Are niche media too small for DIY e-commerce advertising?

Members who share strategies with us typically  agree that “what works” is selling out bigger,  high value campaigns on a scarcity model, rather than having direct sellers chase smaller advertisers. 

However, they are also diving into a a parallel model that works well in combination: DIY self-serve advertising  channels, where small advertisers can buy on their own with  minimal support. 

Directories, guides, recruitment ads, and other kinds of market places are a great way to build user-generated content important to readers  along with incremental revenues.

Why niche media did not embrace e-commerce advertising earlier

These categories are overlooked by most niche media for a variety of reasons – good ones and bad ones:

• We didn’t know what the opportunity was.
• We didn’t have the technology or skill sets to develop it and applicable software licensing is too high-priced for the size of our niche.
• We don’t have relevant channels.
• We have appropriate channels but are selling them higher-priced advertising.
• We are print-centric, and DIY-style categories are not worth exploring.

What’s changed in the last year

Here’s why those reasons may no longer apply:

* A new generation of millennial decision-makers already expects DIY sales in many categories, where they can purchase on-demand 24/7.  The success of Meta and Google in wiping out some 80% of all local advertising should have been the first clue, but today a new generation of marketers is expecting online ad sales for smaller products.

* Software development is more advanced. Existing software companies iterate from customer requests, however, and unless customers ask their CMS provider for DIY channels, they may not get them.

* DIY ad sales efficiency is too significant to ignore. DIY skips unnecessary time spent on the “back and forth” selling between with sales reps and customers; the designing issues between the customer, sellers and graphic designers;  the invoicing workflow since orders are paid by customers in advance; and of course, mailing out  tear sheets. It’s typical for the elimination of 5 to 7 steps to allow very small sales that were never profitable before to have 90% margins.

Here are some of the options available:

• Press release distribution: A press release channel with online publication, permanent web SEO status, newsfeed through the home page channel, and guarantee of one email post is a core product for the business-model savvy IndustryDive, and one of the products in its stripped-down online advertising only model. We priced out a model using WordPress, WooCommerce and a virtual programmer that is a few hundred dollars and two weeks work. Creative Circle Media also offers a pre-built module.  A WP module takes about 3 days and $125 to develop on your own with offshore contractors.

• Events: Today’s technology for local event lists sold online has incredibly sophisticated upsells.  The premium buy puts the event listing in the publication (on a reverse-published page) but also syndicates it to an average of 40 to 60 additional local events listing platforms,  event ticketing, programmatic, other markets,  and more.

Evvnts is just one example of a platform that offers robust upsells and an average DIY sale of $240+. The free module splits 20% with publishers. The enterprise module is $395 a month, with a 50% split and support, however it can offer ticketing to advertisers. CityScape, another events company, also offers the same programs for a competitive cost structure.

• Recruitment:  Job boards are essential to your  B2B niche, and there are various ways to create them either with off-the-shelf software, or by using one build into a variety of CMS systems.

• Real estate:  real estate advertising products, such as Facebook, and programmatic by neighborhood with output to print. iPublish media has pre-built models for this.

• Other classified and marketplace categories. Different niches have different opportunities for user generated classifieds. A literary magazine may post ads for editing or self-publishing services, while one aimed at farmers may offer boutique varietals and consulting services that are important to their B2B readers, while delivering new revenues and connecting their community.

• Guides and directories: If your CMS cannot supply the right kind of directory, there are a variety of options here as well. 

Your best best is to decide which are most important to your audience and ask the CMS to develop it for you.  They are iterating from customer requests, so unless its in demand, they may just not offer the software upgrade.

Conclusion: It’s worth exploring in 2024

DIY is important because in the best case it meets a key goal of efficiency by eliminating most steps in the sale: Not only the selling but also the design of the ad, invoicing, production order work flows, the general “back and forth” required for approvals, tear sheets. In short, it meets efficiency goals.

Examples from other categories with a history of DIY sales are numerous: The first phase alone turning  public notices from manual input to automated DIY sales will save 20 hours a week at one Texas newspaper, a workflow expert there told us.

We’ll dive into this category with specific use cases and technical recommendations in 2024. Join as a member for all access to the DIY ecommerce advertising channel.