MidwestWeekends.com (mobile)
Because life's too short to stay home …
Advertising on MidwestWeekends
Advertising on MidwestWeekends is an efficient and cost-effective way to reach people who are interested in exploring the Upper Midwest. If you have a business that caters to vacationers or day-trippers, your potential customers are here, looking for information about where to stay and what to do.
Many of our visitors come to us via search engine with such queries as "best places to visit in the Midwest.'' Most of our stories rank in the Top 10 on Google searches.
A selection of ads Successful ad campaigns on MidwestWeekends.com
Choosing an ad
We offer banner ads, also known as display ads. They increase awareness of your business, like traditional print ads, and they also allow an immediate customer response, like online search ads.
We offer four sizes: the 300- by 250-pixel in-text ads that appear within stories; the 160- by 600-pixel wide skyscrapers that appear on the left side of pages; the 120- by 600-pixel narrow skyscrapers that appear on the right side of pages; and the 728- by 90-pixel leaderboard that appears on top of the Events Calendar and at the bottom of pages.
We also can run large reskin ads that flank each page on both sides.
Readership of our web site already is targeted: 70 percent of our visitors come from Minnesota, Wisconsin, northern Illinois and Iowa, and virtually all of them are looking for travel ideas.
For that reason, we recommend site-wide advertising for almost everyone.
Pricing
We charge $4-$12 per 1,000 impressions, depending on the size of an ad. We help you develop your campaign at no charge.
Our minimum order is 30,000 impressions. You can limit how many of your impressions you would like to use per day.
For example, if you buy 30,000 impressions and you would like your ad shown 300 times per day, your campaign will last for 3½ months. At 400 times per day, your campaign will last 2½ months.
Newsletter sponsorships
We also would be happy to run a short story about your destination or business, if appropriate, on one of our weekly newsletters. Sponsorships are $300 and include 150 words, an image and unlimited hyperlinks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are impressions?
An impression is created every time a person visits a page on which your ad is displayed.
When people click on my ad, where do they go?
Each ad is linked to your home page or to any page you designate.
What kind of results can I expect?
Our ads earn click rates that are 5 to 30 times higher than the travel-industry average of .08%.
We have found that when an ad is attractive and offers what readers are looking for, it does very well, earning click rates of 1 to 2 percent and sometimes even better.
We send monthly reports on the number of clicks and impressions your ad has received.
We want you to succeed. If you feel your message isn’t working, we will substitute it for another one.
How do I create an ad that will work for me? Internet users like their information short and sweet. You'll want to use as few words as possible and an image that will make people think, “Wow, I’d like to be there.’’ Think about what sets you apart from other businesses and destinations.
Many people are looking for value. If you can offer a deal or discount, say so in your ad.
Why does this site exist? Editor Beth Gauper is a big fan of the Upper Midwest, having spent 14 years traveling around it for her weekly column in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. So is her husband, webmaster Torsten Muller.
We’ve discovered a lot of great places, many of which deserve to be better known. The Internet allows us to spread the word, and also to update our stories and tips whenever things change.
For more, see the About Us page.
How do I start advertising? Contact Beth at 612-216-1201. We’ll get you going right away!