If you’ve been in the marketing world for a few years you may have the impression that display advertising requires a big budget and a high threshold for pain. Historically you’re correct, but with better data and better advertising technology the buy-in for display campaigns is coming down.
Today we’re going to look at a few display advertising options that are affordable for many organizations and may help you decide if display ads can help you reach your goals.
Retargeting / Remarketing
Many names are used to describe this product including: retargeting, remarketing, search retargeting etc., but the mechanism is the same. You’re reaching a user you already know something about with a display ad. If you’re measuring your buying cycle in days or weeks getting a second touch on a user can be essential. There are many networks for retargeting, but some of the common self-serve options are AdWords, AdRoll and social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn.
If the user didn’t convert on the first visit it’s a good idea to give them a small incentive like a discount, a reminder the sale is ending or exclusive information to read or download. Retargeting campaigns are often high converting and low cost, but finding the right message is the key to success.
Social Media Display
Social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn can be effective depending on your business model. Your first question should be, ‘is social media a good fit in general and if so, which network makes sense?’ If you’re seeing high engagement on Facebook, maybe display ads could help.
First decide if you’re going to test retargeting ads or target based on other criteria like interests, demographics or affiliations. Second, map out your use case. Who is the user? What would compel them to engage with your brand? Where should that take place…on the social network or your website?
Lastly, make sure you have a good handle on your conversion metrics. Facebook especially will try to provide success metrics of one kind or another regardless of how you define success, which can lead to an overly optimistic view of your campaigns.
Google Product Listing Ads
Over the years these have been called Google Shopping Ads, Google Product Ads and many more informal names, but if you’re selling ecommerce products, these may be a smart option to investigate. Technically they aren’t display ads, but they do have an image and fall a little outside the standard SEO and PPC strategy.
Users get to see your product, read reviews and compare it easily with similar listings. While we have seen shopping engines decline over time, users still use Google and Amazon to research products as much as individual websites, so covering your ecommerce bases is a good idea.
Hopefully this information about non-standard display ad channels will help open your view of image ads. If you have questions about choosing the right strategy or working to test one of these channels, get in touch. We’re ready to help.