NONE: ONLINE-ADS>> Third Party Audits
ONLINE-ADS>> Third Party Audits
Jane Klegarth (jane_at_bpbasecamp.com)
Wed, 23 Oct 1996 10:36:13 -0700
>While getting a summary of the traffic on your site is something your
>developers can do in-house just as well as I/Pro, ABC, BPA etc., their
>audits are valuable as "proof" of your audience size for your
>advertisers and potential advertisers. Audits let potential advertisers
I have heard this reasoning from several 3rd-party developers, but I have
never had the issue brought up by the advertisers themselves. None of
our advertisers question our numbers because they come from in-house
solutions (ie, Interse). Maybe we are just lucky because as a magazine,
we had an established ad base and reputation. Maybe advertisers know
that you can't lie too dramatically because their logs will show
click-throughs and such. Have other sites run into the doubting-Thomas
phenom yet?
Although we have not been challenged by any doubting thomas' "yet"...we
have chosen to have our site audited by ABC..for several reasons, in the
magazine world ABC verifies what you guarantee to deliver and in the
internet world will do the same, it also is a valuable sales tool in that
very few sites have third party audit. I just got back from a sales
meeting in NY and one of the speakers was the VP, Director of the
Interactive Communications Group at Wunderman Cato Johnson and the very
first item on their list of prerequisites when choosing a property for a
client is third-audit/verification. She readily admits three months ago
this was not as important an issue as it is today...there are a zillion
properties they can recommend to their clients and the agencies are
analyzing them with a fine tooth comb before they even consider
recommending one site over another...in this day an age when niche sites
are receiving only 10 -25 % of the overall budget allocations you need to
make your site as desirable as possible in order to get those adveritsing
dollars.
--
Jane Klegarth
Online Marketing Manager
BACKPACKER's BaseCamp
http://www.bpbasecamp.com
