Is 50/50 the Right Ad to Edit Ratio - Online?
Every so often you have one of these conversations that just knocks you off your feet. Not because it's so preposterous but because it's so obvious and yet overlooked.
On Monday I had one of these conversations with our Affiliate in Steamboat, Colorado. We talked about a number of things but one of the themes was how to fully monetize the website which, of course, we're extremely focused on doing. What was so profound was the thought that the web MAY be able to mimic print in the ad-to-edit ratio of the magazine.
Most local magazines use a 50/50 target ad-to-edit ratio, some use 40/60, but the idea is that the ads are truly part of the content experience and incredibly relevant for their local readers - thus valuable. We had never considered this line of thinking when it came to the web - and here we pride ourselves on thinking differently! So, my question is, is it possible and practical to strive for a 50/50 ad-to-edit ratio online?
It turns out that the actual answer to that question is likely not all that important, the importance is in the asking of the question itself. To that end, this line of thinking has already lead to the introduction of a new Print-to-Web set of advertising packages to ensure that more (dare we say, "all") existing print advertisers become digital advertisers and derive significant value from their participation - in addition to the digital-only folks we're attracting.
We'll put this new offering into practice in the coming weeks with a few pilot-publishers in our network however the expectation is a significant increase in digital revenue, engagement, and site awareness by readers and advertisers alike. Sounds like a good mix to me.
Update: Alex Salkever over at Street Fight just wrote a related piece that has clearly drawn the eye of some critical onlookers.
What are your thoughts on the idea of a 50/50 ad to edit ratio online?
