Display Ads

A type of online advertisement that combines text, images, and a URL that links to a
website where a customer can learn more about or buy products. There are many ad
formats. These ads can be static with an image or animated with multiple images,
video, or changing text (also called rich media ads). An ad campaign can have
different goals, and some display ads educate about the product while others are
designed to entertain and engage through simple games or puzzles. Banner ads are a
common form of display ads that are frequently used for awareness campaigns.

Digital advertising is changing the face of the marketing industry. Remaining

competitive in this evolving market requires a strong grasp of digital marketing in all
its forms. One of the easiest ways to start is with display advertising.
What is display advertising?
You've seen display advertising before, even if you didn't realize it at the time.
Display advertising appears on third-party websites and uses video, image, or text
elements to market products or services.

There are many types of display advertising. Banner ads are an example of display
advertising. So are desktop and mobile leaderboard ads. Most ads are rectangular or
square in shape, and the content they contain is typically designed to align with that
of the host website and the selected audience preferences.

Display advertising campaigns can be run through advertising networks such as

Facebook advertising or Google ads that provide powerful audience targeting features
as well as advertising formats (that you can also combine with search ads).

Types of display ads

• Remarketing ads: Also known as retargeting ads, remarketing ads

create a personalized advertising experience for users. Remarketing
ads allow you to target distinct customer segments based on actions
they’ve taken on your website.
• Personalized ads: These allow you to segment your audience based
on different factors, including demographics, interests, and recent
purchases.
• Contextually targeted ads: Contextually targeted ads are used when
there are certain keywords, topics, languages, or browsing histories
of users. For these ads, users are segmented based on different
parameters.
• Site-placed ads: These ads allow you to target the websites where
your ads will be placed. Site-placed ads can be combined with other
forms of display ads, including personalized ads, to provide users
 with a better experience while targeting their favorite online
publications and websites.

1. Remarketing ads
Most display ads you see today are remarketing ads, also known as retargeting ads.
Thanks to the trend toward ad personalization, retargeting campaigns have become
widespread.

According to Accenture Interactive, 91% of consumers prefer to buy from brands that
remember their interests and provide offers based on their needs. Retargeting ads do
just that, and they're easy for brands to implement. Here's how they work.

• To start, place a small section of code onto your website that collects
information about visitors' browsing behavior, including when they navigate to
a category or product page.
• From the information you collect, develop lists of customer types and what
kinds of advertising messages would most likely appeal to them.
• Then create and place display ads based on the different categories of interest
you have observed.

A dynamic remarketing campaign is an effective way to keep your brand present in

the minds of shoppers who have already shown interest in what you have to offer.

2. Personalized ads
Google considers remarketing to be a subcategory of personalized advertising, which
can be effective when you segment your audience to deliver a better user experience.
Personalized ads target consumers based on demographic targeting and the interests
they have shown online. You can even create ads that show personalized product
recommendations based on a user’s recent interactions with your website.

In addition to remarketing, Google recognizes 4 distinct types of personalized ads.

Each incorporates general user behavior and preferences rather than interactions with
any particular brand as a targeting option.

Affinity targeting

Affinity targeting shows your ads to consumers who have demonstrated an active
interest in your market. These affinity groups can be relatively broad—like “car
enthusiasts” or “movie lovers”—letting you reach large numbers of people.

Custom affinity groups

Smaller custom affinity groups like “long-distance runners” and “orchid growers” let
you get more specific about the interests you want to target. Bear in mind that when
you use narrower groups, you’ll reach smaller audiences.
Custom intent and in-market ads

Custom intent and in-market ads target consumers who are actively searching for
products or services like yours. You'll reach fewer people than with either affinity or
custom affinity targeting, but the people who do see your ad will be closer to making
a purchase.

Similar audience ads

Similar audience ads target people who have interests or characteristics in common
with your current visitors. To create lists of new but similar audiences, Google
compares the profiles of people on your remarketing lists with those of other users,
then identifies commonalities.

3. Contextually targeted ads

Instead of displaying your ads to people based on their user profiles, contextually
targeted ads are placed on websites according to certain criteria, including:

• Your ad's topic and keywords

• Your language and location preferences
• The host website's overarching theme
• The browsing histories of the website’s recent visitors

You can let Google make these determinations, or you can take an active role in it
yourself through topic targeting.

Topic targeting

Google allows you to pick from a list of topics and will match your ad to relevant
pages on the Display Network or YouTube. It also lets you specifically exclude
topics that are underperforming or unrelated to your message.

Topic targeting is a lot like affinity targeting, except that your ads are matched with
websites rather than users.

4. Site-placed ads
If you'd prefer to hand-pick the websites that will host your ad, website placement
targeting is your best bet. You can select entire sites or individual pages within sites.

You can even combine placement targeting with contextual targeting. With this
approach, you choose a site and let Google select the most relevant pages for your ad.

Display ads versus native ads

If you count offline as well as online ads, display advertising is as old as business
itself. The internet’s first ever display ad was a 1994 AT&T ad, and they've been
increasing in prevalence ever since.
Display ads are still popular, but a new strategy called native advertising has begun to
take some of their market share.

Native ads are designed to blend in with the other content on a page. These are
especially common in social media news feeds. These ads look like regular user
posts, although they are legally required to display the word “sponsored” to minimize
deception.

Native ads are less obvious than display ads and can sometimes reach users who have
ad blocking software enabled. They can be a great way to engage potential customers
as most people respond better to content when it’s not an obvious ad. But there's
always the risk that when they reach the end and find out that the post or article they
just read was advertising, they'll end up feeling tricked.

Native advertising marketers also risk hiding their brand logo and information too
well. There’s a chance that readers might not notice it, let alone remember it. They
might remember the message—but that's not worth much if they can't recall who
posted it.

Pros and cons of display ads

Pro #1: Display ads lead to better brand awareness.

Unlike native ads that mimic editorial content, display ads are clearly advertisements.
While that sometimes means that people will ignore them on principle, it also means
that audiences immediately recognize that they’re seeing a message from your brand.
Pro #2: Display ads convey your message quickly.
Most display ads are based on visuals, not text. Your audience doesn’t have to read
all the way through an article or infographic to get to your brand message the way
they do with content marketing or native ads. Even when people scroll past these
messages, they still make an impression.
Pro #3: Display ads are easy to create and place.
Compared to other forms of digital advertising, display ads don't require complex
integration with publisher sites. They can go up on almost any site that's part of the
participating ad network without much technical expertise.
Pro #4: Display ads reach customers at every stage of the funnel.
A well-thought-out digital advertising campaign can help you reach your target
audience at any stage of the decision making process, from need awareness to
purchase readiness. All you need is a knowledge of targeting methods.

For example, if you sell home appliances, you could post custom intent ads to reach
people who have been searching for new models of stoves or washing machines. You
could then cast a wider net by posting a contextually targeted ad on home
improvement sites, real estate blogs, or even parenting forums.
Pro #5: Display ads provide great value for your money.
While relatively few people actually click display ads, they can help you reach the
largest segment in your target market. Their reach is as broad as that of traditional
advertising while being less obtrusive. A display ad is much less disruptive than a
television or radio spot, especially if it’s been matched with relevant content.
Con #1: People don't like ads.
Consumers today believe that ads are more frequent and intrusive than they were in
the past. Overt advertising makes many people feel annoyed—and when people are
annoyed with online ads, they tend to use ad blocking software so that they don't see
them at all.
Con #2: Display ads can be too minimal.
Display ads are meant to deliver your message as quickly and simply as possible, but
their short length can work against them. Venture capitalist Gilad de Vries has found
that they are most effective when they lead viewers to longform content. While
display advertising is useful, it probably won’t be the real powerhouse behind your
marketing strategy.
Con #3: They have relatively low click-through and conversion rates.
Click-through rates for banner ads average around 0.1%, a lower total than many
other forms of online advertising. This usually translates to lower conversions.

Most people see banner ads early on in their buying journey, so they're best used as
part of a long-term marketing plan. Your display ads can pique a potential customer’s
interest and prepare them for more in-depth content later

What is a digital marketing report?

A digital marketing report is a compilation of essential information
about your digital marketing strategies and campaigns all in one
place. Depending on your current strategies and goals, your report
can consist of various metrics and data points to help you track the
success of your campaigns.

Why do you need digital marketing

reporting?
Now that you know the answer to the question “what is a digital
marketing report”, let’s dive into how it can help your company.
 Digital marketing reporting is essential for the success of any
business. Here are three key reasons why your business needs
digital marketing reporting:

• Create data-driven strategies: Strategies backed by data instead of gut

feelings drive the best results for your business. You can analyze
essential data to inform your current marketing strategies with a digital
marketing report.
• Drive more leads and conversions: Your report can help you learn
more about your audience, like how they interact with your campaigns
and website pages. As a result, you can implement more personalized
marketing messages that drive more leads and conversions for your
business.
• Earn a higher ROI: Marketing reports help you identify problem areas
in your current campaigns. That means you can optimize your
strategies and drive better results, helping you earn a higher ROI in the
long run.
If you want to drive more sales and revenue to help your business
grow, tracking and analyzing your campaigns with a digital marketing
report is a must.

How to create your digital marketing report

create your own digital marketing report in five easy steps:

1. Think about your goals and objectives

2. Consider your current strategies
3. Choose a reporting frequency
4. Select which metrics you want to measure
5. Compile your report and analyze your results
 1. Think about your goals and objectives
Marketing reports are an excellent way to help you track your
progress on your way to achieving your business goals. But first,
you’ll need to identify the goals and objectives that are the most
important for your business.

To get the most out of your marketing report, you’ll want to think
about the goals and objectives you want to achieve for your
business. For example, do you want to increase your website
traffic or boost your awareness on social media?

2. Consider your current marketing strategies

Once you’ve identified your goals, you can start thinking about the
marketing strategies you want to implement for your business.
These are the campaigns you’ll be tracking in your report.

Here are just a few examples of digital marketing strategies you can
implement for your company:

• Search engine optimization (SEO)

• Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
• Email marketing
• Content marketing
• Social media marketing
If you want to drive more traffic to your website, you might consider
investing in an SEO strategy. On the other hand, you can launch
a social media marketing campaign if you want to boost your brand
awareness.
 3. Choose a reporting frequency
The next step in creating your digital marketing report is to choose
how frequently you want to create your reports. It’s essential to
monitor the performance of your campaigns regularly to ensure that
they’re driving the best results for your business.

You can choose to create monthly reports or quarterly reports to

keep you and your team informed about the success of your
strategies.

4. Select which metrics you want to measure

Perhaps the most important element of your marketing report is
selecting which data and metrics you want to measure. When
considering which metrics to track, be sure to think about your
business goals.

For example, if you want to increase your web traffic, you’ll want to
analyze your traffic sources to see which strategies are driving the
most users to your website.

Here are a few examples of key digital marketing metrics you can
keep track of in your report:

• Bounce rate
• Conversion rate
• Click-through rate
• Web traffic sources
• Lead sources
• ROI
• And more
Plus, you can also track essential audience behavior data on your
website to include in your report. For example, you can track how
much time users spend on your web pages and their demographics,
such as age and location.

5. Compile your report and analyze your results

Once you’ve implemented your marketing strategies, picked your
reporting frequency, and chosen the metrics you want to measure,
it’s time to compile your digital marketing report.

Be sure to include critical metrics for each of your strategies so you

can easily measure the performance of your campaigns and your
progress towards your business goals. And once you’ve compiled
your report, it’s essential to analyze your marketing results.

Take note of which campaigns drive the most web traffic, leads, and
conversions for your business. You can also analyze your
audience’s behavioral data to better understand which strategies
your target audience responds to the most.

As a result, you can identify areas of your strategies that need

improvements, so you can optimize your campaigns to drive more
sales and revenue for your business.