In 2018, the huge tech company Samsung spent more than $11 billion on advertising and sales promotion. I wondered whether they had missed a trick by not advertising and keeping the $11 billion as profit (after all, everybody knows Samsung). But the landscape of online ads has grown with recent trends. “Out of sight” has literally become out of mind because of the sheer volume of advertisements people are exposed to, daily.
The need for a brand known around the world like Samsung to still invest billions has shown the rapid growth of the online advertising industry and it foretells further growth.
In fact, researchers believe online advertisements will reach the $333 billion mark in 2019. That is a huge amount to spend on adverts, right? Probably not. With the rate of growth, the next 5 years could see the mark doubled.
Statistics will point us to the fact that a large percentage of the world’s population spends more time online than on any other activity, this could be a very broad reason as to why online ads are booming. So, crack open the piggy bank and put all your money into online ads for your businesses? No, at least not until you have resolved other underlying issues that make online adverts effective.
Questions such as Why and How must be asked and appropriate answers gotten before getting on the gravy train of online ads.
Why Online Ads
The aim of business organizations is to make a profit. The only way to make a profit is to make sales. The only way sales can occur is if the products or services get to the people who need them.
Influencing People’s Decisions
While the above statement is true, we must also consider the fact that many people make on the spur decisions especially about online shopping. The mobile marketing association in their research found out that people form opinions about ads in about half a second (not enough time for anything, really) but that is all it takes for a large number of people to form positive or negative opinions.
With an effective online advert (we will get to HOW) you can essentially change people’s opinions about your services/goods. It isn’t about reaching consumers anymore, it is more about influencing them to sometimes buy what they might not totally need (raise your hand if you’ve bought stuff online you didn’t really need).
Targeting Specific Consumers Through Emails/Numbers
The known methods in Online Ads continue to be useful. Features like ad formats, extensions, and targeting options are still important features. But with the growth of the industry, new avenues are opening up. One such avenue is the “social PPC” (Pay per click). The huge data made available by social media sites can help narrow down consumer preferences and specific markets. It is important to note however that the data can be confusing, so an expert in online advertising may need to be consulted.
Perhaps the most important driver of growth in the online ad industry is the emergence of “Identity PPC”. While keyword targeting and remarketing are useful tools, there is a more direct way to reach consumer bases. Identity PPC enables you to reach specific people on their emails directly. The best part is people cannot unsubscribe from ads on most popular social media sites. There is literally nowhere to hide. Good news for marketers.
Non Intrusive Ads
One other reason why online adverts are more effective can be found in comparing years of ” aggressive pop-up ” methods of advertising with discreet online advertisements. Now, integration is the order of the day. Seamlessly slotting into your DMs, feed or notifications is the goal of the advertiser and that makes people receive the ads with a little more goodwill than they would have if it were aggressive.
We see here that there are other reasons as to why online advertising is rapidly expanding. Knowing this can help us effectively apply it in practice.
How Can I Effectively Use Online Ads?
Before you pay for adverts, you might want to ask yourself a few questions like:
- Is this social media site the right place?
- Am I using the right people?
- Do I need to get outside help?
Placement Of Ads
Ads are only useful if they are viewed, this means advertisements must be in places, situations or environments where they can be seen. This is why digital video ads are gaining prominence.
Streaming videos online is now commonplace, ads are being added to almost every video watched by people worldwide. If you want to get your services or products across to more people, digital video ads is an important tool for you.
Many video ads are now being watched to the end. This is because the content is engaging and inclusive. In fact, inclusive ads are 25% more engaging than non-inclusive ads.
The Emerging Importance of Social Media Influencers
Large followings on social media platforms can be used to favorable ends. Social media influencers can change consumer’s perspective positively or even negatively.
Trends revealed have shown that social media influencers are now a staple of the advertisement industry and they are vital in building consumers’ trust in brands, especially new brands. Investing your ad budget in getting social media influencers to promote your business is now a smart and reliable way to enlarge the consumer base and influence public perception.
If you’re thinking, how can I reach these “influencers”? Then the answer is right here. Buzzstream! There, you can fill in keywords about a specific niche and you will get the contact information for social media influencers connected to your search.
The Expertise of Online Advertising Firms
We might be able to achieve a lot of advertising success on our own but with the help of experts, we can reduce our ads budget and still expand our consumer base.
Many social media sites will charge specific amounts for your ad to be placed on their sites. This might drive a lot of traffic your way or it might not. The reason for the failure could be the wrong location, wrong timing or wrong demographic. Experts will help enhance your ads in a way that will maximize your initial investments in advertising.
The scattergun approach can work, business owners can just pay through their noses on many social media sites for ad placements but it might not be a profitable endeavor. Experts will help minimize errors and maximize views.
One such expert is Neil Patel. He has been recognized by notable people and institutions like the former American president, Barack Obama and the United Nations as a brilliant marketer. A quick search on google will reveal a lot of experts willing to work with you in promoting your brand through online advertisements.
It is apparent that online advertising is definitely the future and no matter the advantages of other advertising, what they can never give you is the global reach that the internet provides.
For example, what does a boy in Africa have in common with a girl in Europe? Perhaps the Champions League (football) highlights they watch on YouTube. They both get to see the ads associated with the videos and this diversity of consumer base is the bedrock on which online adverts are growing.
Key Takeaways
- Online advertising is a growing trend because it can specifically target people through emails and phone numbers
- Getting views or traffic is not just about keywords anymore
- Advertising is now a must-have tool for businesses (Online Advertising) even for well-known companies
- People make up their minds pretty fast, effective online adverts can increase sales even faster
- Ads must be engaging and inclusive
- Spending money on ads does not necessarily translate into sales, other factors must be considered
It is common knowledge that people skip ads, what isn’t so commonly known is that more and more people are watching till the end. With engaging and colorful ads, it isn’t just a 5-second disturbance anymore. Online ads are the future of advertisements but then, the future is already here.
Wow! Very informative and quite interesting to read! This has been so helpful, thanks so much!
I found it a bit scary that huge organizations like Samsung still spend that much on Ads. i is a bit intimidating especially if the small startups and entrepreneurs are to compete in this same market. Are there any special tricks we could employ especially since out-advertising them is not possible?
Hi there, Shella. While Big companies can target everybody in the world and run ads every day, SMEs have the ability (because of latest developments) to directly target potential consumers through “Identity PPC”. Strategic, rather than overwhelming. One of many new ways.
I have worked as a digital marketer for a couple of years now. And I loved reading this article. The one truth is that the Ad business is very dynamic. There has been a great difference in how it was best practiced when I was a fresh digital marketer and what seems to be the modern trend.