Here are 5 alternative ways to advertise your cryptocurrency to the masses as Google and others restrict cryptocurrency.
With the recent restrictions on cryptocurrency ads combined with the increase in popularity of ICOs, crypto companies must get creative to stay ahead of the competition and reach a global audience well outside the cryptocurrency industry.
If you have experience in running crypto, ICO, wallet, or exchange ads, then you know the disappointment of receiving display ad rejection emails time and again.
Based on my own successes and failures, I have compiled a list of major advertising platforms that have been effective along with their pros and cons and current policies on cryptocurrency.
Microsoft Ads
Microsoft Advertising, formerly Bing Ads, provides pay-per-click advertising on both the Bing and Yahoo!, the top two search engines after Google.
This might seem like quite a surprise as Microsoft, like all the other major digital advertising platforms, has a strict cryptocurrency policy. But our agency has found quite a bit of success in getting cryptocurrency-related ads approved.
Pros:
·Since Microsoft powers both Bing and Yahoo! as well as partner sites of its own, you can reach 33% of total search engine share. If your ads are run correctly, this gives a blockchain company the ability to extend reach well beyond the crypto industry.
· Quick approval and review process. When working with cryptocurrency ads, tinkering with the ad to see what gets approved requires a quick review process. While platforms such as Google can usually take several days to review revised ads, Microsoft has a much quicker turnaround.
· Also, your dollar will go farther because bids on Bing are significantly cheaper than on Google Ads.
Cons:
· You must know how to tweak your ads to meet Microsoft policy, but if you have a standout cryptocurrency marketing agency, they will know the right techniques to utilize this massive platform.
Policy:
Quora
Quora is one of the largest online communities for Q&As and one of the highest-quality user-generated content platforms. It provides a platform where people can ask questions and get answers from some of the most credible sources. With over 200 million unique monthly visitors looking to find reliable, valuable information, it offers a great opportunity to showcase your company’s expertise through ads.
Pro:
· Quora is unique in that it offers advertisers the ability to build credibility in the eyes of a prospect while they are doing research. This helps build authority and credibility on topics, drive traffic to your site, and ultimately boost conversions for your business.
· Quora is one of the few major platforms that allow advertising for cryptocurrencies and have large followings of crypto enthusiasts.
Cons:
· High disapproval rate. Unlike most other platforms, the disapproval is not because they are a cryptocurrency, it’s because of their strict terms of service. For example, you cannot use camel case in ad titles or body copy and will be quickly denied for small mistakes that can cost precious time. You can achieve a higher return on investment if you have an ads manager with the proper experience.
Policy:
Reddit is a place where you can check the news, converse with like-minded people about your favorite topics, pick up advice for your latest project, and even market your business. Reddit is the 13th-most popular website in the United States, generating more than 1.5 billion visits annually as of August 2018. Known as the de facto message board of the Internet, its advertising platform has grown in popularity and prominence in recent years. Targeting options mostly revolve around selecting relevant subreddits in which to display your content.
Pros:
· With hundreds of threads on varying topics, Reddit is easy to sift through and find the topics that are most relevant to your business. This is great for targeting the cryptocurrency community, but also useful in testing which other communities are receptive to your ads.
· The Reddit community is one of the largest in the digital world, with many of its users on the young end of the spectrum. If you find the right subreddit and marketing techniques, you can create a cult-like following for your cryptocurrency.
Cons:
· Unlike other social platforms, it takes time to build credibility (karma) in the system before running ads.
· It’s important you invest time to produce organic content. With the right combination of value-add content and relevant ads targeting the right audiences, you can reach a huge number at a relatively affordable rate. If you don’t take the time to involve yourself in the community, you could be quickly exiled.
· Reddit is not great for beginners and your efforts could backfire. Even with the best intentions, you could end up making people angry with your Reddit marketing campaign, This harms your brand’s reputation and turns people away from your business, making it more difficult to reach new followers. Reddit is full of intelligent, observant, and sometimes unforgiving people, and they spot poorly planned marketing plans with ease.
Policy:
AdRoll
AdRoll is the world’s most effective retargeting platform. When running major ad campaigns to study and understand audiences that are interested in your blockchain technology, AdRolls has exceptionally advanced tracking software.
Pros:
· AdRoll is excellent in advanced targeting techniques such as customer segmentation, geo-targeting, and more. Using their platform, you can target or exclude site visitors based on their actions, create groups of users based on purchase intent, and set up advanced conversion tracking rules.
· Easily the frontrunner when it comes to retargeting platforms and can have an average ROI of 1,000% based on an average of $10 for every $1 spent.
Cons:
· Getting your ads approved can prove to be difficult at first, but with experience, you learn the correct techniques to accelerate the process.
· AdRolls can’t be used alone. It must be paired with a major advertising platform that drives traffic to your site first.
Policy:
Major Cryptocurrency Advertising Platforms
The restriction of cryptocurrency ads combined with the increasing popularity of crypto has created quite a few ad networks that are dedicated to crypto-related ads. Here are the most popular ones:
· TokenAd
· Biggico
Pros:
· You will have no problem getting your cryptocurrency ad approved and running while using one of these platforms.
· Drives a highly targeted cryptocurrency audience to your website. These platforms work with the top websites from the finance and cryptocurrency industries and therefore display your ads in front of highly engaged target audiences interested in your product.
Cons:
· There is not a major reach outside of the cryptocurrency industry. Running ads on these platforms is a great way to creating a following within the crypto industry, but if you are looking to appeal to the masses, these platforms will fall short of doing so.
· Ads can appear on low-quality websites.
This article was first published on Ivy McLemore & Associates.
