In Text Ads ???�??? Any Objections?

I Want In Text Ads on my Site

OK. I’m convinced. I understand the advantages and I want to tap into this hidden treasure. I want in textads on my site. But… You know, there are so many hurdles to jump over, so many people objecting the idea – my visitors and community members, the authors and editors, the website’s designer and the IT team, even my boss… I need some answers. Well, here they come.

Visitors and Community Members Always have Something to Say

“Dear Webmaster, Why do I see double underline links What’s with the new in text ads I loved your website the way it was before!”

Dear Visitor, Thank you for the compliment and for reading my website. As you well know, creating all this content and keeping the website up for you and the other readers and community members take a lot of effort and money. To finance this operation, I had to put ads on my website. This way, you can enjoy it all for free. The new double underline links are in text ads. They bring you relevant content from advertisers and when you click on an ad, they pay me a few cents. As opposed to the banners we already have that might disturb you a little when you’re reading, these new links are only there if you’re truly interested. They will only open a bubble with a small advertisement once you hover with your mouse over them. If you’re not interested, you can simply continue reading without interference. I’m sure you can understand this and I look forward to receiving more feedback. Thanks!

By the way, you won’t necessarily get objections from readers and community members. Many of them already know what in text ads are and they got used to them in other websites. Even if you do get a complaint, don’t get alarmed. In most cases, you will get just a few complaints out of many visitors, which means that all the others approve the new method. And also, within just a few days, the complaints will fade away. It is also recommended to add a clause or an FAQ explaining what the in text ads are and why you need them. In rare cases when the community of regular visitors still objects, you can offer them the option to opt out of the in text ads and click on a button that switches them off.

Authors and Editors Never Like Ads

“Dear Editor in Chief, I don’t like the new double underline links because they ride on top of my prestigious original content that I write for you… this is humiliating!”

Dear Writer, I really liked your recent post, well done! As you know, in order for me to keep paying you andfinance our wonderful online project, we need money. The revenues from the banners are not enough anymore and we had to insert new methods of website monetization. These double underline links supplement your content with relevant advertising, but they do not interfere with the continuous reading and neither do they alter your content in any way. In fact, while animated banners try to grab away the attention of your readers, these links are optional and the ads don’t open up unless the readers hover over them intentionally. As for the humiliation… come on! Some of the banners that Google AdSense places these days include much more disrespectful messages. The in text ads are subtle and relevant. Please let’s give them a try and I’m sure that with time, you will learn to love them too and prefer them over the other ads. You wouldn’t want me to insert full-page ads that cover your content entirely, right!

Web Designers Want Control

“Dear Website Owner, I’m responsible for the design of this beautiful website and I don’t remember including double underline links on it!”

Dear Designer, I love the website’s design and so do all of our visitors. You’re brilliant. The new double underline links are in fact in text ads. They help me make additional money from the website and then pay for your beautiful work. Because the in text ads don’t take any space on the website, they actually leave you more freedom to design the website as you like. You can also determine the color of the links and easily control their general appearance to match your design. When these in text ads earn us enough money, we will be able to remove some of the display banners and then you will have the liberty to add more white spaces, which are the latest fashion in online design – what do you say, can you perhaps do this job for me With the new revenues from in text ads, I can now even pay you on time…!

The IT Team Hates more Work

“Dear Publisher, We have enough work already maintaining your IT infrastructure and keeping your website up at all times even with the recent surge in traffic. We don’t have time to integrate in text ads as well. Sorry.”

Dear IT Team, Thank you for all the efforts. We broke a record in traffic yesterday and the website’s performed remarkably. We have to insert the new in text ads to help finance the operation. The good news for you guys is that it shouldn’t take more than a minute. All you have to do is take this one line of Java script and add it to the footer of the template page, just before the Google Analytics script. Everything else is automated, from the loading, through the text analysis and keyword highlighting, and on to the hovers, clicks and payments. The new script won’t affect the IT work on the website at all. Can you please devote one minute for this It will pay off quickly.

Your Boss doesn’t Like Changes

“Dear Subordinate, Stop hassling me with all your ingenuity and changes. I’ve been in the publishing business for 68 years now and I like it as it is. We had enough changes already.”

Dear Boss, You look so nice today, is this a new suite that you’re wearing You taught me that money talks, right Well, here’s a new source for additional revenues that can add more on top of all our advertising earnings. In text ads can be a significant source of income. The Encyclopedia Britannica has been in the publishing business for 150 years and they’re using it. Even your marketing guru Seth Godin has added them on his brilliant website Squidoo. (If you need more examples from your specific filed, drop me a word and I will send them over). We don’t have to commit to anything. We can start with a trial for a couple of weeks, see how much it pays and then decide. I’ve already convinced the designer and the IT team. I think it’s really worth a try and I will handle it all by myself.

From Absence, through Protest, to Legitimacy – the Advertising Penetration Cycle

I wrote before about the cycle that every new advertising method goes through. It begins with early adopters, followed shortly after by the early objectors, and then settles right in the middle of the mainstream. In text ads are no different and they’re already passed the objections and are en route to become an industry standard. Once you’re personally convinced with the benefits of in text ads, all you have to do is climb over these obstacles from your community, editors, designers, IT team and your boss, and I hope this list of answers will come in handy.