ContractorCalculator has received its fifth ABCe certificate, confirming that the expert site for contractors achieved 126,578 unique visitors and 543,205 page views in March 2010. This is an increase of 11% since the last audit in September 2009.
These fantastic results are revealed against a backdrop of economic turmoil, burgeoning contractor numbers as workers seek alternatives to employment, and ongoing investment driven by ContractorCalculator CEO Dave Chaplin in new online interactive calculators, content and online market opportunities for advertisers.
“Even in the depths of a recession, the UK’s online marketing spend grew by 4.2% to be worth £3.54bn in 2009,” says Chaplin. “As the economy started to recover in the first quarter of 2010, savvy contractor services providers have been investing in online advertising to gain market share, opting to spend their marketing budgets on advertising properties that have independent verification of their visitor numbers.
Chaplin is delighted with the results of March’s ABCe audit and its significance: “Contractors and advertisers can see that, by submitting to an independent audit, ContractorCalculator has demonstrated both transparency and that our unique visitors have been consistently above 100,000 for each of five audits, growing by 11% in the six months to March this year.
Innovative online marketing options
The online ad-spend increase, even in the face of economic meltdown, clearly demonstrates its unique measurability and return on market investment. These features have driven Chaplin and his online marketing consultants to develop a suite of innovative new online marketing and advertising products.
“Our online interactive tax and financial calculators are now available to license on a ‘white label’ basis,” explains Chaplin. “This allows contractor services firms to provide their customers with accurate, personalised financial and tax profiles, but without the need for, and expense of, an in-house development team.”
As the economy started to recover in the first quarter of 2010, savvy contractor services providers have been investing in online advertising to gain market share, opting to spend their marketing budgets on advertising properties that have independent verification of their visitor numbers.
Dave Chaplin, ContractorCalculator
This year has also seen the launch of ContractorCalculator’s Market Commentators, a unique opportunity allowing unparalleled access to readers for key contracting sector players and their views to influence the contractor and freelance market.
Confidence in content and consistency – a fifth audit over 100,000
Chaplin is delighted that ContractorCalculator has now received its fifth independent ABCe audit in the last two and a half years, consistently confirming over 100,000 unique visitors in each audit month. “As ContractorCalculator is the only contractor website with an ongoing commitment to investing in regular industry–standard ABCe audits, contractor service providers can invest in our online marketing solutions with confidence and trust.”
And, says Chaplin, ongoing investment into high quality content, including an unparalleled range of over 30 online interactive tax and financial calculators that were updated on the first day of the new tax year, is the key. He explains: “Supporting the calculators, we have a team of business journalists that researches and publishes up-to-the-minute news, insight and opinion. We now have over 1,000 guides and articles, plus expert contributors and market commentators from the leading firms and organisations in the contracting sector.”
ABCe confirms measurability
According to Chaplin, advertisers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and demanding higher levels of measurable return on investment from chosen advertising properties: “Our investment in regular ABCe audits enables advertisers to apply strict metrics to their online marketing, and evaluate how much return they achieve for their advertising investment.”
Chaplin says that he is increasingly spending time with organisations keen to learn more about the power of internet marketing. “When advertisers understand just how measurable online media can be, and are shown how to introduce measurement to online advertising campaigns, they are blown away.
“I spend time on-site with some advertising clients to help them get up and running with their first campaign,” continues Chaplin. “And based on my knowledge, the training techniques I have developed, not to mention the expertise of our online marketing consultants, we have created a suite of free ContractorCalculator guides. These cover all the key online marketing bases, to support media buyers in contractor service companies and show them how to generate the best results from their online marketing.”
To find out how we can deliver your marketing message to an audience of over 100,000 contractors and freelancers, request your media pack, including your free guide to online marketing.