Did you know that more than $300 billion is spent on digital advertising globally?
Used correctly, digital ads can complement your organic outreach efforts (i.e., on-page SEO) to reach potential customers and drive business revenue.
However, you need to be smart about how you use them to truly connect with your audience. More isn’t always better. Users do not like being inundated with irrelevant ads while browsing online. Plus, bot activity and ad fraud can inflate your results (i.e., impressions, traffic to your site), which is a waste of your company’s resources.
What is digital advertising?
Digital advertising is the process of publishing promotional materials to your target audience on digital channels such as social media or websites.
However, it is not a monolithic entity, as there are many types of digital ads for different business needs, ranging from social media to pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns.
Unlike traditional ads, they can be found everywhere, and the cost of entry to using them is significantly lower. Done correctly, digital ads allow you to tell your brand story in a very personalized and engaging way for your potential buyers.
Impact of online privacy changes
Before we outline the benefits of online advertising, there are a couple of notable changes recently that will affect how you can use this marketing tool.
New regulations surrounding online privacy, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act, mean that third-party cookie tracking is being phased out of existence in the very near future. For the uninitiated, cookies are stored packets of data that track your visits and online activity.
What does this mean for you? Without the benefit of user-data, businesses are shifting towards contextual advertising. In this scenario, online algorithms select the appropriate advertisement to display based on keywords, website content and metadata. This will make our ads appear less intrusive and more relevant to what an individual is currently viewing.
Here are 5 reasons why your business should invest in digital advertising as well as some tidbits for making the most of your efforts.
1. Target the correct audience
One of the main benefits of digital advertising is that you can fine-tune your parameters and target the correct audience.
With people spending so much time online these days (the average person in the United States alone logs over 24 hours per week), you have access to a lot of information about them, from geographic location to their personal interests.
2. Greater flexibility than traditional advertising
Online advertising is not bound to the same limitations as traditional advertising (i.e., newspapers, billboards). One piece of content can be repurposed across a variety of platforms, keeping it fresh and engaging more of your audience.
It’s all about choice. Online advertising allows you to deliver the full meal or break it down into small, digestible pieces for easier consumption. For example, you have a longer video from your business’s leaders discussing a timely, industry-relevant topic. This can be:
- Broken down into bit-size video clips.
- Expanded upon in a blog post that clarifies key points.
- Turned into an infographic or PowerPoint presentation for a future webinar session.
The options are nearly endless. And should surrounding circumstances change, you’re not locked into a particular design or message. You can easily pivot and make the necessary adjustments to keep your ad relevant.
3. Easier to track your ROI
When it comes to business, justifying your expenses is what matters most. While brand awareness or impressions are important considerations, there still needs to be a way to track hard data like pipeline, revenue and profit.
Thankfully, with digital ad campaigns, these metrics come built in. You can easily check who clicked on your content, and who shared it as well as the sources of traffic. This enables you to see which platforms and strategies work best, before making the necessary adjustments as needed.
4. Cost-effective (and scalable to your needs)
Depending on your needs, it is very easy to set a reasonable budget for your digital ad campaigns and scale it to your immediate needs. You don’t need a lot of technical savvy to set these up and you can suspend the campaign at any time, if you need to rework your strategy.
While long-term strategies like SEO and content marketing are effective, online advertising will get you results much faster. This is perfect for smaller businesses and allows them to level the playing field with larger corporations.
If you’re limited on time, there are plenty of digital advertising companies out there willing to manage your digital ads for you.
5. Better reach and engagement of mobile users
Not only is your audience online most of the day, they’re using mobile devices, more so than desktops. From smartphone to smartwatches, online advertising is one of the best tools for reaching your audience when they’re on the go.
According to a study conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), nearly half of all normal smartphone users take action when they see relevant digital ads on their mobile phones.
To take advantage of this, you’ll need to optimize your content, so that it smoothly translates from desktop to mobile devices.
Need more help? Contact the Mike Agency today and our team of experienced professionals will take care of all your SEO and digital marketing needs!