Small business ads

[CoteDAzur]

I'd like to advertise on MN for the small business I am currently building, as it will be providing a service that many women will be interested in.

Choices seem to be:
(1) A budget over £500 (which I suppose buys a square Flash ad like the one on the right)
Or
(2) A thread about your business on a page nobody visits ("Small Business Ads")

Am I missing something?

I advertised for 3 months, no one visits unless you bump it yourself and it works out at £200 a year which is expensive.

Sorry MNHQ

I would be ok with giving £200 to advertise on MN for 1year, given the large and targeted audience, but writing in Small Business Ads forum isn't even advertising, since nobody looks there.

I mean, why would anyone hang out at the ads forum?

Hello CoteDAzur
I think lots of folk view the ads as part of active/last hour etc?
But thanks for your thoughts on this - the advertising team who deal with this won't be back until after the weekend part timers not like me here for your delectation at 8pm on a Friday night

Hi Olivia - Thanks for answering on a Friday night

In that case, one would need to keep bumping her own ad/thread for it to be seen, as fivegomad was saying, which is not likely to look good to MNers.

I actually have an idea I hope MNHQ will consider:

The most recent ads at the top of Small Business Ads at the moment are about will writing and life coaching. Yet, if I search MN for wills one coaching, these threads don't appear - why?

Google ads appear above search results so you clearly don't have an aversion to ads in general. Would it be unreasonable to ask Small Business Ads threads to also show in search results so that someone interested in wills or life coaching can actually see these ads?