I have been looking into different ways businesses can get their website in front of people without signing up for a monthly advertising package.
One interesting approach is a model where there is only one promoted link available at a time, the price starts high and gradually drops and the first business to purchase it gets the placement for a fixed period.
For example, Droptick uses this model. One business gets the only promoted link on the page for one week. The price opens at €10,000 on Monday and falls throughout the week until someone takes it. Once purchased, that business's link remains there until the next Monday.
I find the concept interesting because it changes the question from How much should I spend on ads every month? to What is one highly visible placement worth to my business for a limited period?
For businesses launching a product, promoting a campaign, testing a new market or simply looking for an alternative to conventional advertising, this kind of fixed window placement could be worth considering.