…$10 is a lot of advertising?

As part of ProBlogger’s latest Group Writing Project, I needed to come up with a Top 5 list. Since I like to use these opportunities to give you a behind the scenes look at my blogging world, I’m going to make this list relevant to all of you fellow bloggers out there, and write about advertising. Though my marketing budget is small (very, very small), I still try to make the most of it by utilizing my resources in wise ways. The following is a Top 5 List of The Best Ways To Advertise Your Blog If You’ve Only Got $10:

• StumbleUpon: By running a StumbleUpon ad campaign, you are guaranteed 200 new visitors to your site for only $10. StumbleUpon users are already stumbling, so they’re looking for things that are new and unique, and, you get to select exactly what type of visitor you want, and where you want them to go (initially). In addition, new visitors can rank your site when they arrive through the StumbleUpon system, giving you valuable feedback about what works and what doesn’t.

• ReviewMe Campaign: ReviewMe recently launched a marketplace for open offers to other blogger to review your site. For $10, you can order a review, test out the system, and see what you get. It’s a blind process, so you don’t have much control, but it’s a guaranteed link, and you never know what good might come from it.
• Run A Contest: With a $10 prize, you can reward current readers, and hopefully get the word out to new visitors through word of mouth (or a cleverly designed contest theme).

• Advertise On This Site: Many sites that use Google AdWords have the option to buy an ad directly on that site. Find your favorite, click on the Advertise On This Site link, define your terms, and let the traffic roll in. It’s done on a CPM basis, which means there is no guarantee you’ll get any traffic from it, but the other blogger will definitely appreciate it, and you may just get a link out of it regardless.
• Business Cards and Flyers: Go old school, and print out $10 worth of business cards or flyers (or both). Put your web site address on the front, a logo, and you’re ready to go (they don’t even need to have any personal contact information on them). Then, just take them with you, and leave them wherever you go. Coffee shops, bookstores, theaters, bulletin boards, windshields, wherever. Make them clever, draw eyes, and get new readers, because a local visitor is never a bad thing.

So there you go; 5 great ways to spend $10 on your blog. Though some people refuse to pay for blogvertising, I think it’s a good thing (when done correctly), and can be great for your site. So give it a shot, see what happens, and count it as a lesson learned. Are there any other ways to spend $10 on your blog that I left out? Let me know in the comments below, because I’d love to add a new method to my madness.

[ProBlogger - Group Writing Project - Top 5]