Why We Offer Ads: The Idea Behind Slag Tag Media Advertising System

There is a little more to advertising with Slag Tag Media than buying a banner. We could make this article very simple.

“Want to advertise with Slag Tag Media? Here are our prices. Here are the sizes. Send us your information.”

But that really doesn't explain what we are trying to do. The advertising program at Slag Tag Media was created for a bigger reason. Yes, advertising revenue matters.

Slag Tag Media is a business. Websites cost money. Software costs money. Time costs money. Content takes time to create. Research takes time. Maintaining a website takes time. Keeping everything moving takes time.

So yes, advertising helps support what we are building. But if money were the only reason we wanted advertisers, we would approach this very differently. We could fill every available space with advertisements. We could accept anybody who wanted to pay. We could turn the website into a wall of advertisements. We could sell space to companies that have nothing to do with the people we are trying to reach. We could make the entire thing about impressions, clicks and revenue. That's not what we wanted. We wanted something different.

WHY SLAG TAG MEDIA HAS AN ADVERTISING PROGRAM

Slag Tag Media was built around social media. The goal has always been to help businesses, creators, welders, fabricators and other people doing interesting things get their work in front of more people.

That naturally led to a question: What if we could create a place where we could also help promote the businesses we believe deserve attention?

Not just the giant companies.
Not just the companies with massive marketing budgets.
Not just the companies already appearing everywhere.
The people around us.
The people we meet.
The businesses we discover.
The companies making great products.
The people building interesting things.
The small businesses trying to grow.
The artists.. welders.. fabricators... manufacturers.. tool companies... FR clothing companies.

The people creating something because they genuinely care about what they do. That is where the idea for Slag Tag Media advertising really came from.

WE ARE NOT AN ADVERTISING AGENCY

This distinction is important. Slag Tag Media is not trying to compete with traditional advertising agencies. We are not trying to become a massive advertising network. We are not trying to manage millions of dollars in corporate advertising budgets. We are not trying to become another giant digital advertising company. We are a small operation focused on social media, content, websites, marketing and the industries surrounding the people we work with. And that gives us something large advertising platforms often don't have. A personal connection.

We know many of the people we work with. We know the industries. We understand what it is like to run a small business. We understand what it is like to make something with your own hands. We understand what it is like to spend your own money on equipment, materials, tools, advertising and everything else required to keep a business moving. And we understand that sometimes a small business doesn't need millions of impressions. It needs the right people to see it.

WE WANT TO WORK WITH COOL PEOPLE DOING COOL THINGS

That is probably the simplest way to explain the philosophy behind our advertising program.

We want to work with cool people doing cool things.

That can mean a welding company, fabrication shop, tool manufacturer, metal artist, fr clothing company, trade school or event. We also dont want to rule out other businesses too that deserve the spotlight. We have a heavy focus on the welding industry but we are open to working with just abut anyone.

It can mean a small business that makes something completely unrelated to welding but is doing something interesting and deserves attention.

The common denominator is not necessarily the industry. It is the people behind it.

We want to know:
What are you doing?
Why are you doing it?
What makes your business interesting?
What are you building?
Who are you helping?
What are you creating?
What makes you different?

Those questions matter to us. Because an advertisement is more interesting when there is an actual story behind the business.

KEEPING ADVERTISING CLOSE TO HOME

One of the things we like about our advertising program is that it is small. That is intentional. We don't want to build an enormous advertising network where thousands of businesses compete for attention. We want to keep this close to the industries we understand. Close to the communities where people actually know one another.

There is something valuable about being able to see an advertisement and think: “I know those guys.” Or: “I've heard of that company.” Or: “That's a cool product.” Or: “I've been meaning to check them out.” That is the type of advertising we want to encourage.

SMALL BUSINESS NEEDS MORE THAN EXPOSURE

Exposure is a great word -- Everybody wants exposure.

But exposure by itself doesn't accomplish much. If 100,000 completely irrelevant people see your advertisement, that might not be nearly as valuable as 1,000 people who actually care about what you do.

A welding business doesn't necessarily need everyone in the country to know about it. It might need more people in its region to know it exists. A metal artist might need people who appreciate handmade work. A tool company might need people who actually use tools. A welding apparel company needs people who understand the culture. A fabrication company needs customers who actually need fabrication. That is why we care about context. The goal is not simply to put your logo somewhere. The goal is to put your business in front of people who might actually care.

ADVERTISING CAN INTRODUCE PEOPLE TO A BUSINESS

There is another reason we like advertising. Sometimes people don't need something today. They might need it six months from now. They might see a company today, forget about it tomorrow, and then remember it when they suddenly need the service that company provides. That is part of what good advertising does. It creates familiarity. You may not click the first time. You may not buy the first time. You may not even pay much attention the first time. But after seeing a business repeatedly, it becomes familiar.(and familiarity matters) When the need eventually comes up, the business you have seen before may already be somewhere in your mind. That is one reason consistent advertising can be more valuable than a single giant advertising push.

WE WANT TO SHARE GOOD NEWS

This is another important part of the program. We want Slag Tag Media to be a place where good businesses can be discovered. There is plenty of negativity, arguing, outrage, content designed simply to get somebody angry enough to click online... We would rather spend some of our time showing people things worth paying attention to.

A company making something interesting.
A welder building something ridiculous.
A small business launching a new product.
An artist creating something unique.
A manufacturer developing a useful tool.
A company supporting the trades.
A person doing something positive in their community.
A business trying something new.

Those are stories worth sharing. Advertising gives us another way to put those businesses in front of people.

THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT THE MONEY

Let's address the obvious question. Does Slag Tag Media make money from advertising? Yes. We do. (and we should) Businesses need revenue to survive... Slag Tag Media is no different and advertising helps pay for the website, software, content creation and helps support the time required to research, write, design, publish and maintain the things we produce.

There is nothing wrong with that. But the advertising program was not created simply because we wanted another revenue stream. The revenue is part of the equation it isn't the entire equation. Its part of a larger goal is to build something useful. We want to create a platform where businesses can be discovered. We want to introduce people to companies they might not have found otherwise. We want to help small businesses reach new customers. We want to help businesses make new fans, share good work, create relationships and help the people around us grow.

And yes, we want to build a sustainable business while doing it. Those things can all exist together.

A PLATFORM CONTROLLED BY SLAG TAG MEDIA

One of the things that matters to us is control. Social media platforms are incredibly powerful. They are also controlled by companies that can change the rules at any time.

Reach can change.
Algorithms can change.
Features can disappear.
Advertising costs can change.
Platforms can decide what they want to prioritize.
Businesses have to adapt.
That is simply the reality of modern digital marketing.
The Slag Tag Media website gives us something different.
We control the platform.
We control the website.
We control the advertising space.
We decide what advertisements we accept.
We decide how the advertising program operates.
And we decide what kind of environment we want to create.
That doesn't mean the Slag Tag Media website replaces social media.
It means we can use our own platform alongside social media.

Your business can exist on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn and other platforms while also having a presence on an independent website that we control (not some huge corporation)

WE DON'T WANT EVERYONE

This may sound strange coming from a business that wants advertisers. But we don't want every possible advertiser. Not every business will be a good fit for Slag Tag Media. Not every product will make sense for our audience. Not every company will fit the type of community we are trying to build.

And that's okay. We would rather have a smaller group of businesses that we genuinely want to promote than fill the website with advertisements simply because somebody has a credit card. That means applications may be reviewed before being accepted. Not every application will necessarily be accepted. That isn't meant to make the program feel exclusive. It is about protecting the quality and identity of what we are building. If someone visits Slag Tag Media and sees an advertisement, we want that advertisement to make sense being there.

WHO IS SLAG TAG MEDIA ADVERTISING FOR?

Our advertising program can make sense for many different types of businesses.

For example: Welding companies, Fabrication shops, Metal artists

Welding equipment manufacturers, Tool companies, Safety equipment companies, Welding apparel brands, Industrial suppliers, Manufacturing companies, Trade schools, Trade organizations, Industry events, Small manufacturers, Artists, Creators, Workwear companies, Small businesses, Restaurants and local businesses, Companies supporting the trades, Businesses with products that our audience may genuinely find interesting... The list isn't limited to welding but the business should have a reason to be here.

WE WANT ADVERTISERS TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY

There is a difference between an advertisement and a participant. An advertiser gives us money for space. A participant becomes part of the ecosystem. We would much rather have the second. If you advertise with Slag Tag Media, we hope you will also: Follow along with what we're doing, Share our articles, Interact with our social media, Tell us about things your company is working on, Send us interesting news, Tell us about upcoming events.

Let us know when you launch something new.. Give us something worth talking about because that creates more opportunities. If you have something interesting happening, we may be able to share it or If you launch something new, we may be able to talk about it. The relationship can be more valuable than the banner itself.

THE ADVERTISEMENT IS ONLY ONE PIECE

A banner advertisement is not a magic button. You cannot put an advertisement on a website and automatically expect thousands of sales. Marketing doesn't work that way. Advertising works best when it becomes part of a larger strategy. Your website matters. Your social media matters. Your product matters. The advertisement is another way to put your business in front of people. What happens after they see it is up to you.

WE WANT TO HELP PEOPLE DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW

One of the things we like most about advertising is discovery. Maybe somebody comes to Slag Tag Media to read an article about social media. While they're there, they see an advertisement from a company they've never heard of. They click it. They discover a product. Maybe they don't buy anything that day but now they know the company exists.... Six months later, they need that product.

They remember the name. That is a win.

Maybe someone sees an advertisement for a welding company. They have a project coming up. They save the business. Another win. Maybe somebody discovers a small artist making incredible metal sculptures. They become a fan. Maybe they buy something.

Another win.

That is the type of advertising we want to facilitate.

BUILDING SOMETHING SMALL DOESN'T MEAN THINKING SMALL

Slag Tag Media is not a giant media company. We don't pretend to be.

We are building something. Piece by piece, Article by article, Post by post, Business by business.

Relationship by relationship. And we believe there is value in doing that, the internet has become incredibly large and it can also feel incredibly impersonal. We want Slag Tag Media to feel different. We want people to know that there are real people behind the platform.. real people trying to build something.

WHY WE WILL KEEP IT SMALL

There may eventually be more advertisers.
There may eventually be more traffic.
There may eventually be more articles.
There may eventually be more services.
But we don't want to lose the original idea.
The point isn't to become so large that nobody knows anybody anymore. The point is to build something useful enough that people want to be part of it. If that means growing slower, that's okay, if that means being selective, that's okay. If that means turning down an advertisement that doesn't fit, that's okay. We would rather protect what we are building than sacrifice it for a quick sale.

SO, WHY ADVERTISE WITH SLAG TAG MEDIA?

If you are looking for the cheapest possible banner advertisement on the internet, there are probably plenty of places where you can find one. That's not really what we're trying to sell.

We're offering a place inside a growing media platform focused on social media, business, welding, fabrication, manufacturing, creators and the people who make things happen. We want your business to be seen, discovered, reach new customers, make new fans. We want to introduce our audience to good businesses and to build relationships with people who are doing interesting things. If that sounds like something you would like to be part of, we'd like to hear from you.

A FINAL THOUGHT

The internet is full of places where businesses can buy attention. We don't want Slag Tag Media to simply be another one. We want it to be a place where attention has some meaning behind it. Where the businesses being promoted actually fit the community. Where small businesses have an opportunity to be seen. Where good work gets shared. Where interesting people can be discovered. Where businesses can support one another. And where advertising can help fund the platform while also helping the people and businesses around it.

Yes, we need advertising revenue to keep Slag Tag Media moving. But we created the advertising program for much more than ad sales. We created it because we believe good businesses deserve attention. We created it because we like working with people who are doing cool things. We created it because we want to share good news. We created it because we want to help businesses reach new customers and make new fans and we created it because we wanted a platform that isn't controlled by a giant corporation or an enormous advertising network.

This one is ours. And we're keeping it focused on you. If you're doing something cool, building something interesting, making something people need, supporting the trades, or simply trying to make the world a little better, we'd love to hear from you. If you'd like to advertise with Slag Tag Media, reach out. We'd be happy to hear your story and see if we're a good fit.

Please consider supporting the businesses featured in our banner advertisements. They support Slag Tag Media, and we appreciate you supporting them.

-The Slag Tag Media Team

Interested in advertising with us? Contact slagtagmedia@gmail.com for details.