Companies will be spending approximately $23 billion on display ads this year, and by 2019 that number is expected to go up to about $37.6 billion. With these major numbers, the chances are great that you’ll be looking to take advantage of display ads. The chances are also great that much of the investment you make will be wasted thanks to fraud, ineffective ad choices and other issues. With the following five tips, you can help to get as much out of your display-ad budget as possible so take some time to review them and see which ones you can implement today.
Leverage Behavioral Targeting
Behavioral targeting is essentially context targeting taken to the next level. While it is certainly true that you can get good results from displaying ads based on the context of the site, that can be very limiting in terms of how many people will see the ads. Using behavioral targeting allows you to advertise to a larger profile of users. For example, you can follow groups of people who are known to be interested in specific things. If you run a video game company, for example, you can have your ads displayed to men aged 18-35 who are known to enjoy gaming. Your ads can then be displayed on all the web properties they visit rather than just gaming related sites.
Display Ads Where & When You’ll Get Results
When you are buying display ads you will have a lot of different options to set up. Each option you choose will impact not only when and where the ads are displayed, but also how much each impression or click will cost. Two of the most important (and often most overlooked) factors you want to focus on are the ‘impression curve’ and whether the ad is above or below ‘the fold’ when displayed.
The impression curve refers to how long to wait before the ad is shown. Ads with a low number on the impression curve will be more expensive, but they will be displayed the first time a visitor comes to a site. This is much more effective because the more pages on a site the visitor sees, the less likely they will click on an ad.
Having your ad displayed ‘above the fold’ means that it will be visible on the screen when the page loads. There is no need for the user to scroll down to see the actual ad. This, obviously, is going to be more effective for getting users to engage with the ad. While more expensive, it is worth the investment.
Keep Your Ads Clear
People are not willing to spend much time ‘figuring out’ what your ad is trying to say. Effective ads will have a clear message that is easy to understand even at just a glance. This may take some extra creative effort up front, but it will help ensure your ad is actually effective when it is shown. Proper use of images, videos and a smaller amount of text are typically the best way to ensure your ad conveys the message you want it to.
Only Buy Viewable Impressions
Viewable impressions are, as the name implies, ad impressions that are actually seen by real people. In the past, marketers would buy ads that would show up on websites, but rarely be seen by actual visitors. This was often because of ad fraud where computer programs would ‘view’ the ad rather than actual people. Today, you can buy ‘guaranteed viewable impressions’ where you will only pay when the ad is viewed by a real person. In addition, you can opt for requirements on the length of time that the ad is on the screen and even what percentage of the ad can be seen. While more expensive on the surface, it is actually cheaper on a per human view basis.
Target Desktop AND Mobile Users
The data available today is very clear. Mobile browsing is continuing to grow, but desktop users can’t be ignored either. If you’re going to run an ad campaign, make sure you are getting in front of both audiences. In fact, this is essential because so many people today use both mobile and desktop devices to browse the web. By having an effective strategy for both platforms, you can get your ads in front of likely buyers more frequently, which will translate into higher conversation rates.
Always Be Testing
While the above five tips will certainly help you to maximize your return on investment when it comes to display ads, you really have to take some proactive steps yourself. Tracking the effects of every change you make will help you to identify exactly what is working and what isn’t with your specific customers. Testing different strategies will allow you to optimize your marketing efforts and continuously be improving your results.
