Google and Facebook ads are known to be the primary platforms when it comes to display-ad marketing. They’re super cheap to run and yield a bunch of results in a short space of time. But as youthful markets and technology begin to become more mainstream, we see these 2 specific display ad services lockdown their platforms. We’re talking specifically about gambling and cryptocurrency-related ads here, and these 2 platforms are notorious for having overly harsh rules for crypto and gambling advertisers.
Alternative ad networks are known to help advertisers go around the bans, but are they effective for generating leads in these types of cases? We are here to uncover the mystery and help you allocate your marketing budget to the best ad network platforms for your niche!
What Are Alternative Ad Networks?
We’re all familiar with Google and Facebook ads. These are without a doubt the 2 behemoths of the display advertising world. But with such power comes great control. Google and Facebook have the power to say what you can and cannot advertise, punishing users that dare to submit ads that go against their guidelines. This bred a new generation of high-performance ad networks, known as alternative ad networks. These include the likes of Bitmedia, Ad Shares, Cointraffic, and Ad Dragon.
You might think that most of these are new names to the ad network scene, but Bitmedia, for example, has been around for 7 years and has a list of more than 5,000 publishers for you to pick from when it comes to running your ads – now that’s a lot of potential reach right there!
Why Do Alternative Ad Networks Exist?
If you’re wondering why alternative ad networks such as crypto-specific Bitmedia emerged, then you’re in for a real treat. Freedom. That’s right, the freedom to advertise whatever you want without some algorithm judging you and telling you what you can and cannot publish. Cast your minds back to March 2018. Facebook and Google both decided to ban all cryptocurrency-related ads, meaning that legitimate projects couldn’t run any ads to generate new traffic and more leads.
This irked the crypto community greatly, so, these new platforms set out to build a new world where blockchain projects have a chance to get the reach they deserve. Alternative ad networks exist simply to break the tyranny of these 2 giant corporations and give crypto projects freedom to advertise once more.
What’s the Average Cost of a Crypto Google Ads Campaign?
Google is without a doubt one of the cheapest ad networks around. In August 2021, it finally saw sense and reversed its ban on crypto ads, but it put tight controls and measures in place. Only exchanges and wallets registered with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) are able to run crypto-related ads with Google Ads. So, if you’re lucky enough to get new certifications from Google to run crypto ads on their network, you can look to pay anywhere between $1 and $2 per click. This is relatively cheap compared to alternative ad networks out there, but the hoops you need to jump through and the restrictions that you must adhere to make advertising crypto projects on Google virtually impossible.
What’s the Average Cost of a Crypto Facebook Ads Campaign?
Facebook is the other behemoth ad network, and it too has been equally unfriendly to the crypto world. It reversed its ban on crypto ads back on 1st December 2021. It scaled back its ban slightly in May 2019, but the ban has now been lifted to the same extent that we see with Google. On Facebook, there are incredible targeting options and the fees are low. The average CPC is $0.73 while the average CPM is $13.14.
That being said, there is still an AI system checking all of your ads to make sure that they comply with Facebook’s strict crypto advertising rules. This can make it tricky to run the ads you want in the locations you truly desire. It’s worth noting that Facebook makes running gambling ads almost impossible for small to medium businesses. Only large corporations such as Betfair, William Hill, and Bet365 that spend millions every month manage to bypass their tight controls.
What Are the Benefits of Using an Alternative Ad Network?
Sure, you may end up paying slightly more for your CPM or CPA campaign when using an alternative crypto ad network, but the additional cost is worth it. You see, with alternative ad networks, you can run just about any ad you want. No AI algorithm is going to shut your ad down or tell you that you can’t run it. You can also benefit from the hands-on customer care that you simply don’t get with Google and Facebook. For example, the Bitmedia ad network often loves to get stuck in and help out advertisers achieve the best results possible. Whether it’s developing gifs, creating whitelists, or amending geotargeting to make campaigns run more optimally, they want to see their clients’ succeed. You simply don’t get this level of service and care from Google and Facebook.
Run the Ads You Want!
Stop wasting your time waiting for Google and Facebook to vet your ads, only to decline them. Start displaying your ads to a wider audience with greater targeting features, more GEOs, and more dedicated and personal customer assistance. Instead of limiting your reach, you’ll be able to hand-pick the websites that your ads show on, meaning that you’ll get more meaningful conversions, which allows you to save money down the line – now that’s a win. Start your crypto advertising campaign today!