Digital advertising is a useful tool for building brand awareness and getting your small business into your community. Although, if you’re new to the game, the advertising world can be daunting.
The variety of advertising approaches is vast, but they fall into two broad categories: Digital and Traditional. The most well-known digital advertising platforms include Twitter, Facebook Ads, Google AdWords, Youtube and LinkedIn.
This post will explain the different types of digital advertising, and describe which one fits your business needs.
DIGITAL ADVERTISING
PAY-PER-CLICK ADVERTISING (PPC)
Pay-per-click advertising is a form of digital advertising that equates to “buying” visitors to your site. Advertisers pay a small fee each time a potential customer clicks on the ad. PPC advertising goes hand in hand with search engines such as Google Ads, Amazon Advertising, and Microsoft Advertising. Advertisers bid on something called keyword phrases relevant to their target market. For example, Annies Bakery may bid on “bakery near me” “baked goods” and “cake bakery near me” etc. Annie pays a fee only when a potential customer clicks her ad after searching for a “bakery near me”.
One benefit of PPC advertising is exposure. The digital advertiser’s ad can be seen 1000 times for free, and only incur a cost when a customer clicks.
WOULD PAY-PER-CLICK ADVERTISING BE EFFECTIVE FOR MY BUSINESS?
PPC advertising is most effective for 3 types of businesses. Local, Businesses with a High Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) and Businesses with High Margins.
LOCAL BUSINESSES
These businesses benefit from PPC advertising for many reasons. Typically, when customers search for a small businesses using a search engine they are more likely to buy. For example, if Person A searches “best computer brands”, their intent appears to be more research-based. If Person B searches “best computer store near me” this suggests that they may be further down the sales funnel and ready to purchase.
BUSINESSES WITH A HIGH CLV
Businesses with a High Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) also reap the benefits from PPC advertising. Customers that CLV businesses are targeting are more likely to stick with them and purchase again in the future. These businesses form a relationship with their clients, who then assume brand loyalty. Think doctors, dentists, and service providers for cable or internet when you think of CLV businesses
BUSINESSES WITH HIGH MARGINS
High Margin Businesses have the upper hand when it comes to digital advertising budgets. They can afford to bid higher on more popular keywords and typically beat out the competition. They also need fewer conversions to turn a profit and can dominate the PPC world. Top-end electronics and clothing brands are examples of businesses with high margins
Long story short, PPC Digital Advertising is a good option for quite a few different business models. It can assist advertisers with upping their paid website traffic, converting prospects into customers and more.
SOCIAL MEDIA DIGITAL ADVERTISING
Social media digital advertising has grown in popularity over the past years, especially with the small business community. The popularity rise is due in part because overall cost can be kept low while still targeting a specific audience. The most popular platforms for social media advertising are Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. The advertisements look very similar across platforms and can be in the form of images, videos or text. The advertiser is able to design their own ad or use templates in most cases.
Each platform offers a different demographic of users, Including age, interests and habits. Advertisers need to consider this when they are trying to decide which digital advertising channel to advertise with.
WOULD SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING BE EFFECTIVE FOR MY BUSINESS?
In short, yes it would be. Small or large business, B2C or B2B, Retail or Service based, it really doesn’t matter. There is a high probability that social media advertising will work! The only thing you need to do is decide which platform to run your ads on.
FB digital advertising ads are perfect for small B2C businesses because the cost is low and ads are customizable to your target demographic. Facebook ads also offer different ad styles such as image ads, video ads, offers, lead generation, and more. For the business owner who is unsure of where to start, Facebook is very helpful in crafting the ads. Whether it is a call to action, image/font requirements or defining an objective, Facebook can help.
IG ads are perfect for businesses with a more visual brand (think artists, clothing companies, digital) whose target market falls in the younger category. Instagram offers many of the same ad parameters as Facebook, but advertisers can create story ads as well that viewers see when they click from story to story of people they are following.
LinkedIn ads differ from Facebook and Instagram in that the price point is a bit higher and the demographic is more fitting for B2B businesses. With LinkedIn, you can target specific industries and industry professionals based on their job titles and other profile information
Whether you are new to digital advertising or have quite a few ads under your belt, social media advertising is a great way to get the party started or keep it going! Each platform offers a different demographic and target option, so decide which one fits best and get started.
EMAIL MARKETING
Email marketing is a great way to send emails to prospective and current customers. If done effectively, you can convert prospects into customers and turn one-time customers into loyal brand followers. In 2020 Email marketing ranked as the most effective marketing channel, beating out social media, SEO, and affiliate marketing.
WOULD EMAIL MARKETING BE EFFECTIVE FOR MY BUSINESS?
If your business wants your digital advertising tactic to build brand awareness, direct sales or generate new leads, then email marketing is a great way to reach your goals.
BUILD BRAND AWARENESS
If you are looking to up your brand awareness, email marketing can be a great tool for you. First things first, sending out a welcome email to the existing customer base is a great start. Things to consider when drafting up your first email are:
- Templating – the human race thrives on patterns and pattern recognition is the building block for brand awareness and loyalty. staying consistent from email to email will assist in growing your brand trust.
- Colours and Fonts – similar to templating, picking a font and a few colours and sticking to them is a surefire way to get your brand noticed. For example, when we say McDonald’s, you probably think red and yellow almost immediately, but if all of a sudden they changed their colours to purple and green, confusion would be the first reaction and some loyalty could be tested
- Consistency – Matching your emails to existing materials is key. If your email looks completely different than your landing page, people may be hesitant when they click through to your website.
Building brand awareness for your business can be tricky, especially if you are unsure of what your “brand” is. If you follow the 3 steps outlined, you should be able to piece together the basics and start building!
DIRECT SALES
Some would argue that directing sales should be the main focus for all businesses, and we agree. Whether you offer a service or product, sales are the name of the game.
Current customers will be your easiest targets for direct sales emails. Offering emails with discounts for referrals, multi-buys, and sales to your existing customer base gives them an easy way to click and convert without much effort. Potential customers are a bit more tricky and can opt-out easily as they have no ties to your brand. This is when a welcome email or information-based email comes in handy to warm the customer up to what you’re trying to do in the long run, turn them into a paying customer! First-time discounts are a hit too, so don’t forget about those.
GENERATE NEW LEADS
Email marketing goes hand in hand with social media advertising in that utilizing a social media ad to encourage sign-ups will provide you with a list of individuals who have opted in to hear from you! Defining your target market and then leveraging social media is a smart way to access thousands of potential clients. Just remember to always include an opt-out option in your emails so people can unsubscribe if they want to!
Digital Advertising is a fantastic (and relatively easy way) to get your business seen in your community. Whether you choose PPC, Social Media, or Email Marketing, getting started in advertising for your small business has never been easier.
We know starting up as a small business can be daunting, and certain things can fall through the cracks without you even realizing it!
The MARC Group specializes in Email and Social Media Marketing and Digital Advertising and we would love to help you get started on the right foot. Click the button below, fill out the form, and we will be in contact!