When it comes to the battle between print and digital, it looks like more and more advertising executives and marketers are shifting to the online space, which doesn’t bode well for the print industry. According to a study by eMarketer, online advertising is outperforming print sales by $5.7 million. That’s a 23.3% increase from 2010, which is a pretty big leap! Why has the online advertising industry seen such success? From smartphones to tablets, more consumers are spending more of their time online, creating an opportunity for ad executives and marketers that simply cannot be missed.  Who can blame them? Everyone is talking about digital advertising and so many companies are reaping the benefits as they become more comfortable with ad networks and digital ad spends. If your consumer is spending more time on Facebook and Twitter, it makes sense that you would shift your advertising to fit your consumer’s lifestyle.

What does this mean for you, the blogger?

First, it means that more and more companies will be looking at you as a potential advertiser. Your blog and your reader are exactly who they want to target so be prepared for more and more pitches and affiliate requests. It might be a good idea to start whipping out advertising guidelines and hashing out what kind of sponsors you want. Think about your readers and your point-of-view and put a page up dedicated to your advertising policies. This will prevent you from dealing with sponsors who don’t make the cut.

Second, this shift in sales reaffirms the legitimacy of the digital space. For so long, many discounted the value of the world wide web. But as print sales decline, companies are recognizing that digital is where it is at. The amount of Internet users keeps growing and there really is no stopping it – whereas the print industry is struggling to survive. What makes the Internet an even greater landscape for advertisers is that it is constantly growing, evolving. More updates, and more movement means more opportunities!

In addition to digital advertising,, many are predicting that mobile advertising will continue to grow, possibly generating more sales as tablet smartphone use increases. No doubt, digital will be a huge moneymaker for those who use it to their advantage.

[image from alittlefallofrain]

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