According to Google and my experience mentoring students, in a matter of a couple hours or less you could get an ad to show up on about 2 million websites! Yep, that’s possible and realistic on the GDN – Google Display Network. And that’s just one ad network. There is Facebook’s ad platform and many others like LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. which all could be utilized to advertise your business in front of millions of people very quickly.
Yes, it takes money (aka ad spend) but as always you get to choose what you invest. You control your ad spend 100%. So starting off with even $5 to $10 a day is possible. Sure that budget won’t reach a ton of people immediately but at least you’ll start getting more people to become aware of the value your business has to offer on an automated basis without needing to manually or organically create awareness to your offer.
If you are struggling to reach a significantly larger audience then today I’ll show you how tapping into the power of digital display advertising may be the best digital cure you’ve been looking for to boost traffic and sales. Making your offer or brand omnipresent is a huge key to successful sales because people can obviously only buy something if they know about it in the first place.
This is why launching paid campaigns such as display marketing campaigns is so powerful is because you can help millions of people very quickly become aware of what you have to offer.
From eye-catching static images to engaging videos, digital display advertising offer a variety of formats that can effectively communicate your message and capture your audience’s interest very quickly. And the best part? You can track your results and see exactly how your image or video ads are performing.
Let’s jump into it…
What are display ads?
If you are a total newbie to display advertising this section is for you. If not, feel free to skip ahead, or get a refresher.
Display advertising is a form of online advertising that involves the display of visual ads, such as banner ads, image ads, and rich media ads, on websites, social media platforms, and other digital media outlets. Display advertising provides businesses and organizations with an opportunity to reach a large and targeted audience with their marketing messages.
The visual format of display advertising makes it an attractive and engaging way to reach consumers and drive brand awareness, consideration, and conversion.
Display ads are different from other types of online advertising, such as search engine advertising and social media advertising, which primarily rely on text and keywords to reach consumers.
Display ads, on the other hand, rely on images, videos, and animations to catch the eye of the target audience which is awesome!
Display advertisements are typically served through ad networks and ad exchanges, which act as intermediaries between advertisers and publishers. The purpose of display advertising is to connect businesses and organizations with the right audience at the right time, and to deliver advertising messages in a way that is relevant, engaging, and memorable.
Popular display image sizes
While you can technically create any image to display your ad professionally there are specific ad image sizes that are allowed on specific networks so the images can be properly placed automatically on websites. Here is a chart to show you the popular display ad image sizes in pixels:
With these different formats, display advertising provides businesses and organizations with a range of options for reaching their target audience and delivering their marketing messages.
Let’s take a closer look at the different types of digital display ads:
Digital Banner Ads Example
These are rectangular ads that appear at the top, bottom, or sides of a website and are usually in the form of a static image or a simple animation. Most times these are eithe 920 x 90/280 pixels or 728 x 90/280 pixels.
Online Image Ads Example
These are visual ads that typically display a product or service, such as a clothing item, a food item, or a technology product. Image ads are often used to drive product consideration and purchase intent.
Rich Media Ads Example
These are interactive, dynamic ads that allow users to engage with the ad in various ways, such as by expanding the ad to reveal additional content, playing a video, or taking a survey. Rich media ads are often used to build brand awareness and drive engagement.
Examples of Video Display Ads
These are ads that feature a video or animation, typically displayed as a pre-roll ad before a video content. Video ads are an effective way to deliver a compelling message, demonstrate a product or service, or tell a story.
Examples of Interactive Digital Ads
These are ads that allow users to interact with the ad in various ways, such as by clicking buttons, playing games, or taking quizzes. Interactive ads are often used to drive engagement and brand awareness.
Example of a Native Ad
These are display ads that are designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding content, so that they look and feel like a natural part of the website or app. Native ads are often used to deliver advertising messages in a subtle and non-intrusive way.
These native ads are my favorite way to advertise! It’s more natural and produces higher quality traffic I’ve seen because the click comes from someone who didn’t feel they were advertised to. In other words they didn’t feel as much of “being sold” on your ad. Most people don’t like to be sold but rather sincerely helped with their need.
Expandable Ad Example
These are ads that start as a small banner or box and expand to reveal more content when triggered by a user interaction, such as a mouse hover or a click. Expandable ads are often used to deliver more information about a product or service in an engaging way.
Digital ad placement and targeting
Ad placement and targeting are two critical components of a successful display advertising campaign. Ad placement refers to where the ad is displayed on a website or digital platform, while targeting refers to the specific audience that the ad is intended to reach.
Ad placement is an important factor in determining the effectiveness of a display ad. Advertisers can choose from a variety of ad placements, including leaderboard ads (at the top of a website), skyscraper ads (along the sides of a website), and rectangle ads (in the middle of a website).
Advertisers can also choose to display their ads on specific websites, or across a network of websites that cater to a specific audience or topic.
Targeting, on the other hand, is about identifying the right audience for the ad. Display advertising provides advertisers with a variety of targeting options, including demographic targeting (such as age, gender, and location), behavioral targeting (such as previous online behavior and purchasing history), and contextual targeting (such as the content of the website or app where the ad is displayed).
By using a combination of ad placement and targeting, advertisers can maximize the impact of their display advertising campaigns and reach the right audience with the right message, at the right time.
Effective targeting and placement can help drive higher engagement rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, and help deliver a better return on investment.
Measuring success with digital display ads
Measuring the success of a display advertising campaign is an important step in understanding the impact of the advertising effort and in making informed decisions about future campaigns. There are several key metrics that are used to measure the success of display ads, including:
Impressions:
This is a measure of the number of times an ad is displayed to a user. Impressions provide an indication of the reach and visibility of the ad.
Click-Through Rate (CTR):
This is a measure of the number of clicks an ad receives divided by the number of impressions. CTR is a key metric for understanding the engagement and relevance of an ad. If your CTR is usually above 2% that means your target audience really likes your ad, nice work! If the CTR is somewhere below 2% you might spend some time either optimizing your audience, changing your ad or choosing an entirely different audience.
Tip: always have an A/B split test campaign running to discover what is working better in comparison to the control and the variable ad campaign.
Conversion Rate:
This is a measure of the number of users who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form, after clicking on an ad. Conversion rate provides an indication of the effectiveness of an ad in driving a desired outcome.
Cost Per Impression (CPM):
This is a measure of the cost of delivering 1,000 impressions of an ad. CPM is used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a display advertising campaign.
Return on Investment (ROI):
This is a critical KPI to measure the return generated by an advertising campaign compared to the investment made. ROI is a key metric for evaluating the overall success of a display advertising campaign.
By tracking these metrics, advertisers can gain a better understanding of the performance of their display advertising campaigns and make informed decisions about future campaigns. Additionally, using analytics tools and dashboards, advertisers can gain insights into the performance of their ads and make data-driven decisions to optimize their campaigns for better results.
How to create a display ad yourself for Free online
You can easily design your own display ads using my favorite design tool at Canva.com here. I literally use Canva with my team every day to create all types of ad images, videos and much more. They have a free account too so it’s super easy to get started.
Regardless of the approach, it’s important to create display ads that are visually appealing, align with your brand and marketing objectives, accepted by the ad network or platform you’re using to effectively target your desired audience to drive results.
Guidelines to effective display ads
Creating an effective display ads require careful planning and execution. Here are some tips for creating display ads that will capture the attention of your target audience and drive results:
1. Define Your Objectives:
Start by clearly defining what you want to achieve with your display advertising campaign. This will help guide the creative process and ensure that your ads are aligned with your goals.
2. Know Your Target Audience:
Understand who you want to reach with your ads and what motivates them. This will help you create ads that resonate with your target audience and drive results.
3. Make It Captivating:
Display ads are visual in nature, so it’s important to create ads that are eye-catching and engaging. Use high-quality images or graphics, and consider using animation or video to bring your ads to life.
4. Keep It Simple:
Display ads are often viewed briefly, so it’s important to keep the message simple and easy to understand. Use a clear and concise headline and ensure that the most important information is prominently displayed.
5. Use Action-Oriented Language:
Encourage users to take action with your ad by using language that is action-oriented. Use strong calls to action (CTAs) such as “Learn More,” “Sign Up,” or “Buy Now.”
6. Test and Optimize:
Once your display ads are live, it’s important to continually test and optimize them. Use analytics tools to track performance, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your ads for better results.
By following these tips, you can create display ads that will capture the attention of your target audience and drive results for your business. Display advertising provides businesses with an effective way to reach their target audience and achieve their marketing objectives, and with a well-executed campaign, you can achieve great success.
Best Practices for display ads
Best practices for display advertising involve several key steps that help ensure that your campaigns are effective and drive results. Firstly, it’s important to clearly define your target audience. This involves understanding who you want to reach with your ads and what motivates them. This information will help guide the creative process and ensure that your ads resonate with your target audience.
Secondly, make sure your display ads are visually appealing and engaging. Display ads are visual in nature, so it’s important to create ads that are eye-catching and will capture the attention of your target audience. Use high-quality images or graphics, and consider using animation or video to bring your ads to life.
Thirdly, keep the message simple and easy to understand. Display ads are often viewed briefly, so it’s important to ensure that the most important information is prominently displayed and that the message is clear and concise.
Fourthly, use action-oriented language and strong calls to action (CTAs) to encourage users to take action with your ad. This could be something as simple as “Learn More,” “Sign Up,” or “Buy Now.”
Finally, continually test and optimize your display ads. Use analytics tools to track performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize your ads for better results. This includes experimenting with different ad formats, targeting strategies, and creative elements to determine what works best for your audience and your business.
By following these best practices, businesses can create display ads that will capture the attention of their target audience, drive results, and achieve their marketing objectives.
In conclusion
Display advertising is an effective way for businesses to reach their target audience and drive results. By following best practices, such as defining your target audience, creating visually appealing ads, using action-oriented language and strong CTAs, and continually testing and optimizing your ads, businesses can create display ads that are effective and achieve their marketing objectives.
Additionally, utilizing ad networks and platforms, working with ad agencies, or hiring freelance designers can make the process of creating display ads easier and more efficient.
If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re looking for ways to improve your digital marketing strategy and reach more customers. The first step to achieving that goal is to understand your business objectives and target audience. That’s where Watchman Advisors comes in.
At Watchman Advisors, we believe in taking a personalized approach to marketing by talking to our clients and understanding their unique goals and challenges. Only then can we craft a strategy that’s tailored to their needs and delivers results.
Display advertising is a key component of that strategy, allowing businesses to create visually appealing and engaging ads that can capture their audience’s attention and drive conversions. So, let’s have a chat about your business goals and see how display advertising can help take your marketing to the next level.
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