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Why should our municipality consider online advertising?
Most government agencies are looking for new ways to raise revenues without raising taxes. Since advertising in public spaces has generated municipal income for many years in the form of billboards, bus shelters, etc. – many municipalities are now looking at their valuable online real estate as a monetizable asset.
There is strong revenue potential in online advertising for municipalities, since local and national businesses are anxious to reach the audiences that visit these sites. In the new world of targeted interactive advertising, it is possible to monetize a web site in a way that provides relevant, targeted messaging that is not intrusive to the site user experience. Each government agency has complete control over which ads are shown on their site.
The program works on a revenue-share basis so there is NO cost to a government agency. In addition to generating revenue, adding advertising to a site also supports local businesses by providing an opportunity to promote their products and services to their community, encouraging a “shop local” message.
Who is Municipal Media Solutions?
Municipal Media Solutions (MMS) is a Chicago based media company that specializes in helping local governments implement online advertising on their web sites. MMS provides a turnkey solution to web site monetization. We handle everything:
• Ad server management
• Development of advertising packages & pricing
• Generating sales leads
• Developing proposals
• Closing deals
• Ad trafficking and reporting • Managing advertiser relationships
• Customer service
• Technical support
• Developing sales collateral materials
• Collections/reconciliation
• Ongoing program management
What staff time/resources will be required on our part?
Each government entity determines whether they need to pass a local ordinance that permits them to offer online advertising (we can provide sample ordinances for review and guidance).
Once approved, MMS provides a few tags that the web site administrator can load up into the web site’s code in a few minutes. Additionally, we provide text to be used on the site to explain the program. This text usually takes no more than an hour to add to the site. MMS provides assistance with all aspects of implementation, working with a municipality’s internal staff or with its outside web development resources.
How are ads priced and sold?
Two types of advertising will appear on the site:
Local Advertising: We aggressively reach out to your community to ensure that local businesses are aware of the program, often working with the local chamber of commerce and other business associations. We price advertising according to a wide range of factors including – total site traffic, site features, overall local advertising market conditions. Prices and advertising packages are designed to allow local advertisers to participate regardless of the size of their budget. Products include display advertising, text links & directory listings.
Network Advertising: MMS works with a network of national and regional advertisers. Once approved by the municipality, this advertising can be served into each new site added to our network so the site can start earning revenue immediately.
In most cases, revenue will increase the longer a site runs advertising, since more advertisers are aware of the program and there is more competition for the space. Since MMS works on a revenue-share basis we are highly motivated to maximize revenue for our municipal partners.
Should I be concerned about the type of advertising that will appear on my site?
Since we specialize in helping monetize municipal sites, our control processes have been designed specifically to meet your needs. Working with our major municipal site partners, MMS has established a comprehensive set of standards and parameters that assure that only appropriate and relevant advertising appears. Each municipality has full control over which advertisers and which ads appear.
How much money can we make?
Based on site traffic, municipalities can usually generate a minimum of $10,000 in annual revenue through this program. Very large sites can generate much more – potentially six to seven figures. MMS can provide revenue projections based on historic site traffic. There are many factors that contribute to the overall revenue potential. As more government services move online, most municipal sites will see increases in traffic, which will translate into greater online revenue potential.
Are there other services that can be provided by MMS?
Some municipalities are interested in generating revenue from services other than their web site. Given appropriate volumes, MMS can coordinate online advertising through newsletters and other email communications in order to help municipalities generate even more revenue. MMS can also coordinate the sales of direct mail inserts in a municipality’s postal mail correspondence.
What steps do we take to proceed?
Contact MMS at 312-640-9540 or info@municipalmediasolutions.com to discuss how we can help monetize your web site. We’ll walk you through the process, help you understand how advertising can be easily integrated into your site and provide you with revenue projections. In these difficult times, let MMS help you generate more revenue.
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