What is digital display advertising

1. The importance of digital display advertising

For years digital advertising has been the go-to method for businesses looking to reach a broader audience. And among the most popular tools for many digital marketers are display ads. 

While it’s easy to get caught up in what’s new, trendy, and making a splash in digital like new ad formats, channels, and targeting capabilities, it’s essential not to overlook the tried and tested digital advertising methods such as an effective display ad. 

The visual appeal, targeting possibilities and cost-effectiveness of this perennial advertising method has enabled digital adverts to reap rewards for brands across the entire omnichannel customer journey – raising awareness and attracting engagements across your target audiences.

What is display advertising?

Display advertising involves using text-based or visual ads on websites or social media networks to attract people to take action or simply raise brand awareness. The prices of these ads are most often calculated following a CPC model. That means you will be charged a specific amount whenever someone clicks on your ad.

Although display ads are most commonly used in programmatic advertising, brands also like to use them in for retargeting campaigns. That means using display advertising platforms to target users who have previously left their websites without purchasing anything. That way, you entice them to come back and reconsider.

the brand awareness stage of the marketing funnel. That means their search intent isn’t transactional, but informational. Because of that, it can take only a few display ad impressions to end up in a conversion.

2. The business benefits of display advertising

Display advertising provides numerous outstanding benefits for your business – below we’ve listed 5 of the most powerful:

1. It has outstanding reach

When you consider that Google Display Network alone reaches 90% of all internet users, the incredible potential of display advertising should be clear to see. Few other mediums can achieve the reach of this marketing medium. 

2. It captivates audiences

Instead of sticking to plain old boring text, these ads utilise engaging visuals that grab your audience’s attention and draw eyes to your brand. The best visual ads are straight to the point and convey a clear message without over-stimulating your audience. When it comes to generating a visual ad, you want to be sure that the visual portion can either stand on its own or enhances the copy and further the story you are trying to tell.

3. It gives you plenty of targeting options

The technology behind display advertising enables marketers to target specific types of audiences with their ads. That has proven to be a real game-changer in the digital realm and is the primary reason so many businesses use this type of advertising. 

At your disposal are:

• Contextual Targeting — This option entails targeting your customers based on their search engine activity and search history. With contextual targeting, you can place your ads in front of people who have searched for relevant keywords and increase your chances of achieving conversions.
• Placement Targeting — This type of targeting includes choosing websites you wish your ads to appear on. You can let Google ads show up on any sites you like, but having the option to restrict or even “favourite” some sites is invaluable. That way, you’ll be able to include or exclude them in your follow-up campaigns. 
• Demographic Targeting — This option is perhaps the most useful because most brands cater to narrow target audiences and age groups. This kind of ad targeting lets advertisers distribute their display ads only to people who meet particular criteria such as age, gender, location, interests, language, etc. That allows brands to maximise the effectiveness of their advertising budget by delivering their ads only to the people most resembling their target persona.
• Behavioural Targeting — This type of targeting uses your audience’s search history and online behaviour to serve ads to users with relevant interests. Behavioral targeting is one of the most popular targeting methods because it gets advertisers’ ads in front of the people most likely to buy.

4. There are a variety of pricing options

One of the best perks of display advertising is its flexibility in payment options and its low costs. The two most common paid search engine ads you have at your disposal are Cost Per Impression (CPM) and Cost Per Click (CPC) ads. 

The latter is more popular since you only have to pay for each person that clicks on your ads instead of on a per-impression basis. But overall, both of these methods are cost-effective compared to more traditional advertising forms.

5. It has excellent tracking options

An essential part of every marketing strategy is being able to adapt. That is why insight into your campaign’s performance is vital for success. With these types of digital ads, you’ll be able to know the exact number of impressions and clicks your ads receive. That will allow you to re-evaluate your tactics on the go and optimise your strategy over time.

3. 3 examples of effective display advertising

The Ridge Wallet

When Ridge’s advertised its RFID-blocking wallet, it hardly needed any copy at all. The Ridge puts function over style, and the imagery matches that. For good measure, there’s a brief description and a simple call to action: shop now.

Why it’s effective:
– Shows rather than tells
– Consistent visual brand

Brita

A lot of water bottles are wasted every year and Brita wants to change that. Its filter bottle is elegant, simple and offers brand consistency with the promise of great-tasting, filtered water with less wastage.

Why it’s effective:
– The value proposition is tied to a social cause
– The colour selection suggests fresh, great-tasking, filtered water.

Audible

Audiobooks are incredibly popular these days and a subscription-like service that lets book lovers listen to their heart’s content is ideal. In this ad  Audible is offerings 66% off your subscription for the first three months.

Why it’s effective:
– The ad contains an illustration of a popular book, one the potential subscriber may want to read
– The coupon immediately offers the book listener a discount, designed to get them hooked on the service

4. How your brand can take control of display advertising with Papirfly

BAM by Papirfly™ enables marketing teams to produce digital ads faster, and so you can take advantage of opportunities sooner. 

It gives you the ability to maintain consistency across your digital display assets as you customise offers and incentives whenever demand arises. Produce marketing materials in a simpler, more cost-effective way, and increase the volume and frequency of collateral to gain a competitive edge in sales and market trends.

Everything your team needs in a single online portal. BAM provides the freedom to create consistent print and digital display ads without agency support. Discover the power of our smart templates by booking your free personalised demo today.