-By Jere Doyle

It's certainly not news that the explosion of social networking sites and online communities has disrupted online advertising and media buying. But the new opportunities this has created for online publishers of all sizes, particularly small and midsized publisher sites, is something to crow about.

Consumer brand marketers are quickly learning that niche social networking sites, online communities and blogs offer smaller, but much more targeted audiences--instant focus groups with the profiles marketers want to reach.

Prior to Web 2.0 media, online lead generation providers made it their business to connect the right publishers with the right advertisers through highly targeted customer acquisition campaigns. Consumers get the ads and offers from their preferred brands, advertisers reach their target demographics and publisher sites generate revenue--a win-win all around.

Now, online lead generation providers are doing the same for social networking sites, blogs and niche communities, helping publishers of all sizes monetize their site traffic and leveling the playing field for small- to medium-sized publishers.

The opportunity: Research shows that consumers want relationships with their favorite brands. The key is to make sure marketing, special promotions and advertisements are tailored to their preferences and expressed interests. Consumer polling data from Prospectiv bears this out. According to Prospectiv's 2007 Consumer Packaged Goods poll, 70 percent of respondents said they research every day products online, with the majority favoring e-newsletters as their preferred resource for information, special offers and discounts on CPG products. Online resources and e-newsletters also prove valuable and trusted resources for consumers seeking travel, entertainment, retail and healthcare information.

The good news is that whether you have 100,000 visitors a month or even just 1,000, an online publisher can attract the brands and advertisers consumers want, and money can be made.

How it works: Online lead generation partners already have the relationships with the brands to match your audience, as well as the resources to fully manage the custom integration of ads and offers into your site. With this model, advertisers reach the right consumers, consumers get the brand/product information and offers they want, and online publishers generate new sources of incremental revenue. At no cost, publishers can quickly begin earning a share of the revenue from the ads running on their sites.

When working with an online lead generation partner, take the following steps to ensure success:

Present offers in site areas where visitors are engaged and open to receiving promotions, such as:

--Point-of-action areas on your Web site, such as during or immediately following user registration;

--Confirmation pages or user profile homepages.

Serve the right ads to your audience in the right way by adding value without being intrusive.

--It is imperative that social networking publishers and bloggers find a way to cater to their users and deliver well-placed, valuable offers that show an understanding of each person's specific interests and needs.

Keep your audience on-site and engaged.

--Work with an online lead generation provider that has the integration technology and expertise for serving users relevant offers without having the user leave your site (many display ads will take users off of your site and not return them).

Publishers across all online categories have "points of action" on their sites worthy of monetization that will perform far better than simple banner ads. For example, a site that offers users a free tool to customize their MySpace page would typically require visitors to register before receiving the tool or download. With a quality lead generation offer provider, publishers can expect to earn 20 cents to 30 cents or more for each person they register and present with the offers in the right type of integration. By breaking down the metrics to a simple revenue-per-user level, it's easy for publishers to see the value of implementing this type of product. With a simple integration process, and no fees of any kind, it can immediately add to a site's bottom line.

Publishers big or small can earn long-term profits from leading advertisers across several vertical markets--such as consumer packaged goods, pharmaceutical, retail, travel, education and automotive. The key is to always act in the best interests of your users, which means not only presenting the right offers, but also respecting consumer privacy by working with an offer provider that follows industry best practices--most importantly no sharing of consumer data with third-party marketing partners.

Jere Doyle is president and CEO of Prospectiv, a provider of online customer acquisition solutions. He can be reached at jdoyle@prospectiv.com