Those display ads you see in your browser haven’t changed much over the course of history. Hundreds of years ago, our human ancestors were using them to sell books, gladiator services, or even the best needle shop in China.
It’s safe to say that display advertising services – whether digital or physical – have and will continue to be effective. At the end of the day, advertising is as simple as getting people to look at what you have to offer. The question is, is it time to leave online display advertising in the dustbin of history?
The answer is no, and we are here to tell you why. Follow along as we discuss the 10 benefits of hiring display advertising services.
What Are Display Ads?
Display ads refer to any static or moving image that appears in a pre-allocated spot on a website. These are the “posters” of the Internet that usually fill the unused margins on news sites and blogs. They come in all different shapes and sizes, such as the following:
- Banner ads
- Pop-ups
- Floating ads
- Auto-playing videos
- Map ads
- Wallpaper ads
Online display advertising is often very simplistic. Since it does not have the direct attention of the viewer, it has to be quick and straight to the point. It usually features a simple graphic and call to action, such as a clickable link or button for the user to find out more.
These are the most common types of advertisements out there. Unlike pre-video ads or PPC advertising, they are less intrusive yet still effective in their own regard.
Let’s take a look at the 10 benefits they have to offer.
Benefit #1: Display Ads Go Almost Anywhere
Digital display advertising is nifty because you can put it virtually anywhere. The vast majority of Internet websites function in the form of a static, scrollable page. Display ads will always work in this environment for the following reasons.
Modern screen size ratios create a large swath of space for you to use. Thanks to high-density pixel counts and ever-bigger screens, there’s plenty of room for ads.
Formatting is something that won’t ever change. Whether reading books, newspapers, or online pages, people expect the information to be organized in a certain way. This leaves an open space in the form of margins on every website, regardless of what kind.
Margins help to make use of an area that would otherwise be vacant. They just so happen to be an excellent space for display ad campaigns, too.
Internet 2.0 (the internet we use now) is a dynamic one. Websites often load their resources (fonts, images, etc.) from an external server. Few websites host all of their own resources – which makes most websites very flexible.
For this reason, it’s easy as pie to deploy ads wherever you want. All a website has to do is include some simple code to query the assets. In seconds, you can put display ads on a blog, local community website, or anywhere else.
Benefit #2: They’re Nice to Look at
PPC ads or sponsorship ads in news articles are effective, make no mistake. But they do have one major downside. They don’t appeal to those of us who prefer visual stimuli.
Online display advertising takes full advantage of human sight. You can make visually pleasing displays full of lurid colors and eye-catching motion. Like a poster or a billboard, they provide a great deal of liberty to your marketing team’s artists.
Many of your customers are visual learners. That is, they acquire information best when they can see it rather than read or listen to it. Some studies suggest that about 65% of all people prefer this learning style.
The majority of your audience prefers to see things to understand them. So, show them with display ads!
Benefit #3: They Create a Visual Brand Identity
As you begin to grow your business online, brand identity should be one of your primary marketing goals. Think of Apple as an example. Their white backgrounds, stylish product renders, and silky-smooth copywriting are immediately identifiable.
Thanks to Apple’s well-established brand identity, you can recognize an Apple advertisement almost in your sleep. It doesn’t matter if it’s a product box or a store billboard. No one is confused about who they are or what they sell.
In the same vein, your company needs a brand identity. Display ads help you to establish that. You can refine your logo, your style of copywriting, and the aesthetic your company will embody.
Benefit #4: They Use Ad Targeting
Online display advertising is fundamentally different from posters or billboards. Not just because it’s digital, but because it can take advantage of digital tools.
Show an ad to everyone is like throwing spaghetti at the wall, hoping some of it sticks. With digital tools like algorithms, advertising is far more precise.
These days, ads often don’t display themselves to random people. Companies gather data on their customers and create profiles, allowing them to algorithmically identify their target audience. Ads then appear only for these target demographics and no one else.
Benefit #5: They Can Use Geo-fencing
Geo-fencing creates a virtual perimeter around a selected geographic area. This can be around a local business, city, or even a country. As soon as customers enter this geo-fence barrier, they begin to receive special ads.
For example, suppose a potential customer walks by a pizza restaurant with an erected geo-fence. If said customer pulls out their phone, an ad may appear where they are browsing. This ad entices them with a deal or offer for that restaurant right at lunch time, giving the customer the perfect incentive to make a purchase.
It’s like targeted advertising but for a geographic area. Naturally, it’s highly effective at getting folks in the immediate vicinity of your business to buy.
Benefit #6: They Work With Your Marketing Campaign
With most ads, you can’t just up and use them on a whim. You need to incorporate them into your existing marketing strategy.
Not so with display ads. They work very well in tandem with the tactics you have already deployed. Whether you have PPC, email marketing, or pre-video ads, slapping on display ads is simple and easy.
Benefit #7: They Provide Helpful Metrics
The big allure of PPC ads is the fact that you can measure them with precision. You see exactly how many people clicked them, the visitor bounce rate, and so on.
Display ads likewise give you a finger on the pulse of your marketing campaign. You can see how many people viewed the ad, how many engaged with it, and how many converted. Though seemingly static and boring, there is a wealth of data you can mine regardless.
Benefit #8: They Can Employ “Retargeting”
Suppose a customer clicks on your ad, and then navigates away out of disinterest. You haven’t lost them just yet. Thanks to ad retargeting, there’s a chance to hook them once more – this time for an actual conversion.
Retargeting is a common tactic with a PPC ad, but it also works with display ads. Even if they click away, they may see the ad again on a Google start page or a news website margin. This gives them a chance to reconsider becoming one of your customers.
Benefit #9: They Are Cost-Effective
The cost of advertising adds up quickly, and sometimes is prohibitively expensive from the get-go. Just look at the Super Bowl, where big companies pay millions of dollars for a single 30-second spot. Even on a smaller scale – such as with video ads – costs can creep up depending on the method you use.
Online display advertising is some of the cheapest in the industry. As we’ve mentioned previously, there is a virtually infinite amount of space for them. Most websites sell that space in spades, making it easy for you to launch a fresh spread of ads without a significant budget increase.
Benefit #10: They Nurture Your Leads
Many of your potential customers just need a gentle nudging over the course of weeks, months, or years. At first, they see your product and don’t think much of it. As time goes on, they think about it more and more, edging closer to making a purchase.
This process is known as lead nurturing. The customers are usually members of your target audience that show great promise of conversion at some point. You target and retarget them with ads until they finally pull the trigger on a purchase.
Since display ads are everywhere, it serves as a constant reminder that sparks the thoughts of buying that you want. And if they aren’t thinking about a purchase, it plants your business in their mind as a worthwhile option. When the time comes that they do consider purchasing what you have to offer, you’ll be the first choice on their list.
Get Display Advertising Services With Trigger Digital
Display advertising services are still relevant and effective in the Internet age. Customers see them everywhere, and they implement modern algorithmic tools like ad targeting and precision metric gathering. They’re cost-effective, easy to implement, and build the brand image you want most.
Trigger Digital is your key to marketing in the online world. Take a look at the services we offer and achieve your marketing goals today.
