So, you want to spend some of your marketing
budget on digital, but you are not sure where to spend it? Just like any investment, the key is to determine how much you can spend and then diversify to make sure your eggs are not all in the same basket. Because as you know, not all baskets perform equally.
Here are a few of the online marketing alternatives you may want to consider:
1. Google, bing or yahoo adwords. These are the most popular search engines and running ads on them can help website users find your website and or your product. There are many options for their advertising to be delivered to those visitors like:
- Keyword Search Ads- Whether you pay per click (so users see your ad, click on it and then the company is charged for each click)
- Banner ads- Display ads that click through to a specific website location. For example, a person may be reading a newspaper article and not be interested in a new social media course. Display ads can be successful, but they need to be used properly. Display ads can be purchased using a pay-per-click model or they simply can be displayed for a certain length of time. Text Ads – Text ads are the type you usually see on the primary Google search page. These ads generally are less expensive than display ads and target customers that actually are looking for something specific. They can be very effective but depend heavily on good keyword research. In addition your options are to pay for impressions or pay per click through. Consider investing in ads on the following to test the waters: Google AdWords. – Google AdWords are an obvious choice for many businesses. They offer display and text ads in association with highly targeted keywords. AdWords are a clear choice for any campaign. Bing or Yahoo. – Bing and Yahoo both offer alternative ad platforms that work similarly to Google’s. They combine display and text ads with targeted search terms. Some brands find that, while these options bring less traffic, the overall ROI is a bit better.Social Media Paid Ads (typically by impression or paid per click) Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram or Pinterest. – Social advertising has grown enormously in popularity over the last few years. These ads combine text and display elements and are targeted based on user preferences, demographics, and location. You can also use the sponsored stories option to identify with the target market and get their attention. In facebook you can also boost a post to get more eyes on your posts or share a user post to increase your testimonial value.StumbleUpon. – This social network is very inexpensive and guarantees a “click-through” of some kind. It is important to track your actual conversions (sales) to make sure your money is well placed.BuySellAds or Direct Buy. – BuySellAds.com is a great place to go to find additional display ad opportunities. These usually allow you to “rent” space on a site or a blog for a fixed cost. Additional opportunities like this can exist if you contact some of your favorite bloggers directly.
Whatever you decide to try online, the key is to track your advertising results and use specific actions that you track to make sure your money is well spent. If you need help deciding where to run your ads and whether or not they are working, Email us tmade.mkt@verizon.net to help you set up or run your online advertising campaign. Remember often the price is set like an auction so it is important that you have the time to follow up and make sure you are getting a result for your investment and that your ads are paying off. If you don’t have time, outsource the job.
Liz Harsch, has been helping small and medium sized businesses make the most of their marketing investments since 1988. Her company, Tailor-Made Advertising, is an Authorized SCORE & SBDC workshop presenter and an awarded Constant Contact Email Marketer and Authorized Local Expert presenting Workshops for Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, Metropolitan Water District, multiple Chambers of Commerce, The City of Los Angeles and other Organizations.
For more information about Liz or Tailor-Made Advertising, visit tailormadeadvertising.com. To schedule Liz Harsch as a speaker, trainer or to expedite your traditional or online Marketing, Social Media, Analytics or Email Marketing for your organization, Email Liz at tmade.mkt@verizon.net or call us at 310-791-6300.
