CPX Interactive is a major supporter of the IAB Long Tail Alliance, and we strongly encourage becoming a part of this innovative group.  One of the many benefits of joining the Alliance is the wealth of webinars they offer. Three webinars will be offered in April. Read on to find out more about them, and click here to register:

April 1^st
Noon EST

Title: Audience Measurement and Monetization for Publishers – Beyond Email
Presented by Datran Media

Description: During this IAB webinar, Datran Media Chief Revenue Officer Sean O’Neal will present strategies and guidance for publishers seeking to best leverage email and other digital marketing technologies to drive strategic business growth. The webinar will first familiarize publishers with strategies focused around the inbox.  O’Neal will then discuss complementary channels to ensure publishers are maximizing both their investment and return. Attendees will walk away with knowledge, case based information and immediate actions they can take to advantage their business.

April 15^th
Noon EST

Title: DIY Web Banners: Easy Self Serve Banners to Monetize Your Inventory
Creatives on Tap Presented By Theorem

Description: Learn how to leverage innovations in self serve banner building technology that allows your advertisers to build interactive banners in less than 5 clicks. Monetize your inventory while keeping costs low and driving higher CPM’s.

April 29^th
Noon EST

Title: Marketing Your Site to Maximize Revenue
Presented by Burst Media

Description: The presentation will address items a publisher should do on their own and when working with third parties to truly market the value of their site.  We’ll review best practices for media kits and marketing collateral, how to position their audience to advertisers, what types of new creative executions are getting attention, and how site design can impact monetization.

In October, we wrote a post about our support of a great new group called the IAB Long Tail Alliance. Today, we wanted to provide some more information on the benefits of joining. So,  here are a few things you should know about the Long Tail Alliance:

• Founding members include: AskTheBuilder.com, Condo.com, DailyMe.com, Destructoid.com, Elfster.com, HowStuffWorks.com, Muxlim.com, PetStyle.com, PrimaryGames.com, TopTenReviews.com, VegSource.com and more.
• Alliance members have the opportunity to participate in webinars designed specifically for long tail publishers to grow their business.
  • The next round of webinars begins February 18th and will be lead by IAB member company, TrustE.
  • The first webinar is entitled: What You Need To Know About Privacy–Challenges and Solutions
• Membership in the Alliance is open to any publisher that sells directly, indirectly, or through a network, and has revenues of under $1 million.
• Enter the promotional code CPXLTA to reduce the membership fee from $250 to $100!!

Visit the Alliance website to find out more about the IAB and the Long Tail Alliance.

The IAB Long Tail Alliance is a new program that focuses on serving the needs of smaller publishers, and making sure that they derive value from their relationship with the IAB. CPX Interactive is a major supporter of the Long Tail Alliance because we believe that publishers of all sizes have a role to play at the table when it comes to issues that significantly affect the industry as a whole.

Benefits of joining the Alliance include:

• Learn from the pros in exclusive seminars designed specifically for long tail publishers.
• Get invited to special events.
• Be part of IAmTheLongTail.com.
• Protect your business.
• Network with your peers.
• Get noticed!
• Receive special pricing on insurance, TRUSTe and more. Plus receive discounts to IAB Events and Professional Development.
• Participate in Webinars like Legal Affairs Best Practices for Small Publishers on October 23.

CPX Interactive CEO, Mike Seiman, is now sharing his insight and industry perspective through his blog on iMedia Connection. He joins EVP of Marketing, David Shay, who published his first blog post last week. Mike’s first post, “Are Ad Networks ‘Dancing With The Ones Who Brung Us?’” stresses the importance for ad networks to maintain positive relationships with publishers. He points out how easy it is to become absorbed with advertiser relations, but emphasizes the vital role publishers play in the online advertising space.

For more of Mike’s advice, read the full post on iMedia, and check out his video blog on YouTube.

Posted by Michael Fleischman, EVP of Business Development for CPX Interactive

Having spent much of my career as an executive in the cable TV industry, I am acutely aware of the importance of being able to monetize advertising inventory in a content driven industry and the extent to which that ability actually drives the industry. It is this background that I bring to the industry of online advertising, and to CPX Interactive, specifically. And it is also this background that causes me to be suspicious of some of the “online advertising is dead” fervor that I see trying to rear its head in the media and in the blogosphere.

I believe that as long as there is a continually growing world of online websites, the owners (publishers) of these websites will always support models that most efficiently help them generate revenue from their content. This belief was given a “shot in the arm” this week when I attended the Digital Publishing and Advertising Conference at the Marriot Marquis Hotel on October 27 and 28th in NYC.

The conference was unique as it focused on both the view of a Publisher and Advertiser, with specific sessions targeting each of their needs. The overall take away was that the digital sector continues to grow in light of the economy and is in a great position to attract more advertiser investment. Additionally publishers are becoming more and more knowledgeable with respect to driving traffic and monetizing their web sites.

As an executive for a progressive online ad network and marketing company, I was pleased to see that virtually all of the publishers do work with ad networks and realize their value in terms of monetizing valuable inventory. Additionally, it remains clear that agencies and their clients continue to see the value in digital which they view as more measurable than traditional TV and print placements.

As digital ad serving technology and efficiency continue to improve, there are numerous opportunities for advertisers, publishers, ad networks and other ad platforms to continue to work together and become even more profitable. Specific growth areas include more quality social networking sites, branded entertainment, mobile and video.

Over the next few years, as linear TV viewing declines and online viewing continues to grow, there will be more advertising and sponsorship dollars available for online publishers, and models that can seamlessly and efficiently deliver those dollars to publishers will certainly find increasing success…and a progressive leaning ad network that continues to redefine the online advertising landscape should continue to be a beneficiary of that trend.

In truth, this week’s conference didn’t so much teach me something new as it did serve to confirm what I already know to be true…that the rumors of the death of online advertising have been greatly exaggerated.