Ready for the (Digital) World!

Jeff Degler Blog , , , , ,

OK………so I’m going to show my age with this one.  I grew up an ’80’s child and one of my favorite bands was Ready for the World.  You’ll probably remember their most well-known song: Oh Sheila.  But, they had another semi-hit called Digital Display, which (ironically) would also be a glimpse into my future career choice.  <see video:  here>

I didn’t make a connection until a few years back when I heard it on the ’80’s station on Sirius Radio.  As I listened to the words, a smile came over me and I thought to myself…….’this is – what I’m supposed to be’.  

 

 

 

Digital display, like I can’t get no
Digital display, when the going gets tough
Digital display, I just want my part to play
With your digital display

So…….What is Display Advertising?

Display advertising is a method of attracting the audience of a website, social media platform or other digital mediums to take a specific action. These are often made up of text-based, image or video advertisements that encourage the user to click-through to a landing page and take action (e.g. make a purchase).

Most display and online advertising campaigns are charged on a cost per thousand (CPM) basis.

They can also be used for retargeting campaigns. This is where ads are served to users who have already visited a specific website. The aim is to “retarget” them and encourage them to return to the website to take the same action (or an action at a different stage of the funnel).

Are There Other Forms of Display Ads?

The short answer is yes! Your display campaigns can come in several shapes and sizes, which include the following:

  1. Banner Ads: One of the oldest and traditional forms of advertising, banner ads usually appear at the top of websites in a “banner” format.
  2. Interstitial Ads: These ads appear as web pages that are served to users before they are directed to the original page they requested.  You can see how this appears before accessing a web page or app on a mobile device.
  3. Rich Media: These ads include interactive elements, such as video, audio and clickable elements. An example shows how a banner can include an opt-in form right within the ad itself.
  4. Video Ads: The YouTube advertising platform, as well as social networks like Instagram and Facebook, have opened a whole new avenue for marketers. Video ads allow you to reach your audience and connect with them on a personal level, and are well worth investing in.
  5. Native advertising: is an effective strategy to deliver great creative and get your message in front of an engaged audience. This approach allows you to produce content that your audience loves on their favorite channels.

What Are The Benefits to Display Advertising?

As is the case with all marketing activities, display campaigns can come with their own pros and cons. Before we get into some actionable and in-depth advice on how to apply display ads to your business, let’s look at their benefits.

The pros:

  1. Diversity: Display ads come in many shapes and sizes. And as you’ve seen above, they can be presented in a number of formats, too. This means you can choose a style and advertising format that will help you achieve your goals.
  2. Reach: Thanks for the Google Display Network (GDN), you can access millions of sites straight from your Google Ads account.
  3. Targeting: Because of GDN’s extensive reach, you can also target the right audience by placing your ads on the right websites. This includes demographic and geo-targeting, along with specific interests of your target audience.
  4. Measurable: Clicks, impressions and conversions can all be tracked from Google Ads, as well as Google Analytics for more granular performance and engagement tracking.

1. Display Ad Strategy & the Sales Funnel

Like all digital marketing strategies, display advertising starts with goal setting. Display ads are no different, but this time the benefits are slightly different.

The average CTR of display ads across all formats and placements is 0.06%. However, if you set up a retargeting campaign that could generate an ROI of 486%.

Therefore, your strategy will ultimately depend on your goals. Some possible display ad goals include:

  • Building brand and top-of-mind awareness
  • Generating leads by offering a lead magnet
  • Attracting abandoned users/customers through retargeting
  • Nurturing leads through the buying process

2. Get Your Display Network Targeting Right

This is the part that can make or break your campaign. Without the right targeting, you risk serving your ads to people who simply don’t care about what you have to offer.

The number of targeting options available can be daunting. While the process works in a similar manner to the search network, display targeting goes far beyond keywords.

Let’s explore the different targeting options across the display network and how each of them work:

  1. Keyword Targeting: Google will serve your ads alongside content on websites that contain any target keywords you define.
  2. Demographic Targeting: Allows you to target an audience based on a website or audience’s basic demographic profile.
  3. Placement Targeting: This allows you to choose which website(s) your display ads appear on. For example, if you’re targeting a fashion audience, you can have your ads display on specific websites such as Vogue, Elle and Grazia.
  4. Topic Targeting: Allows users to target a group of websites that fit within a certain topic.
  5. Interest Targeting: Google has access to several data-points on its users, which allows you to serve display ads based on what users are entering into the search engine. These are then segmented into two further categories.

3. Creating Awesome Ad Creative

With your targeting set, it’s time to attract your perfect audience and get them to click – which is where creating effective and compelling ad creative comes in. Here are four tips to follow when planning and designing your creative display ad assets. No matter your design skills, they’ll help guide you when setting out to attract (or retarget) traffic.

While display ads are inherently visual formats, it’s still important to get the ad copy right. Here are a few things to keep in mind when crafting your copy:

  • Establish urgency: Use words such as “now” and “need” in order to compel people to act (click) quickly.
  • Make them curious: Ask questions and elicit an air of mystery by using phrases such as “beware,” “announcing” and “before it’s too late.”
  • Use numbers and symbols: Numbers are easy to understand, which is key when grabbing attention. Use stats and include numbers when providing social proof to encourage people to click.
  • Be bold: As important as the words you use is how you present them. Use bold lettering and typography that stands out. But make sure it’s clear to read.

4. Effective Landing Pages

You’ve got an attractive and eye-catching display ad that compels the user to take action. Great! Now it’s time to convert that traffic into customers and leads.

Landing pages are the lifeblood of any marketing campaign. And display ads are no different. Let’s cover some landing page best practices:

  1. Your landing page should have one purpose (and one message)
  2. Illustrate how your product, service or offer is used in context
  3. Include social proof in the form of testimonials or company logos
  4. Keep it short but sweet, include only necessary information
  5. Remove the navigation bar to avoid the user clicking away
  6. Make your call-to-action visible above the fold
  7. Test how video affects conversion rates
  8. When using lead forms, ask for only the necessary information

At Bullseye Marketing, we do two (2) things WELL:  

We GET you into the conversation  OR  We KEEP you in the conversation.

RIGHT  Message – RIGHT  Audience – RIGHT  Time – NO WASTE!