When it comes to online marketing, display ads are a powerful tool that small businesses can use to their advantage. Display ads are videos, photos, or text elements that are displayed on third party websites and that advertise your product or service. They allow you to stay top of mind and increase brand awareness. In this article we’ll talk about what display ads are and how they can help your small business grow.
What are display ads?
You’ve probably seen display ads without even realizing it! Display ads appear on third party websites and come in many forms. Including:
- GIFs
- Pop-ups
- Video ads
- Banner ads
- Text ads
Banner ads are a prominent example of display advertising and appear on mobile or desktop. These ads are generally rectangular in shape. Typically, the content in these advertisements is geared towards the website on which it’s being displayed. For example, if you’re visiting a website about pet care, you might see display ads for pet food or toys.
Display ads are generally paid for on a cost per click basis. Cost per click means that you pay a set amount for each individual click on one of your ads.
What are the different types of display ads?
- Video ads: Video ads are a type of display ad that use video content to promote your product or service. These ads can be eye-catching and more compelling when compared to static ads.
- Banner ads: A banner ad is a type of display ad that uses a image or text to promote your product or service. These ads are often displayed on the top of web pages and
- Pop ups: A pop-up is a type of display ad that appears on a website or in an app. These ads are designed to pop-up unexpectedly when a user is browsing through a site.
- Interstitial ads: An interstitial ad is a type of display ad that appears between two pieces of content, like before or after an article. For example, when you go from one web page to another you may get an ad that appears on your screen. Generally, this ad can be exited or will disappear after a few seconds.
- Rich media ads: A rich media ad is a type of display ad that uses video, images, or animation to get attention. These ads combine multiple features in order to grab the attention of users and aim to be more engaging than other display ad types.
How can display ads benefit my small business?
There are many benefits that come with implementing a Display Advertising campaign for your small business. Display Ads can:
- Help you reach new customers
- Increase brand awareness
- Drive traffic to your website
- Help you generate leads
- Increase conversions
- And much more!
Metrics: Display ads also offer metrics and analytics that allow you to track the success of your campaigns. These metrics include conversion rates and click-through rates.
Remarketing: Display ads provide a great opportunity for re-marketing as well. You can target customers who have already visited your website or interacted with your brand in some way. Display ads give you the chance to keep your business top of mind for potential customers.
Brand Awareness: display ads are clearly advertisements. This means that the audience immediately recognizes that they’re receiving a message from your brand. Display ads can help keep your brand top of mind for customers when they’re thinking of making a purchase.
Targeting: display ads give you the opportunity to target your audience based on their demographic information. This ensures that your ads are reaching the people who are most likely to be interested in your product or service.
Lower Cost: display ads generally cost less than other forms of online marketing. This makes them a great option for small businesses with limited marketing budgets.
What are some of the downsides to display ads?
The main downside to display ads is that they can be intrusive and interrupt the user’s experience. Display ads should be used sparingly and only when they are likely to be well-received by the user. I’m sure we’ve all had a similar experience where we’ve tried to load a website and it’s been bogged down with ads.
Banner blindness is another downside to display ads. With the high volume of display ads currently on the internet, users have begun to overlook them entirely. This means that your display ad needs to be well-designed and placed in an effective location in order to stand out from the rest.
Despite these downsides, display ads can be a great way to increase brand awareness for your small business. When used sparingly and effectively, they can help you reach a wider audience and grow your business.
How do I measure the effectiveness of my display ads?
There are a few metrics that you can look at in order to determine how a display ad campaign performed for your small business.
Impressions: these are the number of times your ad was displayed on a website. Over time, your impressions should grow in number to show that your ads are reaching a wider audience.
Reach: the number of individuals that saw the ad. Oftentimes this metric can be confused with impressions.
Conversion Rate: obviously, the main goal of any advertising campaign is to generate conversions. Display ads are no different. A conversion rate is the percentage of users that converted from your ad. Conversions could include customer sign-ups or purchases and tend to vary depending on the intent of your campaign.
Click-Through-Rate (CTR): the click through rate is determined by the number of clicks your ad receives divided by the number of impressions. This will show you a percentage that demonstrates how many people clicked on your display ads.
How can I make better display ads?
At Agency 8, our team of experts can help you run display ads! However, if you’re looking to do it on your own, here are some tips.
- Keep your ads short & sweet: attractive ads don’t need to be long and complex. Create eye-catching graphics that draw attention and keep your text simple.
- Leverage offers: add some incentive so that viewers are more likely to sign up or make a purchase. Using a clear call to action can make this even more effective.
- Know where you’re sending your audience: your display ads should send users to a landing page. The ad experience doesn’t just end the moment they click on the ad, your landing page needs to be user-friendly and encourage conversions just as much as your ad itself.
- Monitor performance actively: paying attention to your display ad’s performance as you go can help you stay on top of things. This can be greatly important in terms of making adjustments and being sure that your efforts are paying off and giving you value.
- Retargeting/Remarketing: is the practice of targeting your own website visitors with your ads when they’re on another website. This is a great way to effectively use display ads and can help you stay top of mind for your customers.
Conclusion
Display ads are a great way to improve brand awareness or generate conversions for your small business. Utilizing display ads can give you a leg up on the competition and help you reach your marketing goals. Remember to set campaign goals, know your target audience, and create a budget before running display ads.
If you’re looking for help with your display ad campaign, contact our team of experts at Agency 8! We help small business owners just like you reach more customers through meaningful display ads!
