Ebook: Understanding Targeted Online Display Advertising

Need a starting point or “101 lesson” on the different types of online display advertising available today? Looking for more ways to get your brand in front of your most important prospects and customers? This ebook is perfect for both!

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Online Display Advertising

Online display advertising is a type of digital advertising. If you’ve ever seen a banner ad, you’ve seen display advertising. Display ads are placed on third-party websites through providers such as Google or Bing. The benefits of display advertising are many and varied: display advertising is cost-effective, has a low barrier to entry, and can be modified on-the-fly depending on what is noticed about the campaign.

Why is display advertising an effective acquisition channel? The display advertising network spends an extraordinary amount of time collecting data about users and user behavior. They’re able to send the display ads to the customers most likely to make a purchase and commit. When looking to advertise a new business online, or even just a product, most people go to display advertising first. Together, display and video advertising can create an entire marketing campaign.

But before investing in a display marketing strategy, an organization needs detailed knowledge regarding what makes display advertising so effective. It starts with the benefits of banner ads: What are the benefits of display advertising over search advertising? They’re both important tools, but they’re used differently. The benefits of online display advertising is that they are able to target individuals likely to purchase and they can increase brand awareness over time. The benefits of banner ads is that they’re eye-catching, often able to integrate moving elements into a single ad.

Remarketing in display advertising can be particularly effective, as travelling display advertising can be targeted directly to customers who have already visited or already made a purchase. In doing so, the third-party advertising network is really scoring leads for the company, ensuring that the company gets the customers who will convert.

Display advertising should be part of an overall digital marketing strategy, rather than a singular component. With display advertising, companies are able to surround their most important prospects and customers, ensuring that they achieve familiarity with the brand. As buying committees have increased, it’s important for companies to get their brand in front of as many decision-makers as possible; targeted display advertising can help.

Google Ads

Google Ads and the Google Display Network are some of the first advertising tools most marketers will use today. Google Ads is a third-party network of advertisers. There are Display Ads Google and Search Ads Google. Display Ads Google will display ads over the Google Display Network, which includes millions upon millions of sites. If you’ve seen ads on websites that say “Google” at the bottom, you’ve already seen Google Display Ads examples.

There are other types of Google Ads apart from Google Display Advertising; Google Search Ads show up on the Google search query page. But Google Display Network targeting is very valuable, because it puts ads on sites that are most likely to be viewed by customers interested in making a purchase. There are many Google Display Network sites, and many of them may speak to the same audience as a marketer.

For those looking up how to set up Google Display ads and types of Google Display ads, the first step is to look up Google Display Network examples. These will show which ads are most effective within the marketplace. From there, technical specifications such as resolution and Google Display ads sizes should be followed. During setup, you’ll be asked to identify your demographics and upload any media, such as images, animations, or even videos. Google Display ads can show up on both desktop and mobile devices. And the Google Adwords placement tool can help you optimize your campaign.

How to run Google Display ads is another situation. You need to understand your Google Ads placement targeting, and it’s a good idea to look into the Google Display Network explained. Your ad network in display advertising is your channel and your Google AdWords placement tool will control where your ads are placed. If you’re looking into how to add placements in Google AdWords or how to optimize Google Display ads, all the data will be there in your Google dashboard. You’ll simply need to analyze the results to figure out the best options for you. Monitoring media like the Display Network WordStream can help.

Classified Advertising

What about online classified advertising? A decade ago, it was Craigslist; you could offer products and services with ease. Today, it’s more likely to be Facebook marketplace. Similar to Newspaper ads (and commonly written just like newspaper advertisement examples), online classifieds can help individuals who want to sell a few items or who want to develop their hobbies. But online classifieds usually aren’t recommended for detailed, commercial enterprises.

The issue with online classifieds is that there’s a high noise to signal ratio. Most people are going to be “time wasters” and aren’t really interested in making a purchase.

Newspaper ads, on the other hand, still do exist. There are some newspaper advertising advantages: People who do look at a newspaper classified are already looking to commit. But if you’re honest about newspaper advertising advantages and disadvantages, there are some downsides, too: Namely, it’s far more expensive than most online display advertising.

Still, display advertising in newspapers online isn’t unheard of either. there are types of newspaper advertising, including those full page spreads people see, or things in the classifieds section. Newspaper as a medium of advertisement likely is never going away, but the days of marketers being introduced into a crash course of newspaper advertisement introduction are largely gone. Barring some industries such as real estate, newspapers are now somewhat antiquated.

There are some companies who may want to advertise in the newspaper, but almost always an actual ad is going to be more effective than a classified ad. The ads in the newspaper are very similar to banner ads today. They need to be sharp, concise, and eye-catching. And they have to be eye-catching (usually) in black and white rather than color. But because it does cost a lot more to put an ad in the paper, people should consider whether their budget is really open to it.

Banner Ads

Let’s take a look at some of the banner ad design best practices and banner ad best practices 2019. Banner advertising has come a long way from the beginnings of the web. Today, banner ads are more professional, sophisticated, and effective. Before you even begin to determine your display campaign structure, you also need to figure out how brands are going to extend your brand identity. Here are a few tips for improving upon your banner advertising:

  • Being identifiable. You want your audience to be able to see three ads from your company and immediately recognize that they’re from you. Make sure you have a good brand style, that you have noticeable brand colors, and that you consistently add your logo to your ads.
  • Directing your audience. A call-to-action should be somewhere on the ad, to ensure that those looking at it know what they’re expected to do next. Even if it’s just as simple as “click this banner,” it will increase the odds that they continue to interact with your brand.
  • Remaining concise. Most people don’t read an ad in full. They focus on it for just a few seconds. You need to catch their attention immediately and leave them wanting for more.
  • Avoiding theatrics. People want to see attractive ads. But they don’t want to see things that are flashing quickly, that are clashing colors, or that are otherwise frustrating. Make your ads catchy, but don’t push it too far.

For some people, marketing comes natural. For others, it is a skill that takes time to develop. Regardless of how you form your banner ads, you should make sure that people are left wanting more, and that they understand that there is a value proposition that will reward them once they’ve clicked through.

Banner ads have to properly represent your band, and they need to make a good impression. Sometimes that’s easier said than done. One of the best tricks a company can do is an A/B test. You can run multiple ads at the same time to determine which one is most effective, and continue comparing different ads to narrow down to the best ones.

Display Ads Example

Taking a look at a display ads example can be a great way to learn more about the industry. Display advertising examples don’t just show you what you like, they also show you what you don’t like. They show you what succeeded and what failed. While there are many types of display ads, and display advertising placement (and the format of display advertisement) is not entirely under your control, there will be some very actionable observations you can make with other ads examples.

If you want to know how to write a display advertisement or how to improve display ads, evaluating other examples is a great way to learn. You may be curious about the benefits of using responsive display ads, or worried about following best practices. You may need to look at ads that exemplify similar brands or your current industry. Looking at the competition is a good way to come out on top and see what they’re doing and how it can be improved upon.

When looking at examples, look at the sizes, dimensions, content, and how they promote their brand. Ask yourself questions about what works for each, and why it works. The more examples your marketing team looks at, the better their understanding will be about how people react to these types of advertisements. After you look at examples, you can start to experiment with your own display ads. Over time, effectiveness will improve.

Don’t forget to pay attention regarding what’s written in each display ad. The content matters, especially the call-to-action. Examining responsive display ads will show you more about what’s currently expected on a technological level, and looking at the imagery that’s depicted in the ad can tell you a lot about a brand, its identity, and how it is promoting itself to others.

No one becomes an expert in online display advertising overnight. But with enough experience and knowledge, marketers can leverage display advertising for profound results.