Putting Online Advertising all together

Knowing the various types of display options and payment models available are all very well, but you might be wondering how to put this all together as you plan your campaign. The very first thing you need to determine when planning display advertising is the goal of your campaign. Are you embarking on a mainly branding campaign? Or is your main focus direct response?

Having determined the goals of your campaign, identify the KPIs (key performance indicators) that will let you know how you are succeeding.

Online advertising is an acquisition channel. It does not require that users actively seek an interaction, as PPC advertising and email marketing do. So, it is crucial that the adverts are placed in front of the audience that is most likely to convert.

Investigate your target audience: what web sites are they likely to be visiting? It is likely that the type of creative you may use and the payment model you follow will be largely determined by the web sites on which you wish to advertise.

Niche web sites with a smaller, but probably more targeted audience will most likely charge a flat rate for display advertising, or a CPA rate. They could probably be flexible in display options that they give you, but you will need to take into account their bandwidth costs if they serve the adverts.

High traffic web sites with a broad audience will most likely charge on a CPM basis. They will broker their advertising inventory through an advertising network, or even a number of advertising networks.

Knowing your goals, your target audience and the format of your adverts, it’s time to brief your creative team to ensure that you have the optimum banners for your campaign.

Your online adverts will need to:

•    Attract attention
•    Convey a message
•    Entice action

Secondly, all advertising needs an appropriate landing page. Whether this involves creating a micro-site, or merely ensuring users are coming through to an existing page on the web site, ensure that click throughs are not being wasted. Generally, sending advertising traffic to your home page is not a good idea as it leaves the user deciding where to go next.

Animation attracts attention, but be wary of being one of seven animated banners on a web site. Banners should not be considered in isolation, but rather in the context of the web site on which they will appear.

Web users respond well to being told what to do, and the content of an online advert should be concise and directional.

Examples include:

•    “Phone now for the best deals on insurance”
•    “Click here for fast home delivery”

“Donate now”