There’s no questioning the power of digital advertising. As acclaimed marketing guru Brian Carter notes, “$1 per day on Facebook ads will put you in front of 4,000 people that wouldn’t have seen you otherwise. “ He also pointed out that you can reach as many people online as you would with TV, radio, or even a billboard worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. It certainly sounds great, but where does someone new to the format begin with digital advertising, with its varied forms and complicated lingo? And how can you use it to reach your target audience, boost sales, and track your success? Let’s look at it step by step:
Step 1: Define your goal(s)
Are you looking for more sales? Greater brand awareness? Increase engagement? Once you’ve determined what you want to say and why, you can start looking at what options best fit your goal(s).
Step 2: What options are right for you?
Online display advertising
Display ads or banner ads are advertisements that appear on a webpage. They’re a form of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, meaning you’re only charged when someone clicks on your ad. The target of such ads is less specific than search advertising because ads are shown to your target audience when they’re online but not searching specifically for your product or service. Online display ads can include everything from a simple ad with text to an interactive video.
Why this may work for you:
Display ads for those looking to build brand awareness. This is because users must read the text on the ad, and/or click on it to go to the brand’s landing page to learn more. These types of ads are also perfect for reaching a particular audience, as you can target your efforts to specific demographic, areas, and interests, as well as re-target past website users.
Search advertising
Search ads, another type of PPC advertising, are the search results that appear marked with the word “Ad” when you use a search engine. Let’s say you want to advertise your flower shop on Google around Mother’s Day. When someone searches for a keyword you’ve “bid” on, such as “Mother’s Day flowers,” this search will trigger your ad text, and your ad will show up in the sponsored ad section of the search results page.
Why this may work for you:
Search ads help you reach people in your area looking for your product or service, but not your specific brand of company. This means you can compete with your top rivals without an enormous spend. You can also track the ad process from the first impression, to click, the purchase.
Social media advertising
The only issue with advertising on social media is the endless platform options to choose from. To start, pick one or two platforms and put your focus there. The experts at Disruptive Advertising note that most companies use Facebook as the centrepiece of their social media marketing, primarily because of the network’s size and reach. Your second choice will be dependent on your business and its needs. Do you have a product that will benefit from visual marketing? Instagram may be for you. Are you B2B looking to build connections? LinkedIn is likely your best bet. Start small and build from there. It’s all about the quality of the relationships you build on these platforms rather than the quantity.
Why this may work for you:
If you’re looking for relationship building with customers and potential customers, social media advertising is for you. It’s an exciting way to announce new products, promote events and establish your brand in a less formal or traditional way.
Step 3: What’s your budget?
Most digital marketers recommend starting on the lower end in terms of spending – big enough to gauge whether your campaign is effective, but small enough to lower potential risks. Price points vary depending on which option you go with. For instance, Facebook is known for its low “cost per click (CPC), averaging $1.72; it’s the reason the world’s largest social network is generally recommended for smaller companies with a niche focus and more limited budgets. On the other side of the spectrum, Google AdWords has the highest CPC across all industries, $2.32 for search ads and $0.58 for display ads. When making a decision, keep your goals in mind. While at first glance, Facebook ads appear to be the cheaper option, it may not necessarily be the most effective option for you. For example, if your objective is to increase sales, users scrolling through Facebook are less likely to click on your ad and purchase your product than those who are ready to buy and actively searching for what you’re selling on Google.
Step 4: Test, track, and test some more
Fortunately, whether you want to increase your site traffic, signups, page views, clicks, or ad views, all the options discussed here can also help you track that data to help you get your ads working right for you and your business needs. No matter what you choose, if you start small, test, track, and keep your goals in mind, you’ll be on your way to digital advertising success.
Laura D’Angelo | Contributing Writer