If you're not using the Internet to promote your business, it's about time you start. If you have been using it for a while now and haven't seen the results you need, it might be that you aren't really using it the right way. The Internet is a powerful tool, and it can be used to help your business grow and thrive. It's not just about creating a website, though—you need to know what kind of digital ads you should use to get the best results.
Digital advertising campaigns are a great way to promote your business. They can help you target the right audience, and they're easy to set up. However, there are many different types of digital ads, and it can be hard to know which one is right for you.
What is Digital Advertising?
Under the umbrella of marketing, a digital advertisement requires the Internet to track, promote, highlight or encourage potential customers to start moving through your customer journey. Digital advertising can target any audience and can take many forms. It is an excellent way for your business to reach new customers and boost conversion rates by getting them where they are most likely to find information about your product or services.
7 Digital Ads Categories
There are many different types of digital ads that can be used to reach your target audience. In fact, many digital ad categories are perfect for small businesses looking to make their mark online. Here are seven digital advertising categories that might be right for you.
Search Ads
Search advertising is the oldest form of digital advertising, and they're still going strong.
You can't browse your favorite website without seeing these ads pop up from time to time. They appear in your browser whenever you look up anything on a search engine like Google Search or Bing.
These ads are usually paid per click, meaning that advertisers pay each time their ad is clicked on by someone who then visits their website.
Examples include pay-per-click (PPC) search ads like Google AdWords, which lets businesses bid on keywords related to their industry and location so that people searching for those terms see their company's AdWords results first.
Display Ads
Display ads are the most common form of digital advertising. You'll see them when you're browsing the web, and they usually appear on high-traffic sites with niche communities.
Display advertising can be either static or animated, and it can take up a lot of space on your screen—sometimes as much as 2 or 3 times the size of a standard banner ad! While this may seem like it would be annoying to have so much of your screen taken up by one ad, it's pretty common for display ads to be highly effective at getting people to click through to the site they belong to.
For example, they appear on high-traffic sites with niche communities, like eHow.com, and pop up when you're surfing affiliate websites.
Apps
Apps ads are a great way to target people who have already downloaded your app. This is the perfect place for brands to show off their software or promote new features or updates that might be exciting to users. The more people who have downloaded your app, the more engaged those customers are likely to be. That means they're more likely to be willing to spend money on the in-app experience you provide.
These ads can be placed anywhere in the app and can take many different forms, including pop-ups and video ads. The customer can usually take these ads off with a micro-transaction, so they're not as intrusive as other types of digital advertising.
Email ads are one of the most effective ways to start a conversation with your target audience. It's also a great way to build relationships with them over time.
An email marketing campaign can be super personable, as they are usually focused on lead generation rather than mass exposure. They can also help start a communication chain between customer and brand.
Email ads typically feature links that lead the reader directly to your website, where they can learn more about your company and its offerings. They're often designed with bright colors and eye-catching graphics that draw attention from the reader's inbox.
Influencer
Influencer ads are a great way to build brand awareness and a wider audience. These ads use the reach and authority of a celebrity or a thought leader in a niche community. Their brand and effort help validate trust, which is why influencers are so effective at helping brands reach their target audience.
The influencers themselves can be celebrities, bloggers, or even just ordinary people with large followings on social media. The most successful digital marketing campaigns have an extensive reach, thanks to the number of followers these influencers have.
Digital advertising companies can use influencers to promote products, services, and events. A great example of this is when someone with a large following on Twitter or Instagram posts about your business. They can also give you testimonials or endorse you in their videos, blog posts, etc.
Retargeting
Have you ever engaged with a product online and then seen it pop up everywhere you go, regardless of the site? You knew it wasn't a coincidence—but now you know it's called retargeting.
Retargeting allows advertisers to continue their digital marketing efforts by showing users relevant ads on different websites, even if they have already visited their site. This is done using cookies that track user behavior and create profiles for them to serve more relevant content.
For example, if someone visits your site but doesn't make a purchase, they may see an ad for that product on another website they visit later on. Retargeting can include banner ads, email marketing campaigns, search engine marketing (SEM), social media, and video ads.
Native Ads
Native ads are the most natural-looking of all digital ads. They fit perfectly into their format and integrate perfectly with digital platforms. This makes them feel like they were always there, not like they were added on after the fact. Because of this, native ads can be more effective than other kinds of digital advertising because they don't feel like advertising at all.
When you think about it, native advertising is a form of content marketing. A company creates social media ads that match its audience's interests and integrate seamlessly into their experience with the brand, creating a positive association between the two parties.
For example, if you're looking at a Facebook page, an ad might appear as an organic post on your news feed from one of your friends who likes both brands.
Use digital ads that work best for your business.
You now know what types of ads are out there and how they can be used for your digital advertising strategy to help your business. The best part? You can now go out into the world knowing that you have an advantage over other companies that aren't using online marketing.
Remember, this is just a starting point for your digital ad campaign's future success. You don't have to use all seven ads at once, but if you're looking to boost your business' growth rate, it's essential to keep all options open!
