Are you aware that paid advertisements have a return on investment (ROI) of 200%? Paid advertising is a highly effective means of promoting businesses, boosting sales, and broadening the customer base. What are the various forms of paid advertising available? The following are the most widely used ones:
- Pay-per-click (PPC) ads.
- Display ads.
- Social media ads.
- YouTube ads.
In order to select the most suitable option for effectively reaching out to new customers, let’s thoroughly examine the various types of paid advertising services currently available.
What are paid ads
Paid advertising involves businesses paying to have their ads viewed by potential customers, making it an efficient method to quickly reach a wide audience and convey your message. To market your product through paid ads, you need to purchase ad space from online publishers.
Types of paid advertising campaigns
Some common types of paid advertising include various categories that cater to specific marketing goals and target distinct audiences.
1. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
PPC campaigns require advertisers to compete with others for particular keywords. When users search for those words, their ads appear on search engine results pages (SERPs). The advertiser is only charged when someone clicks on their ad link, hence the term “pay-per-click.” Prominent PPC ad platforms comprise Google AdWords and Bing Ads.
The purpose of using PPC ads is to assist advertisers in attracting potential customers by directing them to websites, ultimately aiming to generate sales.
Businesses participate in keyword auctions to secure their placement at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) for keywords relevant to their products or services. The price per click is determined by the level of competition for each keyword; as a result, highly popular keywords tend to be more costly compared to less popular ones.
There are numerous advantages of PPC advertising.
- Cost-efficiency: Advertisers only pay when someone clicks their ad.
- Increased visibility: Ads are displayed prominently at the top of SERPs.
- Targeted audience reach: Ads are tailored towards specific demographics.
- Immediate results: You’ll see results almost immediately after launch.
- Trackable metrics: It’s easy to measure ROI for campaigns.
- Multiple platforms: Select one or several PPC platforms to promote your ads.
PPC online advertising is a fast and efficient method to connect with specific target audiences and generate leads. However, social media ads offer a more personalized approach when it comes to reaching potential customers. It is crucial to track specific pay-per-click KPIs that hold importance to your brand while running ads. By comprehending and monitoring these metrics, you can enhance your campaign’s return on investment.
2. Social media advertising
Social media is a popular platform for paid advertising as it is being used by over 3.6 billion people globally. Regardless of the specific demographic you are targeting, chances are they can be reached through one of the various social media platforms.
Social media ads, which are paid advertisements appearing on social networks, are an excellent and cost-effective way to enhance brand awareness. These sponsored posts effectively target users by utilizing data gathered from past interactions, thereby amplifying brand recognition.
When creating ad campaigns, advertisers can utilize keywords that are relevant to their product or service, enabling them to reach individuals who have indicated a interest in similar topics online. Paid social ads on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube are displayed as sponsored posts or promoted content within the user’s news feed or timeline.
Paid social ads offer the advantage of reaching a large pool of potential customers. Advertisers can effectively gauge success by monitoring performance metrics including clicks, impressions, and conversions, which surpasses the accuracy of measuring success in traditional forms of advertising such as print or radio commercials.
In addition, due to the availability of detailed targeting options on most social networks, advertisers have the ability to customize their message for each demographic more accurately. Lastly, social media platforms offer affordable paid search advertising, making it an ideal choice for small businesses operating on a tight budget.
Types of social media ads
There are four main social media networks available, namely Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Each of these has unique characteristics and ad targeting features, making them ideal platforms for launching successful campaigns.
- Facebook Ads: Advertisements displayed on the Facebook platform and its affiliated apps (e.g., Instagram).
- Twitter Ads: Promoted tweets or accounts targeted to specific users or based on interests.
- LinkedIn Ads: Targeted ads that are shown to LinkedIn users based on their professional information.
- Pinterest Ads: Promoted pins displayed on users’ Pinterest feeds.
- Snapchat Ads: Vertical video or image ads shown to users on the Snapchat app.
If you want to target young mothers, Facebook is the ideal platform because it has the highest number of women between the ages of 18-49. Pinterest also has a significant user base of young females who are continuously looking for fresh ideas, ranging from home decor advice to beauty tricks.
With its significant user base exceeding 1 billion per month worldwide, TikTok, though relatively new in the market, provides effective methods such as influencer marketing and hashtag challenges to greatly enhance brand visibility.
Every platform provides distinct features designed to achieve specific objectives, like enhancing website traffic, generating leads, or raising brand recognition.
3. Display ads
Display ads, which can be used to target individuals who have an interest in your business, are an additional type of PPC ad. These ads are shown on the partner websites of Google and typically consist of both text and an accompanying photo.
You can utilize these ads to specifically target individuals whom you believe have an interest in your business. You have the option to narrow down your target market or concentrate on reaching out to those who have visited websites similar to yours.
To employ display ads, the process is identical to regular PPC ads. You will establish your bid amount to determine the cost-per-click.
The main difference is that you will have to obtain Google’s approval for your ad text. To avoid your ad being rejected, adhere to Google’s ad image guidelines. Then, you will choose industry-relevant websites where your ads will be displayed, as this guarantees that you reach potential customers who are interested in your business.
Despite operating on a PPC CPC model, these ads often receive a low click-through rate as they fail to attract a significant number of people.
Display ads are a great choice if you want to build brand exposure and capture occasional leads who are interested and click on your ad. If you aim to bring your brand to the forefront of your audience’s mind, Display ads are a suitable option. They are one of several types of paid advertising that can assist in introducing your brand to a larger audience.
4. Remarketing ads
One of the types of PPC campaigns you can run to reengage your audience is a remarketed ad. When visiting your website, many people may learn about your products or services but not make a purchase. They may require additional time for pondering or wish to explore other options before deciding on your business.
When this situation occurs, it might seem as though you’ve lost a potential customer. However, this is actually a chance for you to utilize remarketed ads, thereby encouraging them to consider your business and ultimately select your brand.
To enable remarketed ads, you need to utilize Google’s remarketing code, which is also referred to as a tracking pixel. If you are already running Google PPC ads, incorporating this pixel into your campaign is a simple process.
In order to gain a deeper comprehension of what your audience is viewing on your site, you will need to place this tracking pixel. By doing so, you will be able to determine the specific products or service pages that your audience visits. After they have left your site, they will be placed into the relevant lists.
To effectively organize your campaign, create distinct lists that categorize your audience according to their actions. For instance, establish a separate list for individuals who visit Product Page A and another list for those who visit Product Page B. By classifying leads into the relevant lists based on their actions, you can ensure that they are exposed to display ads specifically related to the respective products.
Remarketed ads are designed to capture the attention of individuals who have previously viewed products or services. The main goal is to reengage with these individuals and encourage them to interact with your business once again. By utilizing this tactic, leads are given the opportunity to reconsider and ultimately choose your brand, resulting in successful conversions.
If you want to attract potential customers who have shown interest in your business, consider investing in remarketed ads. This strategy will assist you in persuading interested leads to prefer your business instead of your competitors.
5. Native advertising
Native advertising is a type of paid content promotion that integrates smoothly with the non-promotional content on a platform. In basic terms, it resembles a chameleon in advertising, as it imitates the appearance and style of the platform it is displayed on, creating the impression of regular content rather than an overt advertisement.
Native ads blend in with the design, format, and context of the platform they appear on, unlike traditional display ads that use bright colors and banners. As a result, native ads are less intrusive and have a higher likelihood of engaging users.
There are various forms that native ads can take, including:
- Sponsored articles
- Promoted posts on social media
- Recommended content widgets on websites
- Sponsored videos on platforms like YouTube
- And more
The content is frequently informative, entertaining, or valuable to the intended audience, creating a sense of valuable information or entertainment rather than an advertisement.
When using native advertising, brands and content creators have the ability to reach their audience in a more natural and non-disruptive manner. However, it is important to explicitly clarify that the content is sponsored or promoted. By being transparent about this, users will understand that the content is commercial in nature and can make informed choices about whether or not to interact with it.
