Online Advertising Strategies

4 Types of Online Advertising Strategies Every Business Should Look Into

* Today's article was contributed by Tiffany Olson who works full-time at Optimize Worldwide, a Northern California  marketing company specializing in online advertising, SEO, and website development. Creating more powerful results for their clients.

In a world where the average person uses the Internet for a good part of their day, whether it’s for business or for pleasure, companies must adjust their marketing efforts if they want to be discovered by consumers. While traditional advertising with magazines, newspapers, television and radio may never go completely out of style, there is definitely a growing need for businesses who really want to stand out from the competition to incorporate online advertising strategies into their plans. Those companies, in particular, that are working with smaller marketing budgets can often see their dollar go a lot further on the Internet than on other advertising platforms. If you’re just beginning to explore your online options, these are a few good places to start.

Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing refers to the paid advertisements that can be seen at the very top or along the side of search results in Google, Bing, etc. that are related to the keywords for a specific product or service. Those areas are prime real estate in search engine results since the majority of consumers never get past the first few rankings. This is also referred to as pay-per-click advertising because, as an advertiser, your money is spent only when a possible customer actually clicks on the ad, sending them to your website for more information.

Social Media Advertising

Social media is no longer just for posting your current mood or pictures of your recent vacation. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, etc. are all viable networks for catching the attention of consumers from all over the world and offer their own advertising alternatives. With hashtags and live chats, it’s never been easier to discover what people are talking about and how you can relate that to your business. Social media advertising allows you to target your campaigns to a certain audience who has already expressed interest in your product or service. Another advantage is knowing that social media is used throughout the day and on all types of devices, so your ads can be seen from anywhere at any time. 

Retargeting

A newer approach that businesses have found to be successful is something called retargeting marketing. This involves tracking consumers that have recently visited your website or clicked on a banner ad but didn’t make a transaction. Retargeted ads serve to remind them of their previous interest by following them around to different sites that they visit. Seeing the product or service pop up again and again creates brand awareness and it becomes more likely for the consumer to choose your company when they decide to convert into a paying customer.

Banner Ads

Banner ads use text and images to appeal to Internet users and call them to action (click for more details, call now, schedule an appointment, etc.). These ads are static and placed on multiple websites around the Internet according to the specific audience you wish to target. Once an ad is clicked on, the customer will be redirected to the company’s site to complete their transaction or to learn more details about the business and their offerings.

Not every company is going to have the same online advertising needs, so it’s important to do your research about each strategy and decide which plan would be the most beneficial to you and reach the most potential customers.

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