are new to the whole process. After that, you will know the steps to take to earn the next ad order as you will be more experienced. Additionally, if you have a good website with quality audience and a good ad serving software to back up your numbers and offers, selling your ad space will become easier. The rewards for direct ad sales are much greater than selling your ad inventory via ad networks so do not get discouraged by these challenges.

Related

• When can you sell ads directly to advertisers?

  "One of the best aspects of having advertising on your website is when you reach a certain point, you can sell ads directly to the advertisers. There is no set amount of traffic that you need to hit in order to make that leap, as some advertisers will require you to have a larger audience than others. " More
• Why having your own advertisers is better than using ad networks?

  "When it comes to having ads displayed on their pages, website owners have a couple of different options to choose from. They can either get the ads through an ad network or sell the advertising space directly. " More
• Pros and cons of selling advertising directly to advertisers (part 2)

  "In our previous article, we described several advantages of selling ads directly to advertisers including more control, more revenue, more customized service, and better relationships. However, it is not all rosy all the time. " More