Ad Campaigns That Work: How to Get Started

For a market that didn’t exist a generation ago, online advertising has grown nearly as ubiquitous and varied as the internet technologies that support it. At the end of the day, though, advertising is advertising and the age-old goal remains the same: grow brand awareness and grow sales. 

But, amidst all the distractions and noise that the internet has, how do you get your message across? How do you reach the people with whom your message will resonate the most? 

Ad Campaigns in the Digital Age 

Firms create digital marketing campaigns to drive engagement with their client base, encourage conversions and, hopefully, increase traffic and revenue. Digital marketing ad campaigns align with a firm’s overall marketing strategy, and rely on digital marketing channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Google to achieve success.

Where to Start: Types of Online Ad Campaigns

The evolution of the internet has brought with it choices, and these choices extend to your online ad campaign. They may seem overwhelming at first but, by investing the time to understand the different types of online ad campaigns and how they may help you, you can soon start making informed decisions about the best online ad campaign for you and your firm.

Online ad campaigns may include ads that are distributed through: 

• Banner Ads,
• Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, or
• Search Engine Results.

Deciding which platform best fits your strategy depends on your firm, your style, and your marketing objectives.

Banner ads

You’ll see banner ads, also known as display ads, on just about any page on the internet – they pop up on the top or side (or even within the page) of the page you’re viewing. Their sole purpose? Encouraging you to click on the ad that will take you to the advertiser’s webpage. Online ad networks offer banner ads, pricing them to reflect the number of clicks they generate.  We call this advertising model pay-per-click, or PPC, as the advertiser pays for traffic to their site. 

Social media ads

Ads on social media vary by platform, with the most popular being Facebook advertising, Twitter advertising and LinkedIn advertising. For an additional fee, advertising on some social media platforms can be ‘boosted,’ which brings your message to even more people. Algorithms running behind the scenes help target your message toward the people who will be most receptive to it. 

Ads in search results

When we need something, we often turn to search engines to find providers, provider reviews, or a buyer’s guide on how to buy a good or service. When advertisers buy ads in search results, through programs like Google Ads – formerly Google AdWords – clients see their ads when they search on certain keywords. Using a PPC format, advertisers pay when search engine users click on their ads.
 

Achieving Ad Campaign Success

If you properly design and implement your digital ad campaign, you can experience success as you would with any ad campaign. Be sure to include a call to action that tells potential clients what you want them to do, an optimized landing page that relates to your ad and makes interacting with your company easier, and a way to collect, monitor, and evaluate ad campaign data. 

With a properly designed and executed digital ad campaign, you’ll give your firm the best chance to get your message heard. Even in the crowded market that the internet creates, it’s still possible to navigate through the noise and reach the people who are looking for the services you offer.