Posted on 1 Comment

Why you might like to be a sponsor

Why you should advertise at Polka Dot Cottage

I always feel a little “icky” about asking you to advertise here, and so I tend to avoid it as much as possible, and hope you notice the opportunity on your own. I throw the odd link out on Twitter or Facebook now and again, but really sitting down here, putting on my salesman hat, and totally pushing it? It’s a bit out of my comfort zone.

But the fact of the matter is this: I have a nice little sidebar over there to the right, set up specifically for sponsors. My goal? To remove the ad networks and fill it up entirely with pretty ads from small businesses (yours, perhaps?). Right now, there’s a BlogHer ad, an Adsense Ad, a couple of affiliate programs I like, and Happy Cactus – my first direct sponsor (yay! more on that in a future post).

Today, I want to explain why advertising on my blog would be good for you, why it would be good for me, and then give you a chance to try it out for free (yay!). Sound good?

Why you should advertise at Polka Dot Cottage

What’s in it for you?

While having your button on my sidebar is nice, I want to do a little more for you. Here’s what you can expect to get when you place an ad:

  1. Your button on my sidebar (roughly 30,000 page views per month)
  2. I will mention your shop/service on Twitter (about 1200 followers)
  3. I will link to your shop/service on Facebook (about 1300 followers)
  4. I will pin your shop/service on Pinterest (about 1100 followers)
  5. I will mention you in a monthly round-up post here on the blog.

A Starter Spot ad entitles you to one mention on my social media sites. If you spring for one of the bigger spots, I’ll talk you up at least twice in each place. Sound good?  Click here to sign up. (Check out the coupons below, for possible freebies!)

Why you should advertise at Polka Dot Cottage

What’s in it for me?

See, I like BlogHer and Adsense, because they do bring in a steady (but really pretty small) revenue stream. What I don’t like about them is their “big-ness.” In other words, often these are big, national corporations advertising through these spots. If I could replace one or both of them with ads from fellow artisans? Well, that would make me very happy indeed.

I’m locked into BlogHer at least until April of 2014, but I have no commitment to Adsense. I will remove it from the sidebar, if just one of you would like to purchase a Top Spot ad. (Or, if two of you purchase Sidebar Spot ads. Or, if five more of you purchase Starter Spot ads.) Take a peek at my sponsorship page for the current rates.

If enough ad spots fill up, I will also remove the Adsense at the bottom of the page, and will cancel my BlogHer contract next year when it comes up for renewal. Removing BlogHer will allow me to bring your ads right up to the top of the column, which would be really great for you!

Blog advertising is not a huge income stream for me, but it’s enough that it makes a bit of a difference. If I can keep that same amount of money coming in monthly, but do it while supporting small, creative businesses, that will be ideal!

Try it, on me!

If you’re thinking about it, but are unsure, why not try it out for free? I’ve set up three promo codes for you to use at checkout, but they are only available for a limited number of people to use, so don’t think about it for too long…

Use code TRYTOP for a free Top Spot (may only be used once, so hurry!)

Use code TRYSIDEBAR for a free Sidebar Spot (may only be used by 5 people)

Use code TRYSTARTER for a free Starter Spot (may be used by 20 people)

One promo code use per person, please!

Click here to get started. Any questions about this, please leave a comment. Thank you so much!

LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!

Sign up for occasional Polka Dot Cottage news and get a coupon for 10% off your next order!

Don't worry, we won't bother you more than once or twice a month!

Posted on 1 Comment

1 thought on “Why you might like to be a sponsor

  1. […] see your shop or service here next month? See my Advertising page for more details! (Not sure? see this post for some promo codes that will let you try a spot for […]

Leave a comment!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.