By Ron Ossip
www.411webinteractive.com

Web portals and publishers used to be at the mercy of what advertising dollars they could find to survive. Now that companies have realized how powerful a marketing tool online advertising is, the tables are turning with businesses now fighting for top ad placements on portals and search engines.

One way not to get lost in the shuffle of online ads and make the most of your budget is to work with an online advertising agency.

Here are the top five reasons to use an agency rather than going direct to publishers:

1. Representation. Agents know your budget and have your best interests in mind when talking to publishers. Publishers don't always have time to focus on getting you the results you need. Also, agencies have a stronger negotiating position and can help clients when a program underperforms according to the clients' understanding of a contract.

2. Expertise in your field. Agencies have a roster of clients covering many fields. An agency can make industry-specific recommendations based on experience

3. Unbiased. The publisher pushes the services it offers even if they're not the best fit for the client's needs. Online agencies objectively evaluate which services will get the desired results because their success is a reflection of the client's success.

4. Counsel. Agencies can best explain the pros and cons of various options to a client. If a program is not successful, an agency can recommend switching publishers or modifying a campaign.

5. Analysis of what's working. An online agency can monitor and track the results of a campaign in real time, so that ad messages can be adjusted to be effective. For example, an agency can immediately determine which ads get the most clicks, and more importantly, which ads result in actual sales. The agency can then recommend which ads and sites should be used in the campaign.

Credit:
Ron Ossip, Senior Vice President of Marketing at 411web (www.411webinteractive.com), is an authority in the area of online marketing and advertising. He has two decades of experience in advertising, sales promotion and brand management for major consumer products including Lipton Tea, J&J, Heineken Beer, SAAB autos and Sauza Tequila.

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