Online Advertising
Just like every other medium such as television, radio, cinema and newspapers, the internet needs advertising on websites to fund content and services so that we can receive the majority of its content for free, rather than pay a subscription to visit and/or be a registered user.
Brands pay for advertising online, because nowadays people spend so much time on the internet during their day, and this is a great way to reach them with news of new products, special offers or simply entertain them with branded games and applications on social networking websites.
Online advertising comes in many forms that are non-intrusive and can complement your web browsing session. Search engines such as Google or Bing have their own advertising model which works on a pay-per-click basis (i.e. an advertiser pays when someone clicks on their sponsored link.) There’s also what we refer to as ‘online display advertising’ – static or moving banners which either go at the top, side or middle of a webpage.
There are also other forms of advertising on the internet such as via email, viral videos and classifieds (like the ones you see in newspapers), as well as advertising within games. These have all grown rapidly over the past few years. This trend will continue as advertising moves onto other internet-connected devices, such as mobiles and tablets
Online behavioural or interest based advertising is a way of providing advertisements on the websites you visit and making them more relevant to your interests. This is done by grouping together shared interests based upon previous web browsing activity. Advertising is then displayed to surfers when they visit a website which matches these interests.
Most behavioural advertising is based upon your web browsing activity over a period of time – so it’s different to contextual advertising people see when looking for something online using a search engine (eg Google or Bing) or on the website people may be visiting at a particular time. Relevant ads can also be delivered based upon the website content you have just been viewing. This is known as ‘retargeting’.
We harness a good strategy for you and keep it ongoing for as long as you need, all the biggest brands advertise constantly using a variety of and mixture of strategies. Advertising Online works, because the internet is a visual arena, people have to look at or listen to it even if its a brief banner, the more captivating and exciting the content, the higher the likelihood of interesting a prospector.
Our methods include:
Local Listings or Local SEO: These are free and are a must for local businesses. These include Google Places for Business, Yahoo! Local, Yelp for Business, and more. And, more than likely, your business already has a listing that just needs to be claimed. Most of this type of content is provided by larger Yellow Pages like companies like InfoUSA that have been collecting this information for years. We Make sure your listings are claimed, up to date, and have as much keyword rich and relevant information as possible.
Search Advertising (aka Pay-Per-Click Advertising): Picking and choosing when to display ads for your product or service based on potential customers’ search keywords has turned the advertising world on it’s head. Never before have you been able to target just those who are in the market for what you sell. Even better, this advertising model only charges you when someone clicks your ad, so the more targeted you make your marketing message, the better. Work with a search engine marketing specialist or PPC company to implement you campaigns based on your budget
Content Marketing: Often referred to as inbound marketing, content marketing is especially powerful because it allows you to solve problems for your customers, solidifying your expertise, and maintaining as their company of choice. Similar to SEO, content marketing attracts users to your content
Display Ads: Display ads are featured in various ad sizes throughout website and utilize many of the targeting options mentioned in this list. Display ads can be static images, flash, video and expandable.
Geotargeting: Sell a generally needed product to a specific area? You might be successful utilizing geotargeted advertising which can be targeted down to the zip code of the online viewer. Geo-targeting your advertising to a specific area can typically be achieved on any online advertising platform.
Group Buying: Sites like LivingSocial and Groupon have become extremely popular, literally guanteeing customers for businesses. However, these “deal sites” come with a price and often result in very few long-term customers. These can work for certain businesses, but do your research and tread with caution here.
Text Message or SMS Marketing: Mobile is becoming a bigger market for targeted advertising as phones and tablets with iOS and Android mobile operation systems become more popular. You should start collecting your customers mobile phone numbers and permission to send them announcements now, even if you don’t have a strategy in place.
Social Networking: Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter have opened the door for the rise of the virtual “Word-of-Mouth” referral, which is a large factor in many consumer buying decisions. Companies should be building a social media strategy that involves use of networks (large and small) that make sense for their industry.
Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing can be a great way to make sales, as it effectively is the outsourcing of a sales staff to users who are selling your product for a small commission per sale.
Online Videos: Video is a great way to make your product or service even more real to those who are visiting your website. Customer testimonials, product overviews, and demos all work nicely and properly titled videos can drive SEO based traffic.