Print advertising vs. web advertising and the latter

Prior to selling online advertising I used to sell print advertising.   Web advertising is so much more effective than print; let’s face it – where are you spending more time…on the web, or reading magazines?

Whilst print and TV advertising may not be as effective because an advert may be easily’ ignored’, there is no such thing as background internet.  The internet users are affixed to the screen whilst TV may be switched on but ignored and magazines may be thrown away…web adverts cannot be recycled…and are always online!

Web advertising is also the most cost effective medium around, allowing you to reach your target audience at the lowest cost-per-thousand.   Having said this, with web advertising you can reach thousands…and expand your potential target market to many times its current size.

Something important to mention is that advertisers must go where their customers are to reach them – and more and more than ever…customers are online.  The simplicity and ease of communication on the internet is of advantage to those advertising online – customers and potential customers can get in touch easily by email and get any query answered without the need of a telephone call/visit.

Web advertising can be easily measured – one can know how many people have seen the advert, or clicked on it – giving one accurate results.

Recently web advertising has secured itself as the preferred advertising method.  Considering web advertising has gained popularity only in the last decade or so, advertising online has gained a very quick popularity rise.

Why kill a tree when you can advertise online? :-)

Hi, my name is Nakita and I'm a talkaholic...

Have you ever heard of a brilliant salesperson who doesn’t like to talk for hours on end?

My very first word popped out at a mere 6 months old and I could speak in sentences aged one year.  Yes, I learnt to talk before I could walk – your tongue can take you places your feet can never walk to...

It was my gift of the gab, as I like to call it, which landed me my present job at ChooseMalta.com, part of the ChoosetoTravel.com network.  One of my now current bosses, Jonathan (who doesn’t like to be called ‘boss’, but well he’s got to be introduced…) tells me that I had sold him an advert which he didn’t even need…and hey presto…welcome to ChooseMalta.com…

Getting the basics right!

It’s easy to create and launch a website. It’s actually easier than many people think it is. Yet, creating the right platform to suit multiple users with varying internet skills is another story. My background is management consultancy and I have limited IT knowledge.  My partner heads the IT team yet they have a consumer centric approach. This in my opinion is key to any online business. The consumer’s web experience is crucial and this is in my opinion achieved by getting the basics right!

Our travel sites are not perfect and we constantly work to innovate and improve. Key elements are:

   1. Timeliness in product offerings
   2. Fast page download times
   3. Advanced search facilities
   4. Concise and relevant information
   5. Secure and no hidden cost element
   6. Easy to use and navigate

The elements listed above are not rocket science yet we all browse the net and encounter sites which break most of the basic rules. More important, the elements listed above are not just an IT wish list. Like traditional ‘brick & mortar’ companies, these key elements are a constant balance or work between inter-company departments. At Inspire we sincerely inspire to meet and deliver these elements so that consumers and suppliers like you have a great web experience with us. Enjoy!

The Double-C

The first time that the credit crunch (I call it the Double-C) really hit home was in London last November. I was attending the World Travel Market in London with Caroline and the whole mood combined with the slowdown in travel bookings got me thinking. Whilst I believe that the uncertainty element and the extreme media negative exposure does not help this recession will be tough yet not insurmountable. Travel is nowadays a necessity and not a luxury. We all need to escape and get out of our environment and we will still do so, yet with more attention. Some destinations and travel operators will hurt and these are the ones either targeting high yield customers or operators with high costs and exposure. For others it will be an opportunity to embrace this period and become more efficient. For online companies like ours we must now take the opportunity to promote the wide variety of better deals whilst giving better value to the consumer. It’s not easy but it’s not impossible! Within the next 4 months we will all learn how to live with this situation. We cannot control most external factors yet we must learn how to contain them. Basically, learn to live with and around it!