Ad Networks
Article | September 1, 2023
Effective marketing is the lifeblood of every company. From the 1800s, when billboards influenced audiences to buy a certain soda, to today when an ad on social media can make people spend thousands of dollars, marketing has come a long way.
The success of the internet has opened new doors for advertisers and marketers. Companies cannot afford to ignore the lucrative online audience that is always available. Despite this digital advertising boom, out-of-home advertising (OOH) remains a popular and effective medium to influence customers. Figuratively, OOH and digital advertising are at war to claim supremacy. B2B marketers need to determine which is the better choice for their businesses.
Let us look at what OOH and digital advertising entail.
Out of Home Advertising: Promising Impact
Any advertising material promoting a business and displayed outdoors counts as OOH advertising. Billboards, vehicles, walls and benches are the common tools that advertisers use to promote products and services across cities. More recently, tactics like flash mobs and digital dashboards have added frillsto OOH advertising.
Companies are swiftly transitioning from traditional advertising to digital advertising. However, OOH advertising brings in a huge audience. For example, if you book a bus bench in Los Angeles to advertise your product, over 35000-50000 people might look at your ad. Netflix ran an interesting OOH campaign in France. It placed a digital screen on the outdoor boards that displayed GIFs of their original shows. These GIFs were reactions to events happening in France. When France was kicked out of the World Cup, the GIFs garnered attention and helped viewers remember Netflix.
Digital Advertising: Broader Demographic
Digital advertising is the way of the future. While it does not eliminate the power of OOH advertising, it does bring in a broad demographic online for most of the day. In addition, digital advertising is efficient when it comes to driving sales and revenue because digital ads go beyond advertising through personal engagement. According to Upward Labs, a highly recommended share can increase a product's value by an average of 8.8%.
Internet tools and social sharing get the audience involved in conversations and influence their buying decisions. As a result, it is easier to target the right audience when running a digital ad campaign. According to a study by Marketing Land, digital advertising is five times more effective than direct mail in terms of cost-per-conversion. Digital advertising hits a few snags, like ad clutter, ad fraud, ad blockers, and bot farms, but advertisers cannot deny how broad a demographic it reaches. Moreover, its influence is easy to track.
Parting Words
Though your digital ads may reach a broader demographic, they may lose impact over time. OOH advertising may be a more natural course to take. However, the demand for “360” marketers is taking the market by storm, so striking a balance between your digital and OOH ad campaigns and, at times, fusing the two can be the right way to go to.
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Social Media Advertising
Article | July 13, 2022
What is retargeting and why do you need it? Well, because it’s easier than ever to lose a sale online.
Think of it like this: you successfully drive a potential customer to your site with great content or social media engagement.
But then their phone rings. Or they have to take a quick meeting. Their child calls their name. They look up at the TV and forget to return. Or one of a million other potential distractions in our fast-paced world get in the way.
They could be lost forever. Or — you could use retargeting to get them back to your site.
That’s what we’ll cover in the sections that follow. You’ll learn what retargeting entails, why your business should be using it, which platforms to do it on, and best practices to maximize ROI.
Let’s get started.
Quick Takeaways
Only 2% of web users convert on their first visit to a website.
Retargeted web visitors convert at a 70% higher rate.
Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social platforms are effective places to use retargeting.
Retargeting ads are most effective when they incentivize, are personalized, and/or leverage high-value content.
What is retargeting?
So what exactly is retargeting? In short, it’s the process of monitoring the behavior of your web visitors so you can drive them back to your site later.
It’s done by adding code to your website that tracks user actions by placing cookies in their browsers. You can then use that information to show them targeted ads when they’re elsewhere on the internet.
Those requests you get to “accept all cookies” when you visit a new website? It’s retargeting in action. Brands are asking your permission to track what you’re doing so they can show you ads that are relevant to you.
Today 87% of marketers use site retargeting to attract potential customers back to their website. Given that only 2% (!) of web visitors convert on their first visit to any site, it’s a smart strategy for brands to capture low-hanging fruit in their web traffic and avoid losing prospects who will likely convert with a little bit of encouragement.
Let’s look at 3 reasons why retargeting should be part of your digital marketing strategy and the benefits your brand will experience from doing it.
Why Retargeting Needs to Be Part of Your Strategy
Consumers actually like retargeted ads
The consensus view of retargeted ads has always been tainted with a little bit of uncertainty about their use of individual consumer data. And there’s no doubt about it — consumers do worry about their online privacy.
At the same time, however, they are also more aware than ever that brands are using their information to advertise to them and target their buying preferences. And they still browse and buy online at a rapidly increasing rate.
Here’s what it comes down to: retargeting doesn’t turn consumers off as long as it’s done ethically (AKA you’re only retargeting people when it actually makes sense and they’ve agreed to your privacy policy).
In fact, recent research has found that 25% of consumers say they actually enjoy seeing retargeted ads. And while a quarter of consumers may not seem encouraging, actual consumer behavior suggests that number is quite a bit higher.
Here’s what the numbers tell us:
Retargeted ads earn a click-through rate 10x higher than regular display ads
Retargeted website visitors are 70% more likely to convert
3 out of 4 consumers notice retargeted ads when they see them
It’s helpful to think about this in the context of your own life, too. We all see ads for products and brands we’ve briefly visited without buying from. But rather than get annoyed, our interest is usually sparked again. We may click on the ad to look at it again and rethink whatever reasoning we had before for not buying. We may follow the brand on social media for updates.
Retargeting is a massive opportunity for brands to cut down on lost sales by reminding consumers why they were interested in the first place and incentivizing them to come back and make a purchase.
Where to Retarget
Google and YouTube
Google and YouTube are the two most visited websites in the world, with a casual combined 85 billion monthly views (nbd). You can target ads on these massive platforms with Google Ads on the Google Display Network.
Most consumers are doing their brand and product research using Google search. What better place, then, to have your ads displayed to convince users to choose you?
Facebook and Instagram
Ads on the two platforms are both run under Facebook Ads Manager. You add the Facebook Pixel to your website’s code. When users take an action on your site (for example, adding to cart or making a purchase) the pixel is triggered and they’ll see retargeted ads on both Facebook and Instagram.
Learn more about the Facebook Pixel here.
TikTok
TikTok has exploded onto the scene over the past two years. It’s easy to assume this platform might be best for targeting younger audiences, but the truth is there are tons of audiences on TikTok that encompass a range of ages and interest areas.
For example #MomTok — moms sharing tips, stories, and advice — is one of the most active corners of the app. #BusinessTok, #FitnessTok, and #BookTok are some of the other most popular hashtag-driven interest groups on the app. These are only a few examples. In other words: retargeting on TikTok is for every type of audience.
You can get started at TikTok for Business.
LinkedIn
For B2B companies or brands targeting a more corporate or professional audience, LinkedIn could be an ideal platform for your retargeting efforts. You can add the LinkedIn Insight Tag to your website to begin tracking your visitors and serving them ads on the LinkedIn platform.
3 Retargeting Best Practices
Incentivize
The thing about web visitors you retarget is that they have shown interest in your brand already, but for some reason they weren’t motivated to make a purchase (or maybe they did but haven’t been back to make another one).
The way to convince them? Offering incentives. Consider this: you see a pair of shoes you love. You almost buy them but you think “Well, they’re just a little too pricey. I’m going to pass.”
A few days later you see those shoes you love, except they’re being offered at a discount. Your main argument for not buying the shoes is gone. You’re much more likely to go back and make the purchase.
Incentivizing your retargeting audiences is worthwhile because you eliminate one of the biggest roadblocks to purchase: concerns about price.
Personalize
Like all other kinds of online experiences, consumers want their retargeted ads to be personalized to their preferences. Nearly 80% of consumers say personally relevant ad content from brands increases their purchase intent.
Adding simple phrases that are unique to a person’s experience with your brand (i.e. “You left this item in your cart!” or “Based on your previous purchase, we think you’d love this!”) can be what makes your ad stand out to your audience.
Leverage Content
Content drives more organic traffic than any other method of digital marketing. That said, targeted ads are the highest-converting of all methods. Why not combine the two for maximum ROI?
Consider the types of content your web visitors interact with and/or what content created by your brand would be most relevant to them. Promote it through your ads, emphasizing how it can help users solve problems, learn something new, or accomplish an important goal.
Content that can be effectively marketed through retargeting ads include:
Blog articles
How-to guides
Checklists
Webinars and video demos
Ebooks and whitepapers
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Social Media Advertising
Article | July 14, 2022
Creating ad campaigns is a gamble. As advertisers, you are never sure if it was optimized enough, have no idea which micro-targets it resonates with the most, and it could take up to a year to determine the campaign’s sales impact. Market trends change by then. However, AI-powered ad creative can turn things around for you. You will know exactly what aspects of the ad resonate with your target demographic.
“It’s a welcome change for creatives, who find it empowering because they can think more broadly, experiment more, and learn faster,” says David Olesnevich, Head of Product at IBM Watson Advertising
“It’s a welcome change for creatives, who find it empowering because they can think more broadly, experiment more, and learn faster,” says David Olesnevich, Head of Product at IBM Watson Advertising
Let us take a look at what an AI-powered creative can do for your ad campaign:
Instant Optimization
AI-powered creative can be optimized instantly, not just for display ads but also for OTT video ads. You don’t need to spend extra time or resources to scale your optimization efforts.
Multiple Variations
Elements in AI creative can be varied and combined with music tracks, sound effects, voice-overs, scripts, video clips and sequences, hero shots, text overlays, end cards, and calls-to-action.
Easy Scaling
AI-powered creative ad campaigns are easy to scale across sectors for micro-targets defined by demographics, psychographics, life stage, customer journey stage, purchase behavior, and other KPIs like video completion, app installs, site visits, form-filling, purchases/conversions.
Enhanced Targeting
This technology can target your desired demographic based on message resonance. Consumer characteristics that respond to different message element combinations can help create persona profiles.
Brand advertisers like you need to prepare themselves for a cookie-less future with Google phasing out third-party cookies by 2023. Additionally, you need to also take into account Apple ending the IDFA (ID for Advertising). Figuring out micro-targets will get tougher because of these factors. You will have to harness solutions that respect consumer privacy without depending on the traditional advertising identifiers that will no longer remain.
Creative Professionals Can Better Maximize Client ROI
AI-powered creative is a modular and smarter way to develop ads. It takes the guesswork out of advertising with more actionable information to enhance brand campaigns and how they deliver a higher ROI.
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Advertiser Platforms
Article | October 8, 2021
E-Commerce is a great boon for entrepreneurs who have a small business and the means to set up their website. Selling online allows you to reach a wider audience, gain valuable experience in running a business, and even make a profit.
One of the most important things you will need to know about e-commerce marketing is that there are many different ways to advertise your product or brand. Here are some advertising tips to keep in mind to increase your sales and attract more customers.
Social Media Marketing
Find the best social media sites for your business and use them to market yourself in creative ways. For example, Facebook has the popular “like” button which you can use to target potential consumers specifically. Also, consider getting an endorsement from someone famous on Twitter or marketing your product via sponsored tweets with larger companies who have millions of followers! As indicated in this eCommerce advertising guide, never underestimate the power of social media in today’s world because it is so accessible to anyone. If done correctly, this tactic can gain you a lot of exposure in a short amount of time. You just have to be smart about it.
Pay Per Click (PPC)
PPC is an effective way to get your website noticed immediately. It’s no wonder that so many e-commerce businesses use this advertising tip. When you see a PPC advertisement, it sticks out like a sore thumb and piques the curiosity of Internet users who are searching for products similar to yours. It’s an easy and clever way to get noticed.
The best part about these ads is that you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, as opposed to paying for advertisements in traditional print media which remain visible regardless of whether or not anyone sees them. This way you know your money is being well-spent on ads that are generating sales.
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