Over the past 10 years, the amount of time people spend on the internet has EXPLODED. Rather than just spending about an hour on the computer at night, we are exposed to to the internet throughout the day. The internet is constantly at our fingertips. Statistics show that consumers are spending more time on the internet than ever before. Digital advertising gives businesses a way to access their target audiences in the palm of their hands.
Types Of Digital Advertising
Digital advertising is a rather broad term for many different strategies and techniques. There are several different ways companies can communicate directly with their ideal clients in a way that increases revenue.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) consists using techniques to gain more visibility on a search engine results page (SERP) to send more leads to a website. There are hundreds of thousands of searches a day. SEM allows businesses to advertises their services directly to the people that are searching for related topics. SEM strategies ensure that businesses are advertising to people who have already expressed an interest in their services. Compared to other advertising strategies like TV commercials, SEM is laser-focused.
There are two different types of SEM strategies. The first is called Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing. It is called PPC because advertisers only pay for the ad if a user clicks on the ad. PPC campaigns allow business owners to set their own budgets, and target specific search terms to ensure best possible leads are going to their website.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is another technique used to advertise on search engines. SEO involves using keyword research, backlinks, and relevant content to rank high organically on the SERPs. SEO is known as the best long-term SEM strategy. That is because websites, and specific pages, with good SEO tend to stay high in the rankings overtime. PPC strategies are known for short-term advertising goals, because when done right, they can generate a larger amount of leads in a very short amount of time.
Display & Remarketing Advertising
When most people hear the term “display advertising”, they might not immediately know what it means, but they will know it when they see it. There has probably not been a single day that has gone by where you have not seen a digital display ad. Display ads are closer to the typical advertisements of the past. They use images and text to convert possible new customers. These display ads take it one step further than magazine or tv ads, though. When a user clicks on the display ad, they are taken to a specific landing page that tries to immediately convert the user.
Have you ever wondered why you see ads for websites you have visited recently? It’s not magic. They are display remarketing ads. Businesses see that you have visited their websites, and use remarketing campaigns to follow you around the internet for a certain period of time in the hopes that you will come back and purchase a product, or book a service.
Social Media Advertising
If you’re one of the 4 billion people with a social media account, then you have definitely been exposed to social media advertising. If you haven’t noticed yet, every 4th post you scroll past on Facebook is a social media ad. Businesses can use social media expand their brand organically, or through sponsored (paid) advertisements. Many companies have been able to “blow up” their business on social media. Shows like Shark Tank, display how social media can be used to grow a business fast. Connecting with your target audience on a more personal level is a great way to build not only sales, but brand loyalty as well.
This Is Just The Beginning
These three examples of digital advertising are definitely not the only techniques used. They are just three easy examples that every business can use to grow their business exponentially. As technology continues to grow, and the influence of the internet continues to rise, digital advertising becomes even more important for every business to utilize.