6.4 Using Ad Swaps

There are two major types of ad swaps: list ad swaps and site ad swaps. Either ad swap can be quite beneficial if done correctly. When using ad swaps, however, it is crucial to pick target lists and site s that sell complements to your products, rather than substitites.

For instance, let's say you're selling wood. A good complement site to swap ads with might be a carving tool site or a carpentry site. But if you decide to swap ads with a similar-sized site that also sells woods, your results will be unclear; at best, you will gain some customers. At worst, you will end up losing customers if they provide superior service or products.

There are a number of ways to go about using ad swaps. One of the more common ways of doing it is finding an ad swap group or an ad swap system. This will allow you to either directly link up with ad swap partners or find them through a third party for a fee.

If you plan on using ad swaps without a third party system, you will want to first compile your list of possible complement sites. You will then want to send each a personal proposal for an ad swap. You could seriously boost your credibility if you take the time to figure out the webmaster's name.

Another good way to engage in using ad swaps is to swap solo ads with other list owners. Again, if you can find complement sites with mailing lists, you could greatly benefit by swapping advertisements.

Before you actually being using ad swaps, it is crucial that you determine whether or not the products potential partners plan on selling are actually high-quality. You wouldn't want to advertise anything to your list that plainly is junk. Additionally, you will want to carefully consider your solo ad to ensure that it will draw a high conversion rate. You can do this by sending it out to small segments of your list at a time before using ad swaps; each time, make small alterations until you have created the best-converting solo ad, which you will use for all ad swaps.