Thursday, April 30, 2009

Beyond Ads: Guide To Alternative Online Business And Monetization Models

As the traditional advertising revenue stream keeps its downtrend slope for many a web publisher, what are the alternative online business and revenue making models that independent online publishers can leverage to increase their overall income and profitability?

great_alternative_online_business_models-monetize_goods_beyond_ads_size485.jpg

Beyond traditional banner ads, skyscrapers and Google AdSense strips, there is indeed a universe of alternative monetization opportunities that allows most online content publishers out there to increase, extend and diversify their range of revenue making channels in more ways than one would ever think.

As I am myself working at diversifying MasterNewMedia own online revenue streams, I have spent some time researching and trying to identify which are the actual alternatives to the popular advertising revenue strategies most use, and which are the characteristics and traits that differentiate such alternative monetization models from each other.

Unexpectedly, I have found much more than I was looking for.

There are over 25 different ways to create new profit online open to just about any entrepreneur or independent web publisher out there. To understand and be aware of them is a responsibility that no serious web publisher can escape.
But as I am not an economics professor nor an expert, my identification, labeling and grouping of all these online business and monetization models may be neither exhaustive nor perfect for everyone. But it is a starting point that reflects my own view on what is out there.

In fact it would a fantastic thing, if you did actually add or provide extra information, comments, examples and ideas to my rough initial work. That's what I would like.

To do so you can use the comments section at the end of this article or join me, later on today, for a live webinar on alternative online business models. In the webinar (you can register here if interested) I will share and provide free access to all participants to a unique editable mindmap of all online business models and monetization alternatives I have created.

Here is what amounts to a base starting list of online monetization options, that I have separated between traditional advertising options and other monetization strategies. I'd love you to help me make it better.