What is Entrecard? Entrecard is a free exchange network for 125x125 ads. By using the Entrecard platform, you can advertise your own 125x125 Entrecard ad on any blog in the network, for free.
You can see an example of an Entrecard ad by looking at the ad with the gold bar on the bottom in the right side-bar of this blog. This ad belongs to another blogger that chose to advertise on my site. For this privilege, the blogger had to pay me a certain amount of Entrecard credit to advertise. In turn, I can use the credit to place my ad on another person’s blog in the Entrecard network. You can also earn Entrecard credit in others ways, which I’ll explain later. When a person clicks on your ad that sits on another person’s blog, the Entrecard system will re-direct them to your blog. This is how you get traffic.
Entrecard makes it easy to drive traffic to your blog by advertising on other blogger’s site. The best part about Entrecard system is that it’s free to use.
Here are 7 tips on how to successfully use the Entrecard network:
- Sign-up and create a custom logo: When you first sign-up for Entrecard, they will ask you to either use a pre-built logo or upload your own. I recommend that you create a customized logo to set yourself apart from the rest of the crowd. If you create an eye-catching logo, you will get people’s attention and subsequent clicks to your website. You can use MS Paint or free resources on the Internet to create a custom logo.
- Place the Entrecard Widget near the top of your blog page: The Entrecard widget should be easy to find on your page. Therefore, the best location is near the top of your page. Remember, you’re selling advertising space and you want your fellow bloggers to “drop” their cards on your site. Therefore, your widget should be easy to find. More on “card dropping” below.
- Accumulate credits by becoming a “card dropper”: You will receive 1 credit every time you drop your card on sites that have the Entrecard widget. To drop your card, simply click on the “Drop yours” link located at the bottom of the Entrecard widget. This will automatically update your Entrecard account will 1 credit. The best place to find blogs to drop your card is in the Entrecard system. So login, navigate to blogs, then start “dropping” cards. You can start with blogs that interest you but it doesn’t really matter. The point is to accumulate credits so that you can advertise on blogs and get traffic to your site. Try to accumulate about 50 credits before purchasing advertising.
- Initially, don’t pay a lot to advertise: So now that you’ve accumulated a lot credits, let’s spend it on advertising. Go to the Campaign page in the Entrecard system then select the “Most Recent” link near the top. Look for sites that are priced between 2 to 5 credits/day that are not full. You want to go cheap to get the most “bang” for your credits. It will be hard to find sites that meet your criteria because other bloggers are looking for them too. Dedicate any where from 30 to 60 minutes of your day to proactively monitor this page. You need to be “Johnny on the spot” to buy ad space from these sites before others. Once you see an eligible site, check it out to make sure that it is suitable for you to advertise. If the site passes, “drop” your card then go back to the Entrecard system to purchase advertising space via the “advertise” link. Repeat these steps until your credits are gone then start the accumulation process again. Monitor your email or Dashboard at Entrecard.com to determine if your purchase as been accepted or rejected. Don’t be offended if a blogger rejects your ad. It happens all the time and the system will automatically refund your credit back to your account. Just spend it on another site.
- Monitor your Entrecard Inbox: You will earn 1 credit when another Entrecard user “drops” their card on your site. When this happens, you’ll be notified via your Inbox in the Entrecard system. When you see that someone has “drop” their card on your site, return the favor and “drop” a card on their site. The Entrecard network is also a social-network. This is a good way to make friends with your fellow bloggers.
- Reject ads that don’t fit your site: As I mentioned above, you earn credits when someone advertises on your site. However, you can afford to be picky because there is a lot of demand in the network. If an ad is not suitable to be on your site, reject it. Don’t worry about offending the other person. They understand how the system works. You don’t want your blog readers to be offended by an ad on your site.
- Write recommendations: Every Entrecard user’s detail page in the system includes a link to write a recommendation about them. Find several blogs you like then write a recommendation. The majority of the time they will return the favor. Again, the Entrecard system is a social network. Its great way to make friends and increase your exposure.
In summary, the Entrecard network is a good way to increase traffic to your blog or website for free. The “quality” of the traffic may be debatable at times. But, in the end, traffic is traffic.
Here’s a link to the Entrecard User Guide if you need more information about how to get started with the Entrecard network. You can also watch the video on their home page.
Please try these tips then come back and leave a comment about what worked and what did not work. You’ll probably modify the tips above as you gain experience with using the network. All comments are welcome.
