Digital Advertising is one of the many ways to expand your audience reach online. We are all familiar with pay-per-click ads and banner ads. But there are many other advertising strategies and techniques that a business can use to its advantage.

Consumers and businesses alike are using search engines, social media, streaming video, mobile devices and other forms and connections to find the products and services they seek.  A business may find that adding a paid platform whether in search, social, or video channel will increase the chances of the users seeking your products and services.

Increase Leads & Sales with Digital Advertising

A well managed digital advertising campaign can drive new leads and sales to your business fast and efficiently.  But how do you know which online advertising strategies you should use and when?

#1 Paid Search Advertising

The search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing are the frontrunners when someone looks for an answer or a solution to a problem. Since all businesses are leveraging the powers of organic search, ranking your targeted keywords in the top spot may seem impossible especially for a saturated niche.

Search engines offer a solution for unranked pages to reach the first page of the search engine result (SERPs). However, it comes at a hefty price through paid search advertising. PPC ads appear at the top of the SERP.  Search Engines determine the ranking by a bidding process and landing page quality score.

The process of bidding for an ad to these search engines allows your page to dominate other pages and allows a searcher to click your ad. Paid Search Advertising is useful especially for new businesses or those having a hard time ranking on the first pages of the search engine.

#2 Social Media Advertising

The popularity of social media creates a new opportunity for business owners to advertise to a specific audience. Although every business has unique audiences, goals, and objectives, some may get a wider reach and have success using social advertising.

• Social media platforms such as Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter hold demographic and behavior data of their users. This data can be potent in targeting your ads to a particular group of people.
• You can boost a stronger online presence and brand reputation through social media. Businesses can quickly disseminate new information to followers.
• Not only does social media allow you to showcase your products and services creatively, but these platforms may also serve as an excellent customer relation management tool for customer service assistance.

#3 Video Advertising

Youtube is the favorite digital video channel owned by the search giant, Google. Businesses can also use Google’s video platform to advertise on videos through an Adwords account. Below are a few advantages why video marketing can help your business grow your audience in a creative manner:

• People love watching videos. Video content may help relay messages easier as compared to reading the text.
• Deliver your business’s services, products, goals and messages in a way that isn’t possible in text format, images or infographics.
• You pay when people watch your video
• Video advertising on Youtube allows businesses to target different users, demographics on any devices – desktop, smartphones or tablets.
• Ads can be a full video or just a brief preroll at the start of favorite videos.

#4 Remarketing or Retargeting

Remarketing is a display strategy that will enable your ads to continue showing to those people who have already visited your website. You probably have personal experience with these type ads that keep showing up wherever you are browsing.  Perhaps an ad followed you after you looked at an airline ticket. That’s the concept of remarketing – a subtle reminder to a prospect to go back to your website and re-engage with your content.

Based on research, a remarketing campaign may increase return on investment (ROI) for as high as 15 to 20 percent. Read our previous blog post about the benefits of retargeting for your business.

#5  Display Advertising

Display advertising or display ads are the most familiar because essentially these are ads we have always seen in magazines and print publications.  However, the internet has created new ways to display these banners and engage the audience in your content.

Digital Advertising  Top 5 How To Steps

So now that you know the types of advertisements, it’s time to learn the how:

Step 1. Identify the Right Keywords and Search Criteria

Selecting the right keyword search terms is required for a successful ad campaign. In addition to keyword selection, sophisticated advertising networks also make it possible to target by location, interests, income, age and more.

Step 2. Advertise On the Appropriate Ad Networks

A better understanding of your ideal customer means you can maximize your advertising budget by selecting to place your ads on the most appropriate advertising platforms.

Step 3. Track Your Campaign

By tracking your campaigns, you can optimize the best-converting keywords and networks. If you use marketing automation on your website, you can monitor and nurture leads over time and painlessly.

Step 4. Test Options through Split Tests

Compare and improve your online ads with A/B testing your offers, landing pages and Calls to Action. Monitoring the impact split test changes have on your campaign results will improve your campaign conversion rate.

Step 5. Measure, Improve, Repeat

As they say, you can’t fix what you don’t measure. Analysis of your campaign metrics will accurately identify what strategies are driving conversions. With this information, you can allocate your ad spend to gain a higher return on investment.

A well managed digital advertising campaign has been proven to increase leads and drive sales.  Experimenting and mixing different marketing campaigns may require creativity and patience.

If you would like help developing and managing an effective online ad strategy for your business, give me a call at 615-947-6377.  We would be happy to help!