• by Ross Fadner , November 10, 2003

While the content focus of many Web publishers often seems to be on attracting users that would benefit advertisers, a new report suggests many sites - especially those operating in the B-to-B realm - look more closely at how their mix of free and premium content might enhance usage of content on the site itself.

The report, released Monday by Shore Communications, shows how free and premium content sites can leverage contextual advertising strategies to generate a larger audience base. It is geared more toward the B-to-B publishing community, proposing business models that focus on bringing contextually relevant content to sites that offer premium content for their users.

The study points to trends in the online advertising industry, citing growth in search engine marketing (SEM) and contextual marketing, consumer adoption of broadband, innovations in rich media and ad delivery, and most importantly, increased agency spending online.

"There is no reason that the applications for matching content should be limited to placing ads on Web pages," advises Janice McCallum, author of Shore's How Publishers Can Profit From Contextual Advertising Models report. "The same technology could be used to improve popular 'more like this article' link...so that the related information could be presented in a sidebar on the web page and the user wouldn't have to clickthrough to preview the related content."

Which brings up an interesting issue for Web advertisers: the lines between advertising content and related "high-value content" and blur to the point of convergence, suggesting new revenue streams for publishers through affiliate or third party syndicated contextual ads. "Contextual advertising, then, can be a vehicle for promoting very specific premium content items to the very specific audiences most likely to purchase them," says McCallum.

An interesting idea, but one with the odds against it, as most companies who sell premium content are protected through fire walls accessible only to pay-for subscribers. McCallum warns that such web sites "will miss out on having its content found and accessed by the majority of consumer and institutional researchers who increasingly begin their quest for information on a search engine."

McCallum boldly expounds her theory as one that may transform the industry-this, of course, remains to be seen, but it is certainly not unreasonable, and will depend in large part upon the refinement -and to some extent the acceptance-of contextual marketing by the online community.

"Whether to monetize content assets by charging fees or subsidizing with advertising should not be an either/or question," McCallum states. "The field is wide open for the delivery of content using contextual ad techniques in specialized portions of the B-to-B segment. Innovative content marketing companies can work with technology companies serving professional markets to create contextual content-serving tools that can reach specific professional communities."