Cost-Per-Action, (CPA), the latest way to buy online media.
In the days of the early Internet, media was purchased similar to the way traditional print and broadcast is still widely purchased — based on the total amount of impressions or potential eyeballs that COULD view your ad.
Well, thankfully those days have passed, as you are now able to pay for traffic or activity you receive based on your media plan. You can still purchase online media based on a cost-per-thousand (CPM) basis, and also a cost-per-click (CPC) basis, but marketers now have a new pricing structure available, CPA. CPA is only paid when a user completes the desired action.
The action can be as simple as filling out a form on your website or as complex as a multi-page sign-up ending with a purchase through credit card. Generally speaking, the more involved the action, the higher a publisher would expect to be paid for generating it.
Look for performance-based deals in the following media channels:
1. Affiliate Marketing Campaigns
2. Advertising Network Campaigns
3. Display Campaigns
4. SEM Campaigns
5. Social Media Campaigns
6. Mobile Marketing Campaigns
Then, choose the programs that represent the greatest opportunity for your business and develop a media plan. This will serve as a roadmap for your efforts moving forward. Review their performance and optimize the plan regularly by canceling those publishers that are not performing. This will make your media plans more successful and yield better results for your business.
