With the series of events that happened in 2020, most businesses have been forced to migrate to online platforms. It has opened the eyes of businesses to the gigantic market on the internet. As of January 2024, there are 5.35 billion active users on the internet. That’s 59.5% of the world’s population.
This migration to the online platform has made a huge impact on the importance of digital marketing and digital advertising. Businesses needed professionals who knew how to establish and boost their online presence. It became imperative to let people know that you are online, and you’re ready to take their orders.
Unfortunately, getting a professional to take care of a business’s digital marketing needs is a luxury right now. Everyone is still trying to get up from the big economic blow of the pandemic.
Fortunately, you can get started with digital advertising on your own. You may not know how to do it in the most optimal way but getting started is what’s important.
Comprehensive Coverage of Advertising Platforms:
When it comes to digital advertising platforms, it’s essential to have a solid understanding of the major players, such as Google Ads, YouTube Ads, and the Google Display Network. These platforms offer unique opportunities and specific strategies that can significantly impact your advertising efforts.
Google Ads, for instance, allows you to create text, image, and video ads that appear on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) and partner websites. Developing an effective Google Ads strategy involves keyword research, bid management, and optimizing quality scores to improve ad relevance and visibility.
YouTube Ads, on the other hand, provides a powerful way to reach audiences through video content. With various ad formats like skippable and non-skippable in-stream ads, as well as sponsored video content, YouTube Ads can help you connect with your target audience in an engaging and immersive way.
The Google Display Network, a vast network of partner websites, offers opportunities for display advertising. By leveraging audience targeting and contextual targeting, you can ensure that your display ads reach the right people at the right time, improving their effectiveness and return on investment (ROI).
To get you started on your journey of digital advertising, let’s discuss the 9 types of digital advertising.
9 Types of Digital Advertising That You Should Know
1. Display Ads
A lot of people are familiar with this kind of advertisement because it’s one of the most popular types of digital advertising. These ads are usually placed on third-party websites that are relevant to the ad.
What sets display ads apart from other kinds of digital ads is that these ads don’t show up on search results. These ads are also very simple to implement and are relatively cheap to roll out.
Good examples of this type of digital advertising are the following:
- Images
- Text
- Banners
- Wallpapers
- Popup ads
- Flash (moving ads)
- Video ads
This type of ad can be very effective when used properly. According to statistics, 90% of global internet users are reached by Google’s Display Ad Network. If you’re looking for visibility, display ads are the way to go.
2. Video Ads
Video ads can be one of the most powerful types of digital advertising when utilized properly. It’s also important to note that they are highly flexible. You can use them to raise brand awareness, educate, entertain, and most of all, establish a genuine connection with your audience.
According to studies, 65% of the general population are visual learners. This means that more people process information faster if it’s presented visually. Statistics also show that social videos generate 1200% more shares compared to texts and images combined.
Statistics also show that 68% of consumers prefer to learn about products through video. It’s easier to digest and way more entertaining. Finally, and probably most exciting, 64% of consumers make a purchase after watching branded social videos.
3. Native Advertising
Ever wonder how conveniently placed some ads are when you’re browsing the internet? This is what we call Native Advertising.
It’s essentially showing ads in context. Users can easily see the ads that are relevant to whatever content they’re currently interacting with.
Compared to display ads, native advertising is more strategic and intentional. It carefully considers where to place the ad and who the target audience is.
It’s also important to know that this is one of the least obtrusive types of digital advertising for users. The reason is that the ads come up along with content that is already relevant to it. It creates a smooth transition from content to advertising.
Users enjoy this type of advertising because it’s helpful.
According to statistics, compared to display ads, native advertising receives 53% more views.
4. Social Media Ads
Social media platforms can be interesting because it’s like a hotpot for different types of digital advertising. There are many kinds of ads that you can put in. Display ads are everywhere, native ads can be seen, and video ads dominate the market.
All in all, social media ads are self-explanatory. It’s the ads you see on different social media platforms.
What you need to know is how big the market is.
In general, there are 4.59 billion users of social media worldwide in 2024. Despite the large number, this is expected to grow in the coming years. The big 5 are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Snapchat. Facebook takes the lead with 2.32 billion active users per month.
5. Search Engine Marketing
This digital marketing strategy focuses on increasing the visibility of websites on search engine results pages. The goal is to reach the first page when a user searches for a keyword that is connected to your business.
Search engine marketing has 2 subtypes. The first is pay-per-click advertising which capitalizes on paying for traffic. The second is SEO or Search Engine Optimization. This in contrast focuses on free and organic traffic. We’ll be diving into each of them later on.
Here are some statistics to give you a better understanding of how important it is to land on the first page. A newly published study has found that the first organic result in Google Search has an average click rate of 28.5%. The 10th position has a low click rate of 2.5%.
Strategic Insights:
In addition to digital advertising types, it’s essential to explore strategies that integrate with and complement your advertising efforts. This includes search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), and affiliate marketing, as they play a crucial role in building a holistic online presence.
SEO focuses on optimizing your website and content to rank higher in search engine results, driving organic traffic to your site. By implementing effective SEO techniques, such as keyword research, on-page optimization, and link building, you can improve your website’s visibility and attract more potential customers.
SEM, on the other hand, involves paid advertising strategies like pay-per-click (PPC) advertising on search engines. By bidding on relevant keywords and creating compelling ad copy, you can ensure that your ads appear prominently in search results and drive targeted traffic to your website or landing pages.
6. Pay Per Click Advertising
If you’re looking for a way to pay for your position at the top, pay-per-click ads would be one of the best types of digital advertising for you. These ads are shown to audiences who are ready to buy.
The most popular platform for running these ads is search engines with Google Ads dominating the market.
With Google Ads, you get to target specific keywords that are connected to your business. Once the user searches for that keyword, a bidding war occurs between competitors who are targeting the same keyword.
Factors such as these will determine which ad will pop up on the user’s end.
- Marketer’s bid
- The relevance of the site to the keyword
- Add text
Statistics show that an average of 200% ROI can be expected from Google search ads. This means that with every $1 invested in it, $2 comes back.
Targeting and Optimization Techniques:
Effective digital advertising goes hand-in-hand with strategic targeting and optimization techniques. These include keyword research, quality score optimization, and audience targeting (including buyer persona creation).
Keyword research is crucial for identifying the most relevant and high-performing keywords that align with your products or services. By targeting the right keywords, you can ensure that your ads are shown to users who are actively searching for what you offer, improving ad relevance and click-through rates.
Quality score is a metric used by platforms like Google Ads to determine the relevance and quality of your ads and landing pages. By optimizing your quality score through factors like ad relevance, landing page experience, and expected click-through rate, you can improve your ad rankings and potentially lower your cost per click (CPC).
Audience targeting involves tailoring your advertising efforts to specific demographics, interests, behaviors, and locations. By creating detailed buyer personas and leveraging advanced targeting options, you can ensure that your ads are reaching the right people at the right time, maximizing the effectiveness of your campaigns.
7. Search Engine Optimization
In comparison to pay-per-click ads where you need to pay for the ads, SEO is free. Given that it’s way cheaper, it also takes time before you can see the results of your labor. To effectively leverage search engine advertising, it’s crucial to first understand your website’s current Google ranking, as it can significantly impact your ad’s visibility and performance.
Ensuring your website is seen as trustworthy can enhance your digital advertising efforts. You can assess your website’s domain authority to get an idea of where you stand and areas for improvement.
The process takes a while because it goes through Google’s algorithm first. Google then determines if the website is helpful and contains content that will help users. It also takes into account the credibility of the website and the user’s experience when they get to your website.
Search engine optimization focuses on optimizing websites and content, so consumers easily find them. Since people already have something in mind when they search online, SEO’s job is to make it more visible to them. This makes SEO one of the most organic and sustainable types of digital advertising.
When a website is fully optimized, it has a higher chance of landing on the first page of search engines. The following factors are considered when optimizing websites:
- Quality link building
- Keyword optimization
- Meta-descriptions
- Creating high-quality content
Optimizing your ad content includes mastering the best practices for linking to your website, ensuring that potential customers can easily find more information or complete a purchase.
Studies show that 61% of marketers say that improving their SEO is their top inbound marketing priority. In comparison to PPC, 70% of marketers see SEO as more effective.
READ MORE
- 10 Types of SEO: ALL You Need to Know in 2024
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8. Email Marketing
Email marketing starts with creating an email list. This is a collection of emails from people who willingly sign up through your website. They can also sign up through other channels where you can offer the subscription. The moment they sign up for this, it’s safe to assume that they are interested to some degree.
Once you’ve curated your email list, you can start planning your email campaigns. These campaigns can contain news, promotions, offers, discounts, and important announcements about your business. It’ll be your way of constantly connecting with your customers.
According to statistics, there are 4 billion email users globally, and it’s set to grow to 4.7 billion by 2026. Studies also show that it’s a great investment to make. With every $1 you spend on email marketing, there is an average return of 42% (DMA, 2019)
It’s important to note that you should keep your emails short but impactful. There’s nothing more boring than opening an email with tons and tons of text.
9. Retargeting and Remarketing
Retargeting is a form of display advertising that specifically targets customers who have previously interacted with your website. It uses cookies to identify these users and then proceeds to display ads that are relevant to your business to remind them about you.
When customers leave your website without buying anything, retargeting enables you to remind them. This is how you still see ads from previous websites even though you’re already on a new website.
Similar to how retargeting works, remarketing also targets users who have previously interacted with your website. The difference is that remarketing is the process of collecting the contact information of prospects. This allows you to include them in your email campaigns and remind them about your products and services.
Remarketing is more focused on emails than display ads.
But how effective are these exactly? Statistics show that 70% of U.S. buyers report that they notice ads for products that they research on other websites. Re-targeting can also lift ad engagements to 400%.
To maximize the impact of your CTAs, especially for downloadable content like whitepapers or guides, learn how to create effective download links for your digital ads.
Other Types of Digital Advertising
While the above nine types cover the most common and widely used digital advertising methods, there are several other forms that businesses can leverage to reach their target audiences effectively. These include:
Audio Advertising:
This involves placing audio ads on platforms like podcasts, music streaming services, and digital radio stations. As audio content consumption continues to rise, audio advertising presents an excellent opportunity to capture the attention of listeners.
Mobile Advertising:
With the widespread use of smartphones and tablets, mobile advertising has become increasingly important. This includes in-app ads, mobile display ads, and location-based advertising that targets users based on their geographic location.
Influencer Marketing:
Partnering with influential individuals on social media platforms can be an effective way to promote products or services. Influencers with a large and engaged following can help businesses reach new audiences and build trust with potential customers.
Affiliate Marketing:
This involves promoting products or services on behalf of other companies and earning a commission for any sales generated. Affiliate marketing can be a cost-effective way to reach new audiences and drive conversions. It allows businesses to leverage the influence and reach of affiliate partners, who can promote their offerings to their respective audiences.
For example, consider Jacob Cass, a well-known brand designer. He has collaborated with platforms like Envato Elements, Design Cuts, and Creative Market, which are renowned for offering fonts, Procreate brushes, and other design resources. As an affiliate partner, Jacob promotes these platforms’ products to his audience of designers and artists.
When his followers purchase products through his unique affiliate links, Jacob earns a commission on those sales. This mutually beneficial arrangement allows platforms like Envato Elements, Design Cuts, and Creative Market to tap into Jacob’s loyal following, while Jacob generates additional revenue by recommending products he genuinely uses and believes in.
Benefits of Digital Advertising
Digital advertising offers numerous benefits to businesses, including:
Increased Reach and Visibility: By advertising on various digital platforms, businesses can extend their reach to a broader audience, including potential customers they may not have been able to access through traditional advertising methods.
Targeted Advertising: Digital advertising allows for precise targeting based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and location, ensuring that your ads are served to the most relevant audience.
Measurable Results: Digital advertising campaigns are highly trackable, providing valuable data and insights into performance metrics such as impressions, clicks, conversions, and return on investment (ROI).
Cost-Effective: Compared to traditional advertising methods, digital advertising can be more cost-effective, allowing businesses to reach their target audience at a lower cost per impression or click.
Real-Time Optimization: Digital advertising campaigns can be adjusted and optimized in real-time based on performance data, ensuring that your advertising efforts are continuously improving and delivering better results.
| Aspect | Digital Advertising | Traditional Advertising |
| Targeting | Highly targeted based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and location data. Ability to reach specific audiences with precision. | Limited targeting options, typically based on broad demographics or geographic location. |
| Measurability | Provides detailed metrics and analytics for tracking impressions, clicks, conversions, and ROI. Real-time data allows for campaign optimization. | Measuring effectiveness is more challenging and often relies on estimations or indirect metrics. |
| Cost-effectiveness | Generally more cost-effective, with options like pay-per-click or pay-per-impression models. Ability to set flexible budgets. | Traditional advertising methods like TV, radio, and print can be more expensive, especially for wider reach. |
| Reach | Potential to reach a global audience through various digital channels and platforms. | Reach is often limited by geographic or medium-specific constraints. |
| Engagement | Interactive formats like videos, social media ads, and sponsored content allow for better engagement and user interaction. | Limited interactivity and engagement in traditional advertising formats. |
| Flexibility | Campaigns can be easily adjusted, paused, or optimized based on real-time data and performance. | Limited flexibility once the campaign is launched, making adjustments more challenging and costly. |
| Personalization | Ability to deliver personalized and dynamic ad content based on user data and behavior. | Personalization is limited, and ad content remains static. |
Digital Advertising Strategies
To maximize the effectiveness of digital advertising, businesses should develop a comprehensive strategy that aligns with their overall marketing objectives. This may include:
- Defining target audiences and buyer personas
- Identifying the most suitable digital advertising channels
- Developing compelling ad creatives and messaging
- Setting measurable goals and key performance indicators (KPIs)
- Allocating an appropriate advertising budget
- Continuously monitoring and optimizing campaigns based on data and insights
Trends in Digital Advertising
The digital advertising landscape is constantly evolving, and businesses need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends to remain competitive. Some notable trends include:
- Personalization and Hyper-Targeting: Advertisers are increasingly leveraging data and artificial intelligence to deliver highly personalized and relevant ads to users based on their preferences, behaviors, and interests.
- Influencer Marketing: Collaborating with influential individuals on social media platforms has become a popular and effective way to reach targeted audiences and build brand credibility.
- Immersive Advertising: The rise of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and interactive video experiences is creating new opportunities for engaging and immersive advertising experiences.
- Privacy and Consent: With increasing concerns around data privacy and regulations like GDPR and CCPA, advertisers must prioritize user consent and transparency in their advertising practices.
- Programmatic Advertising: Automated buying and selling of ad inventory through programmatic platforms is gaining traction, enabling more efficient and data-driven advertising campaigns.
Challenges and Solutions
While digital advertising offers numerous opportunities, businesses may face certain challenges, such as:
- Ad Blockers: Many users employ ad-blocking software, which can limit the reach and effectiveness of digital ads. To overcome this, advertisers can focus on creating more engaging and non-intrusive ad experiences.
- Ad Fraud: Click fraud, impression fraud, and other forms of ad fraud can result in wasted advertising budgets. Partnering with reputable ad networks and using fraud detection tools can help mitigate this issue.
- Data Privacy and Compliance: Businesses must ensure that their digital advertising practices comply with relevant data privacy regulations and respect user consent preferences.
- Measurement and Attribution: Accurately attributing conversions and sales to specific advertising campaigns can be challenging, especially in multi-channel environments. Implementing robust tracking and attribution models can help address this challenge.
Case Study
To better understand the effectiveness of digital advertising, let’s explore some real-world case studies and examples:
Case Study: American Kennel Club’s Digital Advertising Success
Let’s dive into the details of the American Kennel Club (AKC) case study on how they managed to increase their online traffic by 30%.
Background:
The American Kennel Club is a well-known organization in the United States that registers purebred dogs and promotes responsible dog ownership. Their website serves as a hub for dog enthusiasts, breeders, and pet owners, providing information on various dog breeds, training, health, and events.
Challenge:
The AKC faced the challenge of attracting more visitors to their website and engaging them effectively. They wanted to increase organic traffic, improve user engagement, and ultimately drive more value from their online presence.
Strategy:
- Content Optimization:
- The AKC focused on creating high-quality, informative content related to dog breeds, training, health, and events.
- They optimized existing content by improving readability, adding relevant keywords, and ensuring it was valuable to their target audience.
- Keyword Research and SEO:
- The AKC conducted thorough keyword research to identify popular search terms related to dogs.
- They strategically incorporated these keywords into their content, meta descriptions, and page titles to improve search engine rankings.
- User Experience Enhancement:
- The AKC revamped their website design to enhance user experience.
- They improved site navigation, made it mobile-friendly, and ensured fast loading times.
- Social Media Engagement:
- The AKC actively engaged with their audience on social media platforms.
- They shared dog-related content, answered queries, and encouraged user-generated content.
- Link Building:
- The AKC collaborated with other reputable websites and dog-related blogs.
- They obtained high-quality backlinks to their content, which boosted their search engine rankings.
Results:
The AKC’s efforts paid off:
- They saw a 30% increase in organic website traffic.
- User engagement metrics, such as time spent on the site and page views, also improved significantly.
- The AKC became a go-to resource for dog lovers, breeders, and owners.
Takeaways:
- This case study highlights the importance of content quality, SEO, and user experience in driving online traffic.
- By understanding its audience, optimizing content, and fostering engagement, the AKC achieved remarkable results.
Remember, successful digital marketing involves a combination of strategic planning, data analysis, and continuous improvement.
Tools and Technologies
To streamline and optimize digital advertising efforts, businesses can leverage various tools and technologies, including:
- Ad Platforms and Networks (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads)
- Programmatic Advertising Platforms
- Ad Tracking and Analytics Tools
- Ad Creation and Design Tools
- Audience Segmentation and Targeting Tools
- Conversion Optimization Tools
FAQs
1. Why is digital advertising important?
Digital advertisement is important because you can reach the customer on the internet, where they spend a significant amount of time. Digital advertising creates powerful opportunities to tell your brand’s story through ads on various devices and channels and marketers may reach larger audiences in real-time and in an increasingly personal way.
2. What makes an effective Ad?
The most effective digital marketing ad depends on the type of your campaign goals. A digital marketing campaign can majorly have three goals:
- To create brand awareness.
- To get more conversions
- To get more traffic.
Based on these factors, your digital marketing ad should be made.
Accordion Heading
3. What are some of the KPIs in digital marketing?
The following are some of the KPIs for digital marketing:
- Blog articles
- CTR
- Conversion rates
- Social media traffic
- Website Traffic
Key Takeaway
There are various types of digital advertising that your business can utilize. Identifying where your market is on the internet will determine what digital advertising strategy will be effective for your business.
It may seem overwhelming if just starting out. That’s okay. You don’t have to pressure yourself into getting all of it right the first time. The first step is picking which of these advertising strategies is feasible for you and will help your business grow.
It’s worth considering setting aside a budget for digital advertising. As we’ve seen and discussed previously, your investment won’t go to waste. Hiring a professional who is more knowledgeable in digital advertising may be one of the best investments you make today.
