Serving ads on a hobby or niche website
When you decide that you want to start running ads on your website, a decision needs to be made about which ads to show. You need to show ads that are relevant to your audience, as that tends to make advertising on your pages a little easier for your visitors to accept. It will also increase the chances of those ads actually being clicked on. Things get a little easier when you are running a niche or hobby site because suitable advertisements are very specific. Therefore, choosing which ads to run is usually not a problem. There are still some pros and cons to be discussed, though, which we will discuss below.
Attract dedicated followers
While it’s certainly not many people who like to see ads on a website, hobby enthusiasts may be the exception. As fanatics and loyal users, they are always looking for something new and special to add to their collection, so delivering ads that help them fill those desires would most definitely be met with a positive reaction. Hopefully, you might even reach a point where people are visiting your site for the purpose of seeing if something new is being offered up, including those in the advertisements.
Offer desirable audience to advertisers
Since you may end up having hobbyists coming to your website just to see what is new and what they don't yet have, they are more receptive to ads and is a highly targeted audience. Therefore, you are going to have a property that some advertisers really want to be a part of. This is a real opportunity for you and those advertisers to make money, as there is a very strong likelihood that clickthrough and conversion rates will be much higher than you might normally see on a non-niche or generic site.
Prepare for some challenges
If you have never run ads before, you may find it tough to attract and find advertisers initially. It may be necessary to charge less for ads early on in order to land yourself some people willing to advertise. Additionally, your audience may also be a little picky, opinionated and hard-to-satisfy. It is not unusual for hobbyists to really love some specific brands and hate other brands. This is something that you will soon overcome with a little trial and error.
Know your niche
There is a very good chance that your audience already know a lot about the industry, its related products and services. Therefore, the devil is in the details when serving ads. Make sure that the information provided is detailed-oriented, precise and accurate. It should tell your visitors all they need to know about what is being offered. This is where your expert knowledge of a particular niche or hobby can come in handy, as you can write accompanying blog posts or easily answer any questions that might arise.
Sell ads directly to advertisers for best results
The easiest way to get ads on your site quickly is through an ad network/exchange. However, you will not get the best results for a niche or hobby site when going that route. The best way to approach is to deal directly with advertisers. You can tell them about your niche site and the desirable audience that you bring to the table. You want highly relevant ads that your users also want to see while the ad networks/exchanges just cannot guarantee that. Plus, you can negotiate a price that will bring in much more than you could expect from any ad network or exchange. Don't forget to use a comprehensive
ad server to help you manage and track your direct-sold ads and advertisers as it will make your life much easier.
Related