Approaching businesses directly about advertising

[Murray]

Lets say you have the #1 website for a tourist destination and it gets around 60,000 visitors per month

For the larger businesses in that area, hotels, restaurants, bars, it would make perfect sense for them to want to work directly with that website and have some customized advertising/promotion

I have a couple of questions about the above

If you had the website, I assume the same with selling a domain, it's all about the research of finding out the right person to reach out to at the company?

If you were the business, how would you like to be approached with the opportunity of working together? what would that email contain? would you want to receive a PDF right off the bat with some graphs and stats about visitors along with an already listed selection of advertising options and costs?

Do any of you guys have a site where you work directly with a company to advertise? or do you advertise directly with a website?

Id be interested to hear you guys thoughts on all of the above

Thanks

 

[ian]

Find the decision maker within the company and give them the headline figures first and some reasoning why it would be in their best interest. If they bite, follow up with details. Obviously I know the website you are promoting, and I think it would perfectly suit advertising by some of the key establishments in the area, but I do think you need to add much more content to the homepage at least to draw them in immediately.

 

[seemly]

I would also create a unique URL and web page per potential customer, that would contain the info you were intending on displaying in a PDF.

This way you can track interest, whilst also giving a more personalised experience.

 

[Edwin]

If the URL is obviously the best for that destination and if the ads would have enough value to do so I'd be tempted to do a snail-mail outreach to the top 50-100 businesses. Put the info packet in a large high-quality envelope with your URL printed in big letters on it so that it grabs their attention.

While they may get dozens or hundreds of spam messages they're unlikely to get much relevant on-target snail mail solicitation. So you immediately stand out...

Total investment would be a few hundred pounds in printing, packaging and postage.

 

[martin-s]

I wouldn't go with a PDF - virus risk would stop a lot of people opening it.

 

[amfletchers]

While they may get dozens or hundreds of spam messages they're unlikely to get much relevant on-target snail mail solicitation. So you immediately stand out...

In this situation I always like to write the address on the envelope by hand, I believe it increases open rate and interest significantly.

 

[Murray]

I've been researching a local hotel to the area, it's owned by a group who have a few unique, boutique style hotels, they actually link to my site from their hotels website, I wonder why they never took a bit of initiative and contacted me, seems like a perfect fit

I wouldn't go with a PDF - virus risk would stop a lot of people opening it.

Hmm maybe as @seemly said, better to put together an advertising page?

While they may get dozens or hundreds of spam messages they're unlikely to get much relevant on-target snail mail solicitation. So you immediately stand out...

Total investment would be a few hundred pounds in printing, packaging and postage.

I think realistically id be asking for £1xx at best pm, so couldn't justify the cost of anything too professional, especially as I wouldn't be guaranteed to get any takers

I suppose a more simple letter might do the trick too

 

[JMI]

I've ran online tourist businesses for years. Its very hard slog now, to get businesses on board with Trip Advisor and booking.com to compete with, and solutions like eviivo.com

There is something wrong with what you originally posted.. if what you are saying is true, it doesn't add up - the situation should not exist

For the larger businesses in that area, hotels, restaurants, bars, it would make perfect sense for them to want to work directly with that website and have some customized advertising/promotion

This statement is often an assumption that does not come to fruition for a number of reasons -one being your too much hassle to deal with.

 

[Murray]

IThere is something wrong with what you originally posted.. if what you are saying is true, it doesn't add up - the situation should not exist .

What part are you referring to?

This statement is often an assumption that does not come to fruition for a number of reasons -one being your too much hassle to deal with.

Oh yes, lots of companies aren't as savvy as they should be.

 

[crazihos]

Could giving one year free and then charging thereafter work here - like whatsapp did?

Or offer one company (the largest in each in each sector) free advertising - then leverage the fact that they have advertised as a selling point when contacting the other businesses?

Not wanting the competition to get one over on you can be a great motivator

 

[Edwin]

A variant would be to offer the second or third largest the freebie (assuming it's big enough for the biggest one to care) and get the big one to pay.

 

[JMI]

Lets say you have the #1 website for a tourist destination and it gets around 60,000 visitors per month

After running services like this myself for decades, if the above is true, then any such service with a half decent website that had been in existence for a period of time.. many of the local prospects would have approached you already. Don't forget its unlikely you will ever get 100% take-up of every accommodation provider / restaurant etc in an area no matter who you are.

Therefore, if this service/website still exists 'now' with little or no advertisers then there must be a very strange reason for them not to have signed up.

 

[Murray]

Therefore, if this service/website still exists 'now' with little or no advertisers then there must be a very strange reason for them not to have signed up.

Oh I see

Maybe I should have used the word "attraction" rather than destination

It's an attraction within a destination, say like Time Square is to New York

 

[JMI]

Oh I see

Maybe I should have used the word "attraction" rather than destination

It's an attraction within a destination, say like Time Square is to New York

Ok. In that case it is slightly different, but I would still have expected a fair number of local services to have made contact rather than you having to reach out. (feel free to pm).