IQ News: About.com Unveils Sponsored Links on Vertical Sites




New York-based About.com, a network of vertical sites managed by professional guides, today introduced Sprinks–sponsored contextual links, which are advertiser initiated, sold online and dynamically priced.
Intended to attract a qualified audience, the links will appear within a box on the pages of About.com’s 700 separate sites that carry content on subjects as specific as fly fishing and alternative medicine. The new advertising vehicle provides targeting opportunities for advertisers, as well as a way for visitors to connect with merchants that serve their interests.
“Sprinks are the shortest distance between advertiser and consumer,” said Scott Kurnit, chairman and CEO of About.com. “With Sprinks, advertisers can make a targeted buy on any of over 700 sites, set their own price and offer our users merchandise and services perfectly tailored to their interests.”
For instance, a fishing pole outfitter could sponsor a link promoting new gear on the About.com’s fly fishing site.
Advertisers competitively bid for the most valuable position within the five-tier Sprinks section of each About.com site and only pay per customer they acquire. The sponsored link then appears in order of the cost-per-click bid amount from highest to lowest, with the assumption that a top position will generate more clicks than a lower one. For example, an advertiser may pay 48 cents per click to earn the top spot in the Sprinks section, while another advertiser could acquire the fifth and final auctioned listing with a bid of 40 cents per click.
Bids could range from 2 cents to $5 or more depending on the site. A high-traffic site, such as the MP3 destination, could incite more bidding compared to a less popular site.
Advertisers must only make a minimum aggregate purchase of $25, giving small and midsized businesses the opportunity to advertise on a targeted site without busting their budget with a big banner buy. “Some of these small shops don’t have the money to advertise [in the traditional sense],” said John Caplan, general manager and chief marketing officer of About.com. However, the Sprinks program allows the small merchant to purchase only as much advertising as it can afford, he explained.
After a company’s Sprinks budget is depleted, About.com removes its sponsored link from the section.
Advertisers can use a credit card to purchase the sponsored link online, without having to interact with a sales staff. All links are screened by About.com’s editorial staff for relevancy and appropriateness, since they reside on the guide sites.