Much like nearly all aspects of life, there are no shortcuts when it comes to marketing. Reaching customers with short attention spans who are constantly distracted by information overload, entertainment, and so much else is no easy feat.
However, savvy marketers know that they have a better shot at reaching their customers where they’re at: on their electronic devices. It’s a safe bet. Research from Asurion shows that Americans look at their phones nearly 100 times per day.
In this post, we’ll highlight the importance of electronic advertising and the various tactics associated with it.
What is electronic advertising?
Electronic advertising is a method of promoting your product or service via digital formats that your target audience is viewing. Most types of electronic advertising involve the presentation of an ad (often a static image, audio clip, or video) via a digital medium.
Unlike more traditional forms of advertising, like static billboards or direct mailers, electronic advertising can be updated in real-time and hyper-targeted to relevant audiences.
Many people think of electronic advertising as a form of online advertising, but it can be much more than that. Streaming radio and podcast advertising opportunities exist in the electronic advertising space among many other channels as well.
It’s estimated that more than $526 billion will be spent on digital advertising methods worldwide by 2024. With technology rapidly advancing, electronic ad space will continue to become more prevalent and a part of every marketer’s strategy.
Why should you use electronic advertising?
Pack your bags, because we’re going on a trip down to Electric Avenue. Electronic advertising has revolutionized the way businesses can connect with their customers after it was introduced in 1994.
However, there are so many different ways to reach your customers. Why should you use electronic advertising instead of some of the other popular tactics?
Some of the most popular benefits include:
- Targeting: You can target based on demographic, geographic, and behavioral parameters (e.g. site visits, interests, mobile device) to more precisely reach your audience.
- Low lead time: Unlike traditional forms of advertising that have print dates many months in advance, you can publish your electronic ad pretty quickly after it’s approved.
- Consumer habits: Many of your customers are likely glued to their electronic devices. Online media has woven its way into the fabric of society.
- Cost and effectiveness: Unlike traditional mass media mediums such as print, broadcast or other OOH tactics, electronic advertising is often cheaper (with only a few cents required per click) and can be tracked more efficiently with pixels (tracking scripts added to your website) and click-thru data readily available.
With all these reasons why electronic advertising is the king of the castle, it’s no wonder why marketers are investing in the numerous tactics associated with it.
But which one should you start with?
4 types of effective electronic advertising
Sometimes it feels like finding customers is the rabbit that the magician is trying to pull out of their hat. There are many steps to take before the big reveal. One wrong maneuver and the magician is left empty-handed.
That’s why it’s important to understand each of the different electronic advertising tactics and the benefits associated with each one. By understanding your objective and selecting the right channel, you’ll be one step closer to effectively converting your customers.
1. Social media ads
One of the most common types of electronic advertising is social media ads. This type of electronic media marketing involves targeting potential customers on the popular social media sites that they are using.
These sites include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest and more. Each of these channels offers unique ad opportunities to ensure that your static image, video or text content will appear in your target audience’s news feed, inbox and sidebar.
Many marketers start with this form of electronic advertising due to the massive amount of social media users in the world. Over 3.6 billion people use social media, making the individual platforms ripe channels to raise brand awareness and convert new customers.
2. Display ads
Display ads are found on a wide variety of sites that opt-in to a broad network of advertisers. Google Display Network, Microsoft Advertising, and Quantcast are examples of display ad networks. A site opts-in to a network and offers ad inventory on their site, then earns a certain amount of money when someone clicks on the ad.
Display advertising is great for brand awareness, because your advertisements will appear natively on many sites while the user is browsing the internet. They could be reading an article on a popular media site or checking the weather, then find your advertisement in the banner ad space on the side of the screen.
You can use behavioral-based targeting by installing a pixel on your site. Then, as potential customers who visited your site start to browse other sites, they’ll see your internet advertising pop-ups.
3. Search ads
Have you ever gone searching for something on Google or another search engine only to find two promoted listings at the top of the page? Those are search ads.
This falls under search engine marketing (SEM), a popular way to target potential customers based on their search queries. Marketers love this tactic because it enables them to reach customers who are actively looking for products or services related to their queries. After you launch an effective search ad, you just have to wait for your customers to come to you.
Search ads are a form of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. This means you only have to pay when someone clicks on your ad. So, you need to make sure you are targeting the right search keywords in order to get a positive return on investment.
It is important to note that even if you run search ads as a part of an SEM campaign, you still need to invest in search engine optimization (SEO), the organic ranking of your site on search engine result pages. This can be done by ensuring your content is relevant to the average reader, up-to-date, optimized for the right keywords, and linked on prominent high-ranking sites.
4. Streaming radio and podcast ads
As consumer habits shift, more customers are starting to listen to streaming radio and podcasts on their personal electronic devices. Thus, savvy marketers know that these are prime areas where they need to be showcasing their products and services.
Streaming radio and podcast ads are effective ways to get in front of engaged customers who are eagerly tapped into the audio content. With your ad playing right before a radio show or podcast, you know that you’re getting active listeners exposed to your brand.
Electrifyingly amazing results
Electronic advertising is an instrumental way for brands to get in front of their target audience in a more cost-effective way than traditional advertising.
With the right mix of creative, targeting and the proper electronic advertising tactic, you can drive brand awareness, increase sales and impact your bottom line for years to come.
Take a look at how you can infuse digital ad intelligence with your electronic advertising campaigns to drive a higher return on investment.