As a business owner, you understand how critical it is to get your brand noticed by the audiences most interested in what you have to offer. Digital marketing makes that possible. Digital mediums are crucial for growing your business by increasing awareness and reaching people during critical research and consideration stages. Display ad targeting is a highly effective way to get your ads in front of those most likely to convert.
Display ad targeting is a cost-effective and efficient way to reach your target customer. They use targeted creative messages to attract users while on apps and websites. Display ads pair well with other types of digital marketing, such as PPC ads on search engine results pages. In this post, we’ll go over some of the many benefits of display ads for targeting your audience.
The Benefits of Display Ad Targeting
Display ads are creative banner and rectangle ads that show up on desktops, apps, and mobile devices paid for by advertisers. They help increase brand awareness during the early stages of the consumer journey, as well as during the research and consideration stages. Targeted display ads are an effective digital marketing technique that identifies potential customers through demographics, interests, online habits, and other variables. They are flexible and can be very creative and attention-grabbing when targeted to the right audience.
There are several advantages to using display ads. They effectively generate leads for luxury items or large purchases that typically have a longer sales cycle. Display advertising is also great for brand awareness. However, display ads’ key benefit is the targeting that prevents ads from being shown to the wrong audience, saving you money, and increasing ROI by reaching the specific customer group most likely to buy from you.
Finding the Customers Who Want Your Ads
Display ad targeting relies on understanding who your target customer is and what products they would be interested in. Gaining insight into your ideal customer is essential for engaging your online audience. Market research and competitive analysis are two common ways to get information to create your target personas. Understanding whom your marketing should reach lets you craft messaging that not only captures their interest but entices them to act and purchase your products or services.
Another advantage of targeting ads is that you don't have to choose the websites you believe your customer will be visiting. Targeting naturally follows the consumer journey using a variety of tactics, depending upon the audience you want to reach and your business goals. They include but are not limited to the following:
- Category Contextual – This technique allows you to target your ads to websites or content like blogs relevant to your offerings, as those are more likely to appeal to your target customer.
- Keyword Contextual – Similar to category contextual, this targets your ideal audience by keywords in the content they consume online through blogs, articles, online forums, and social media.
- Geo-Fencing – This method of targeting identifies potential customers by their physical locations, such as specific events, stores, or landmarks, through their mobile devices.
- Search Retargeting – If a user has searched for products using specific keywords or phrases, search retargeting identifies them and serves up your display ads to them.
- Site Retargeting - Users who have previously visited your website are already likely interested in your products, leading to a higher chance of a conversion.
Increase Success with Multi-Platform Marketing
You can increase the effectiveness of display ad targeting by combining it with other types of marketing strategies. Two that are particularly popular are SEM and SEO. Search engine marketing uses paid ads to appear in search results. Search engine optimization relies on organic methods to appear more favorably in search results.
SEO is vital for any business that seeks to increase its visibility and drive traffic to its site. SEM positions ads in search results, unlike display ads that appear on websites or app delivery. Display ads are highly effective for increasing awareness through high-volume impressions. The ads intersect to increase your top-of-mind awareness and reach customers while they're making critical decisions about purchases.
Target Your Ideal Customer and Increase ROI With Display Ads
Digital marketing makes reaching your ideal audience easy. It offers flexibility through the variety of platforms and strategies available, creating a virtually endless number of ways to identify, reach, and engage with your customers. One of the most cost-effective and efficient ways to achieve your marketing goals is through display ad targeting. It not only allows you to elevate your marketing, but it also frees you from having to choose websites by following your target customer throughout the consumer journey, resulting in increased conversions and higher ROI.
Written by Katie Martin
Katie Martin is a Senior Digital Campaign Manager for Federated Digital Solutions. She has over 9 years in both sales and marketing. With experience in the radio industry, Katie found her passion working in the digital realm for the past 5 years. Her knowledge not only comes from both branding and lead generation solutions but also the experience she brings to problem solve and strategize from what the raw data is telling.
