Online Advertising We “Like”
The advertising and marketing industry is ever evolving. As times change and society continues to grow online, so will internet marketing efforts. Today, social media drives the band wagon and the marketing industry is not only jumping on, but attempting to take the wheel as well.
Perhaps the most important element of social media is its ability to engage users. So as an advertiser how do you engage your audience through an online paid ad? Most attempt to use an enticing headline and a call to action that urges their audience to click through. However, some marketers have taken it a step further and added an engagement component to their paid advertisements. For example, the New York Times ad below allows users to scroll through and select an article they wish to be re-directed to and even customize the topics that will appear in their ad.
It is also important to realize that paid advertisements alone will not drive a great amount of traffic to your website. Conversation advertising is just as crucial. Relying solely on one or the other will not optimize your return on investment. Social media outlets, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, offer the opportunity for businesses to create fan pages and groups that encourage conversations and a personal connection with their customers. Additionally, these posts and discussion boards permit companies to get immediate feedback directly from their target market on the topics they find intriguing or important to their industry. Rarely do fans take the time out of their day to visit fan pages, so it is worth your while to focus more on conversation strategy and spark an interest through news feeds rather than spend a lot of time on your actual fan page. A few ways to involve your fans include sharing material from behind the scenes, offering expert advice and promoting exclusive offers. Utilizing these tactics also allows you to link your posts to your website in efforts to drive traffic there. However, we wouldn’t suggest limiting yourself to simply sharing information. You should also ask questions, get opinions and post polls to hear directly from your audience. Once your fans begin to interact with your posts, respond! By responding to their posts you’ll show you truly appreciate their cooperation and feedback. Finding a middle ground between paid ads and conversation advertising is vastly important to your social media marketing success. While most users are not pestered by paid social media ads, like they might be with pop-up ads, conversation advertising has proven to be more effective in creating a personal relationship with your targeted consumers.
Another great feature of social media marketing is the opportunity for advertisers to deliver their ads to specific target markets. For example, we specialize in the production and fulfillment of an expansive line of customizable promotional products. It is more beneficial to us then to advertise to entrepreneurs and corporate executives rather than high school students and stay at home moms. While we don’t recommend limiting yourself to a narrow market, it is important to make sure your ads are seen and understood by those that matter most to your business’ success.
It’s incredible to think it all started with MySpace and tweens taking pictures in bathroom mirrors. But the evolution of the social media community continues and the revolution of marketing initiatives will follow. Marketing through these outlets is important for your business to be successful in this day and age, especially if millennials are your target audience. With engaging content and proper networking maintenance your target market is sure to continue “liking” you.
