Advertising online is one of the best ways for small businesses to reach new customers. It’s a targeted and effective way to get your product in front of the right eyes. Most online advertising works in a similar way. They typically follow a pay-per-click (PPC) format. That means you only pay when someone clicks on your advert. Some advertisers follow a cost-per-meal (CPM) rate, which charges you for every 1000 impressions. Either way, you’re guaranteed to generate some interest. Here’s how to make it work for you.
Define your target audience
Without a laser sharp focus, it’s hard to get people to click on your adverts. Imagine, for a second, you make and sell tennis rackets. You want your adverts to reach people who play tennis. If your advert pops up in front of anyone else, it’s a waste. Online ads allow you to target a very small niche using demographic information and interests. By targeting young people with an interest in tennis, you’ll get a much stronger response to your ads. If you need help, a PPC agency can really help you hone and target the best audience.
Creating your advert
The next step is creating an advert that generates interest and captures attention. As an advertiser, it can be difficult to stand out online. Every day we are bombarded with online adverts. On Facebook, Google, Twitter, and every website there are ads everywhere. How do you get your to make an impression? First of all, you need a powerful image. Then, you need compelling copy or wording to capture attention. The best adverts intrigue us and tickle our curiosity. You can even try a few different ones and set a small budget. See which one returns the best results, then roll it out on a bigger scale.
Google AdWords
One of the best places to start your online advertising campaign is Google AdWords. You’ll notice that ads appear every time you search for something on Google. Well, using Google AdWords, your advert could be one of them. Create an account, and you’ll choose the keywords that define your advert. Now, when someone searches for that keyword, your advert will pop up at the top of the search results. Using AdWords, you can also create banner and display ads that will appear on certain websites. Finally, you can use AdWords to create video adverts on YouTube.
Facebook advertising
We’ve seen a lot of positive response from Facebook advertising. The best thing about Facebook ads is the sheer depth of audience targeting. Facebook collects and archives all of our information. It knows our interests and demographics better than any other platform. It means you can hone in your ideal customers. For example, tennis racket sellers, you can target people who attended Wimbledon this year. We’ve found that Facebook ads get the best click-through rate of all online adverts.
There are other platforms here too. Twitter and LinkedIn both have their own sponsored content and adverts that you can tap into. As you grow larger, you can approach professional advertising companies. They’ll place your adverts with specific clients and websites. But, for now, follow this advice and start small. It’s easier than you think and it really works!
photo credit
Featured image credit: ShutterStock
