DIGITAL 101 - What are Display Ad's and What can Work in Your Digital Marketing Strategy?

Starting with the basics - what is digital display advertising?

“Display advertising is a type of online advertising that comes in several 
forms,including banner ads, rich media, and more. Unlike text-based ads, display 
advertising relies on elements such as images, audio and video to communicate 
an advertising message.” Marketing Land 

Display advertising is a powerful tool across among B2B marketing for four reasons:

• Display advertising allows marketers to target highly specific business audiences.
• Display ads have the ability to integrate with various marketing platforms, such as account-based marketing tools, your CRM, and your marketing automation platform.
• Display advertising functions as an “always on,” full-funnel marketing tool.
• It’s something marketers have done since the advent of the internet, so why not?
• The fourth reason isn’t a very good one, is it? I’m a big fan of display advertising, but it’s important that B2B companies understand why they’re using this channel. There’s no use in throwing money at a marketing channel and hoping it pays off.

Fortunately, it’s now easier than ever to drive revenue using online ads. Display allows B2B marketers to impact objectives throughout the buyer’s journey, whether it’s improving brand awareness and engagement, driving conversions, or nurturing contacts that are in your CRM.

What many people don’t know, however, is that display advertising is also a crucial part of an integrated account-based marketing (ABM) strategy. 

Lets look how Digital Advertising is Affecting Industries and Organizations in general:

1. Businesses make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on Google Ads.

If you’re unsure of whether Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) has the potential to generate revenue for your business, you’ll be glad to hear that businesses typically make double their investment on the platform.

And if you’re already running Google Ads campaigns, but not seeing these kinds of results, this could be a sign that your strategy is in need of some adjustments.

2. The average click-through rate (CTR) in Google Ads across all industries is 3.17% for the search network and 0.46% on the display network.

Measuring your success on any advertising platform can be challenging without concrete benchmarks, which is why it can be helpful to know the average CTR of other marketers’ campaigns.

3. The average cost per click (CPC) in Google Ads across all industries is $2.69 on the search network and $0.63 on the display network.

Another metric to keep an eye on with any PPC campaign is the cost per click or CPC. Within the Google Ads platform, the average CPC is over $2 higher for ads in the search results than for those run on the display network.

4. 4 in 10 internet users say they follow their favorite brands on social media.

Considering that 40% of internet users follow brands on social media, these platforms are natural choices for boosting customer loyalty.

Beyond that, 1 in 4 internet users also follow brands from which they’re considering making a purchase — meaning that even if they aren’t customers yet, the content you share with your followers could be the determining factor in whether they convert.

 5. 37% of online shoppers say they use social media for “purchase inspiration.”

Over one-third of online shoppers use social media to “find inspiration” for a purchase.

6. Appearing in mobile search ad results can increase brand awareness by 46%.

Making your target audience aware of your brand is an essential step in the sales process and one that mobile search ads can help with.

 7. 82% of smartphone users consult their phones while in a store.

Mobile devices are becoming increasingly integrated into consumers’ daily lives.

Shoppers now not only use them to find stores in which they can make a purchase but also to continue researching their options once they’ve arrived at a store.

8. Traffic from email marketing campaigns has an average conversion rate of 4.29%.

Although it’s now one of the oldest forms of digital marketing, email still boasts an impressive conversion rate.

 9. Revenue from email campaigns made up an average of 21% of companies’ overall revenue, up from 17% in 2016 and seen to increase in 2017.

Even as more new channels develop, revenue from email campaigns continues to make up a significant portion of digital marketing revenue.

10. Finally,  Video ad completion rates have steadily increased over the past few years, reaching 70% overall in 2017 with 64% of consumers say that watching a video on Facebook influenced them to make a purchase.

As marketers gain more experience with video, they’ve also become more successful in creating videos that retain viewers’ attention. When marketers first incorporated video into their strategies, it was largely seen as a way to drive engagement.

And while it can certainly be effective for this goal, it also shows clear potential to drive sales and other high-impact conversions.

So why look deeper into your Digital Marketing Development along with seeing how Display Ads can work for your 2019 Marketing Strategy??

Simplicity

Display ads can be as complex as you want them to be — especially if you venture into interactive or video advertisements. But the beauty of this medium is that it doesn’t have to be complicated at all. Some of the most effective display ads are the simplest. Take this one from Google Play, for example:

I like this banner ad, which I found on Canva’s blog, because it’s bright and eye-catching but not too busy. It also has a clear call-to-action (CTA) and a simple image that fits the messaging. Speaking of Canva — their design program is incredibly easy to use, so it’s perfect for novice designers who want to create beautiful marketing materials.

Precision

Targeted display advertising for example allows B2B marketers to target ads to prospects wherever they go online by using firmographic and demographic data like job function, industry, seniority, company size, geography, and so on. Account-based marketing expands your reach even further because it allows you to target decision-makers at accounts that fit your ideal customer profile (ICP), even if those contacts aren’t in your database.

Scale

Compared to other marketing channels, display is unique in that it allows marketers to reach the largest possible audience within their target market, wherever that audience travels online — including personal and corporate tablets, mobile phones, and computers.

Versatility

Display advertising can be used in different ways depending on where your prospects are in the buying process. B2B marketers can also use it to build brand awareness, educate prospective customers, increase engagement in specified target accounts, or help sales close a deal. You can also target your current customers to update them about new products and features or keep your company top-of-mind when it’s time to renew their contract.

Integration

Display can be fully integrated with Salesforce and your marketing automation platform to nurture anonymous and known contacts beyond the inbox. Check out the Terminus Cloud for ABM to learn how to integrate with Salesforce to support and complement your display marketing efforts. Among seeking out how to integrate your CRM system along with other systems to your sales and marketing teams seamlessly.

Measurement

Full-funnel reporting and analytics give you deep insight into display advertising’s direct impact on your objectives throughout the buying process, as well as its effect on other programs. This allows your marketing team to track influence at every stage of the buyer’s journey.

In Conclusion

The digital advertising industry now changes so rapidly that it can be challenging to keep up, but the statistics above should give you a solid idea of what’s happening with some of the most important channels.

Still, there’s a constant flow of new data available and it requires effective planning in order for it to be successful.  It is always good to review your marketing options along with having a Company Digital Audit done to review the potential return on your investment (ROI) and helping your sales team close deals faster as you explore the best options available to your Organization.