Ad Networks
Article | October 20, 2022
The advertising world is changing at an accelerated pace. Digital media and social networks have changed the way we interact with brands, and these changes have affected the way that advertisements are created. As a result, advertisers need to keep their eyes on new developments in order to appeal to consumers who want more than just a standard advertisement. In this article, I will explore some of the technical aspects you should consider when starting an ad campaign so that your efforts can be successful for both you and your clients.
What technical aspects should you consider when starting an advertising campaign?
1. Store Your Campaign Data Somewhere Safe
The amount of data that you and your clients collect during the course of an ad campaign can be immense, and it is imperative that you know where to store this information. One option is using a server tool such as online cloud storage to store all of your files in one central location so that they do not get lost or become corrupted. According to a popular UK cloud hosting platform, downtime and slowdowns are some of the biggest issues people face with cloud storage. Do your research and find one that has excellent customer service to avoid these issues that could slow down your campaign.
2. Clearly Communicate Your Message
Have a clear message that highlights your brand’s value proposition and aligns with your target audience. This is important because the aim of your campaign is to get people to take action, and that can only be done if you have a clear message. Identifying your target audience will help you align your message with them. It does not mean choosing demographics based on age, income level, etc., but rather looking at what values they hold important. In order for an advertisement to be effective, it should match the values of the people looking at it. For example, if your target audience prefers a minimalist style because they care about the environment, your advertisement should reflect that as well.
3. Multimedia Considerations
Use various channels to help spread your message and make it more dynamic. multimedia to increase your reach and make your ad more dynamic. There are many choices for multimedia, including images, videos, infographics, audio files, animations, text messages, and other graphics. All of these can be shared on social networks like Facebook or Twitter, which helps the ad stay in the limelight after it is initially posted by allowing viewers to share links with their friends and followers. Depending on the type of ad you are running, there may be channels that are better at grabbing the attention of your audience.
For example, for a music artist’s album release, billboards could be placed in busy areas with high exposure in addition to social media and magazine ads in publications that their target audience reads. By spreading out your ad, it will increase the chances of getting more eyes on it and make it easier for people to find and share with their friends.
4. Pay Attention to Metrics and Real-time Data from Previous Campaigns
This is done so that future campaigns can be steered in the right direction. The amount of data collected during an ad campaign can grow very quickly, so it is important to know where to look and how to use it efficiently. You can then take statistical data from previous campaigns and use this information as a reference point for new billboards or other ads. While learning from your mistakes is inevitable, there are some things you just won’t notice until you see numbers about them, like the number of people who stop by your booth at a tradeshow but do not stop to talk to you.
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Display Advertising
Article | July 8, 2022
Where’s the nearest click and collect? What time does our local store close in light of the latest COVID-19 restrictions? Where can I order that toy car he/she wanted for Christmas?
Our bet is Google is your first port of call for an answer to any of these questions.
If it is, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s estimated that Google processes 5.8 billion user searches per day. And, even though there are other search engines out there, like Bing and Yahoo, it is by far the most popular.
So, with so many potential customers – because let’s face it, of those 5.8 billion there are bound to be a few thousand searching for your specific products or services - businesses simply cannot overlook advertising on Google. And even more so now thanks to restrictions on physical stores across the world being put back in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Nate Burke, CEO and founder of Diginius, an ecommerce solutions provider that specialises in digital marketing PPC management, explains how you can get the most out of your Google advertising activities.
The first round of lockdowns during the spring and early summer saw many businesses with physical outlets grind to almost a complete halt. Going digital was the only option for many in order to have some chance of survival.
This saw restaurants offering online order services, more retailers moving into ecommerce and professional services conducting remote meetings via video calls.
Despite some easing of restrictions, many have kept digital their focus. For example, video meetings such as Microsoft Teams, which grew by 894% between February to June in 2020, are now prevalent as the office’s new best friend. And restaurants for instance, have advanced their minimal contact table service, allowing customers to order and pay for food on their phones by scanning a QR code or downloading an app.
But now, with lockdown restrictions being re-enforced in Britain and many other parts of the world, businesses looking to maximise their sales and earnings ahead of the Christmas period, and before the New Year begins, can’t ignore the advertising opportunities available on Google.
PPC
PPC advertising is perhaps the most obvious opportunity. It’s the best way to guarantee that your brand is put in front of an audience and can help generate a spike in traffic and leads.
Paid Search identifies “buyers” immediately. People who have typed in and are clicking a specific keyword tends to already be in buying mode, even if only at the research stage of the journey, which is so powerful compared to the rest of the marketing mix
This is because searchers seek convenience. We have come to expect the first listing on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) to provide an answer to our query. If it doesn’t, we are more likely to change our search than scroll through pages and pages of results.
Therefore, getting your brand on that all-important first page is crucial for success on Google, which is exactly why paid advertising is beneficial. Not only can it promise a guaranteed spot here, if, the price is right for you, but it could also, potentially, provide you with the number one position.
As well as SERPs, ads can be created for the display network, utilising visual aids in the form of graphics and videos to attract leads on the Google Shopping network, which is particularly beneficial for ecommerce businesses looking to increase sales.
However, to ensure your ads are shown to people who will add value to your business, PPC activity must be strategically mapped out and effectively managed. Account set-up, keywords and bidding strategies must be considered, monitored and then adjusted to ensure your activity is effective and a return on your investment is achieved.
This requires dedicated personnel, time and budget – for both ad spend and management practices for either training, wages or outsourcing the task to an agency.
But, despite the capital required to get started, there are a number of ways to ensure you yield results that make it worthwhile. For example, remarketing can help minimise lost leads and maximise budget by targeting potential customers who have already shown an interest in your product or service.
Automation strategies are another. Bidding and ad copy can be altered automatically, depending on factors including the time of day, location and the user’s specific query wording, for instance. This lessens the chance of clicks from users with little intention of purchasing or submitting an enquiry, and, consequently, reduces wasted budget. Another common way to get more out of search advertising is to replicate campaigns across Microsoft Ads, where there is typically less competition, cheaper clicks, and a better return on investment, albeit lower search volumes.
Local strategy
One of the greatest benefits of the internet is its ability to connect businesses and customers no matter the physical distance between them. And, with lockdown enforcements, an online offering presents an opportunity to reach an even wider customer base than a shop or physical facility that is restricted by location.
However, the internet is a big, old place. It houses greater competition than what many businesses are used to in the physical realm and, as result, it’s easy to become lost, especially if you are in the early stages of establishing an online presence.
So, no matter whether you’re a retailer offering click and collect or running business as usual albeit remotely, keeping things local is your best bet for online success.
In fact, Google uses a Relevance, Distance and Prominence model to determine search results. Those most relevant, the closest in distance to the searcher and most prominent or popular are more likely to be ranked higher on results pages.
In order to maximise your chances of ranking highly for those searching for your products and services in your local area, you should make the most of tools, such as Google My Business and reviews.
As well as providing potential customers with vital business information, such as your address, contact details and COVID-adjusted opening hours, you can also instil trust and confidence in them by presenting a business that appears to be well established and organised. This is particularly important as those consumer sentiments have declined due to the pandemic.
So far, businesses have done well in adapting their processes to changing customer needs in such a short amount of time and under incredibly difficult circumstances at that.
With the coronavirus crisis far from over and many facing an online future, the only thing we can be certain of at this point is that businesses and retailers must act now to grasp opportunity. By utilising platforms such as Google and Microsoft, business owners are not simply making the best of a bad situation but are more so positioning their brand at the forefront of their chosen industry, gifting a significant advantage when markets reopen in their newly digital-focused form.
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Retargeting
Article | July 20, 2022
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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Ad Tech and Martech
Article | June 22, 2022
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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