7 Tips for Successful Online Display Advertising

The local Display opportunity is “ready for prime time” – but like any other form of marketing there are right and wrong ways to structure a campaign. These seven tips appeared on Adotas, in Kristi Carter’s post, and offer some excellent tips…

Although online display ads can work wonderfully to promote your product or service, many times they simply suck. In fact, 90 percent of all online display ads aren’t read at all. In fact, most are a huge waste of space – they’re boring, the copy stinks, and they aren’t graphically pleasing.  It’s not that advertisers want to waste their money; its just that they haven’t learned how to play the online display ad game.

This is a shame because online advertising can work, if you know how to work it. Comscore has said that based on its research, digital advertising is going to increase by 23.3 percent in 2012 alone. It is expected that 45 percent of small-to-medium-sized businesses will be advertising online. Larger companies are already online or about to go online.

Every day, more people turn on their computers or use their mobile phones and tablets than watch TV. When a news flash is heard on Twitter, people don’t run to the TV for updates; they either stay on Twitter or start frantically searching the web for more information. Advertisers are aware of this trend, but many don’t know how to make those ads convert.

To make your display ads work, consider these seven points:

1. Target the right audience. Know which consumer you’re targeting and create an ad that will appeal to that audience. Use behavioral targeting and geographic targeting too. This will help you hone in on the types of people who see your ads and will ensure that they appeal to your target audience so you can maximize conversions.

2. Make them aesthetically pleasing. Pay close attention to the design of your ad. Invest some time into planning the color scheme and content message. Don’t be afraid to use bold colors or experiment with cool designs. You may even add flash ads or animated GIFs. After all, you want people to actually read the ad instead of simply glancing at it. Unfortunately, banner ads have become so much a part of the web experience that it’s often easy for viewers to block them out. By being bold and daring, you can get and keep the reader’s attention so they will act on the offer.

3. Focus on the content. With online display ads, your content must sell.  Use enticing content that will engage your reader. Be interesting. Be honest. Be real. Entice people to act upon your offer. You don’t want them to think about it and come back later. You want them to act now. Here’s how:

• Be direct, but not pushy.
• Include a strong call to action.
• Be compelling but not annoying or destructive. Avoid bashing the competition to make your brand look better.
• Use SEO and tags to generate leads.
• Add a little humor, but not toilet humor.
• Consider adding a clickable button to further promote your call to action.

4. De-clutter your ad. Keep the design clean and make sure it’s visually appealing. Concentrate on one marketing message at a time. Don’t cross-promote in your display ads. Instead, focus and deliver.

5. Fight for a good location. Since ad blindness can be a problem, you always want to make sure that your display ads are in a prominent spot. Above the fold is typically the best place.

6. Be creative. Don’t be boring. Instead, try different formats to see which one works the best. You may find that including images and video works best. Or you may find that graphics and strong content work the best.

7. Evaluate your metrics. Just like other marketing campaign, it is important to study your tracking data. Carefully review your impressions and your conversions.  You may also want to track form submissions and telephone calls. Use these results to improve your ads so that they convert even higher. Tweak them to maximize effectiveness/conversions.

A Case in Point

Cadbury, a well-known confectionery firm that has been around for over 43 years, used to place a lot of faith in TV ads. Recently, the company split-tested two ads: one on TV and the other on the Internet. The online ads increased sales by 20 percent and only used up  7 percent of the company’s ad budget!