Niche Sites May Provide Better Return for Brand Advertisers

By now, you’ve heard about the expected growth rates in online advertising. In fact, search engine marketing and branded advertising are two of the areas expected to see a spike, 27 percent and 21 percent respectively, according to Merrill Lynch.

What brands may not realize, however, is that slapping an ad on Google, Yahoo! and a few major vertical sites may not yield the best return, according to an eMarketer article that references a recent study by Media-Screen.

“Consumers have gained control over the content they consume online and advertisers need to adjust their strategies to match,” said Josh Crandall of Media-Screen. “By advertising on smaller Web sites, those that consumers are visiting based on their personal interests, companies can reach a highly engaged consumer with a message that relates to a subject that is important to them.”

Media-Screen’s research found that 62 percent of sites mentioned by respondents receive fewer than one million unique visitors per month. Therefore, advertisers would be wise to consider allocating a portion of their online budgets to experiment with niche site placements.

What are some of your favorite niche Web sites? Are you more inclined to click on ads on a niche site vs. a large site like Yahoo!?