Digital advertising is the process of distributing content that promotes one’s brand (products and services) to users through digital platforms and channels. The channels used include social media, search engines, mobile applications, websites, etc. It is a subset of Digital Marketing.
Now that you know what digital (or online) advertising is, the next question that must have sprouted in your brain would be: “how does it work?”
Online advertising does not work in the same manner traditional advertising does. In traditional advertising, your business usually pays a provider upfront. On the other hand, in digital advertising, you only pay when a user completes a particular desired action on your advertisement. This can be clicking on your ad, viewing the ad, etc. This is the main idea of a pay-per-click strategy.
However, if you tie up with an agency, the payment method is a little different. There is a management fee that is paid in advance which covers the costs of developing and managing your strategy. And you also keep aside a digital ad spend which you use to pay ad platforms so they can display your ads.
With digital advertising, you can be very specific with your target audience; much more than what you could have been with traditional advertising. You see, in digital, you can filter the audience according to demographics, jobs, interests, etc.
It is an absolute given that you cannot go ahead with targeting the audience and implementing strategies without planning. So, we provide you with a checklist that will be of help to you-
- Research extensively
- Define your goals
- Build your strategy
- Set a budget
- Choose different online platforms
- Get your content and creatives
- Implement your strategy
- Track results, analyze, and improve
A great advantage that digital advertising has when compared to traditional advertising, is that you can optimize your campaign even after it has launched.
Before we move on to what we think the future holds for digital advertising, let’s see what internet users feel about DA. According to the Harris Poll, nearly two-thirds of the users would be likely to stop using a brand or a product if they viewed the brand’s digital advertising as false, objectionable, etc. The majority of them say that both the brand and the platform where the ad is being presented, are equally responsible for ensuring that the content is legitimate and safe.
In a nutshell, we feel that the data above indicates that advertisements have to continue to be personalized, and you should use one’s data only once you have acquired the consent of users to use their data, and make sure to use it effectively. Moreover, you should expand your advertising process and set it up in such a way that you have an omnichannel, multi-device approach.
Now, 2022 is nearing and there are some digital advertising trends that should be kept in mind. So, we present to you,
8 trends to watch out for in 2022!
1. Optimizing with the help of AI-
Nowadays, artificial intelligence is behind many digital marketing (/advertising) services like chatbots, content creation, and search engines. This technology has gained more attention since the start of the pandemic. We believe that going forward, AI is going to become more and more important.
2. Using conversation to market-
Most consumers, when asking questions, require responses immediately; and so, brands are making that happen. Chatbots form a big chunk of conversational marketing. This particular form of marketing is available on different channels, and customers can make use of it at their convenience. But chatbots are not the only way! You can carry out conversations via personalized videos and emails, and also virtual selling assistants.
3. Social messaging apps-
People expect and want businesses/brands to have a presence on messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and WeChat because it’s a direct and easy way to interact with them. We’ve got more reasons as to why you should create a presence there if you aren’t satisfied with this much- you can create contact, deliver information instantly, interact with your customers and invite them to be part of various events, regain customers, and of course the most important- build sales.
4. Visual search-
It is a fairly new technology but it is being widely used now. Visual search simply refers to when you search using an image- you can either upload it or capture one in real time. Pinterest and Google Lens are two big platforms already making themselves comfortable with this. It increases the speed of the search and helps find more relevant information.
5. Voice search-
If we’re utilizing visuals then why not voice? According to techjury, 20% of all internet searches are voice-based, 58% of consumers used voice search to find out about a local business, and a billion voice searches take place every month. As we can see, this is a fast-growing area that already plays a crucial role. You have Google voice search, Siri, Alexa, and Cortana already being so popular.
6. Social media stories-
It all started with Snapchat but it didn’t stay with just that. Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter, and even LinkedIn have come up with their versions of ‘stories’. Stories disappear after 24 hours and allow content creators (and marketers) to share genuine and unique content. To engage with your audience more, you can use polls or question stickers on Instagram, add links to your stories on different platforms, add filters/ location tags, go live, and so much more!
7. Omnichannel marketing-
In this type of marketing, strategies are executed over multiple channels- social media, apps, emails, blogs, etc. It has been seen that engagement rates, purchase frequency, average order value, and customer retention rates are higher in omnichannel when compared to a single channel. Here, big data and artificial intelligence play a huge role in helping businesses understand consumer behavior and also by helping them customize content.
8. Eco-marketing-
Also known as ‘green marketing’ or ‘environmental marketing’, eco-marketing refers to developing and advertising products based solely on their sustainability. It focuses on the use of recycled/recyclable materials, the use of renewable materials, etc. It can increase brand loyalty, better the brand image, and can give your business an edge in the market.
It’s an absolute given that the future of digital advertising doesn’t end with just these eight trends; there are a lot more to come but these are our predictions for now! Remember, digital advertising is a very important tool in this new world and we hope you are able to use it wisely.
