The World Beyond ads; The New Wave of Funding for Content Creators
Simply put, unwanted ads may be the most annoying thing about internet content. But finding new ways of funding for content creators has been a long road. Luckily, new methods of funding for content creators are on their way up, and show no signs of stopping. In fact, they are becoming the new norm.
Stagnant Water
It is probably safe to say that every single person on the internet is tired of unwanted ads. From countless banners filling all the empty space on a website to counting down the milliseconds until the “Skip ad” arrow comes up on your video; ads have been put in every imaginable corner of the digital world. The reasons for this are generally good. Content creators want to be paid for their creative energy, and they deserve to do so. Unfortunately, most people’s negative connotation to ads quickly overrides their desire to see another person benefit. That’s just how much we hate ads.
Enter the Adblocker. Applications designed to do just that – block ads. Unfortunately, this means the content creator gets no revenue from that ad; it is like it never existed. It is a losing situation for most everyone involved, save for maybe our precious sense of not being bombarded.
The New Wave
Where the old way of advertising was definitely skewed in favor of the companies providing the ads and not the content creators themselves, there is a heavy shift occurring which is moving that favor in a great direction; namely towards rewarding content creators and empowering the community surrounding them to be more involved in something they want to see succeed. This involves two key components, with more being added virtually daily it seems.
Micropayments
With the clunky way payments used to be made online, sending small amounts of money to someone through the web was inconceivable. In the end, charging a measly one dollar for something really only paying the transaction fee. Thanks in part to the boom in adblockers, micropayments for content have become increasingly popular. Sites like Blendle challenge the notion that every available inch between articles should be occupied by ads. Why create so much noise when you can simply ask your patrons to pay a one-time fee to have the content they desire? Content creators themselves can also create small transactions to keep their business boosted as well; say a three dollar e-book or small monthly subscription to an insider vlog. This creates a more desirable user experience, and literally invests users in your content.
Fan-Funding and Sponsorship
Another one of the most promising and curious trends is in fan-funded or crowd-funded ventures. Sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo make it possible for a large number of independent sources to fund a project of any kind. While it is mostly used for one-off projects, the idea sparked other sites such as Patreon, where fans can give money directly to their favorite content creators to keep their work going.
This type of funding is picking up steam, and already has a widespread reach in the digital world. Video gamers also use sites like twitch to live stream themselves playing video games; and the platform allows for users to subscribe and donate money to the gamer to keep them going.
Ride the New Wave of Funding for Content Creators
Capturing the trends that are shaping funding for content creators in the digital world is going to be key in the new ad-free future we are creating. It is just second nature. For companies like New Media Agency, who push new frontiers forward until they simply become the new norm. What content monetization strategy do you think will change the game for you? Tell us about it in the comments below.
