It would be a cliché to state that times are bad.  It is natural in such times for companies to curtail any spending that wouldn’t contribute to the bottom-line. Marketing spends are one of those that get curtailed, and budgets are slashed or revisited in such times. Internet ad spends haven’t been spared either, even though the spends are relatively lower.

However, in every crisis there is an opportunity, an opportunity to learn and mend ways.  Maximising the value of your online investment  is key; fortunately this medium is measurable and its easier maneuvring and tweaking around.

Here are 5 tips to maximise and optimise your online marketing spend.

1. Move away from CPM deals, and negotiate for CPC deals instead.

2. Increase the % of CPL deals in your campaigns. Many ad networks offer attractive lead based deals. If a certain network has been doing really well for you, go for annual contracts and hedge yourself (on the downside, there is an opportunity cost as the money is blocked throughout the year)

3. If you aren’t already using it, introduce affiliate based marketing campaigns. Why? Because you pay for your end result! (Lead/Registration/Sale).

4. Make good use of your website or any other online properties that you may have, and drive traffic to your landing page. Besides being a high conversion source, this is virtually free!

5. And last, but not the least, make the best use of Google ad-words. There isn’t quite like the Google advertising network when it comes to delivering the maximum bang for your buck!.

Also, review your campaigns every week or two and make course corrections when necessary.