This is tough to do. It’s why so many companies are still trying to control the visitor experience (log ins, registrations, premium content). That way they can identify, quantify and justify to advertisers and sponsors. However, that puts up a barrier that many won’t cross so then you’re leaving out potential customers.

With AgWired I can identify the almost 3,000 people who receive ZimmNews, which is really a promotional mechanism for the website (and our other ones too). This does give me some demographics to point to but leaves out the 10,000+ other visitors/rss feed subscribers.

There are efforts going on with the IAB and ADM to create standards but I haven’t seen anything really meaningful yet. I hope that groups like NAFB will include their efforts in the mix.

From a marketers standpoint, the beautiful thing for radio is that the fragmentation with web-based media, as with print-based media, means you have to buy many more properties to achieve a similar saturation. Because radio is “broadcast” instead of “narrowcast” – like niche print and web tools – a marketer can but a relatively small number of NAFB-member networks and stations to achieve an exceptional penetration into a given segment of the market.

The beauty of the internet, of course, is that is – in theory – quantifiable in a way that neither radio nor print can possibly be. I say in theory simply because the industry hasn’t decided on the best way to do the quantification; an internet version of AMR, in other words. It may be that something as simple as Google Analytics, which many of us use, will be sufficient. NAFB’s Marketing and Promotion Committee is working with our partners in the agrimarketing community to determine that very thing. As we determine that, I think NAFB members’ web-presences are uniquely positioned to make the combined radio-web mix the most useful tool in the agrimarketers’ toolbox.

I look forward to your thoughts.

I agree with your statement, “The web isn’t about “mass audience numbers” but “niche audience numbers.” It requires a mind shift for some. You have to be okay with not having all the attention – but if you are gaining the attention of that niche audience that cares about what you have to say, there is a lot of power in that. Marketers should pay attention to this as well. Figure out who you are exactly trying to advertise to – identify the ag bloggers/podcasters are that speak regularly to that audience, and sponsor them. I believe there is more value there, than a spendy add that falls on deaf ears.