Back to WebWorks Unlimited Services Custom Website Design and Management Services • Search Engine Optimization Content Development • Branding • Link Building • Banner Advertising • Custom Graphics For over 15 years at WebWorks Unlimited, we have been helping small business clients improve their Internet business visibility, by building websites, optimizing websites, providing SEO, link building, and advertising support. I get a lot of questions, which often start lengthy discussions. I thought it might be a good idea to address some of these questions and make it easy for our clients (and potential clients) to peruse at their convenience. So I have compiled information that I have found in articles written by marketing experts, as well as what I have learned through my own experience over the last 20 years. These days, you'd be hard pressed to find someone reading a newspaper or magazine. Everyone is glued to their phone, tablet, laptop, or other wireless device. Ipods have replaced radio, and "binging" by DVD or download is continuously stealing more and more commercial TV viewers. The message could not be clearer: the Internet is the biggest advertising venue in modern history. No one even uses the phone book anymore. But that's good news, because for what you might pay for a display ad in your local phone book, you can start a nice little online advertising budget. But first, for those of you who are hesitant to advertise at all, let's look at a piece of advertising history. Right before the Great Depression, packaged cereals were one of the newest products on the market. There were three main cereal companies. At that time, Post was the big dog. When the depression hit, Post decided not to advertise, while Kellogg's advertised throughout the depression years. For decades after the depression ended, we saw in our everyday lives what a difference that made. Kellogg's was the undisputed king of cereal manufacturers for many years. I can still see the colorful corn flakes rooster in my mind's eye. Then Post and General Mills jumped on the branding wagon. Since then, General Mills has kept Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch on a significant number of America's breakfast tables for some time now, and Post has recently had phenomenal success branding Honey Bunches of Oats. In fact, Honey Nut Cheerios is the number one selling cereal in America, with Kellogg's Frosted Flakes at two, and Honey Bunches of Oats at a close three. These days, we all understand a lot more about getting the consumer's attention. Big companies which are household names are household names for a reason. They advertise regularly, knowing that supporting their brand makes a huge difference at the point of sale, and even before. For example, when a person first decides they need a new car, a vacuum cleaner, a computer, or even take-out for dinner, their thought process will sift through the seeds planted by branding support advertising as they make their decision. And THIS is the real power of display advertising. Too often, we focus on immediate results. This is just the nature of the “instant gratification” beast. We think that if we don't get click-throughs resulting in immediate sales, we have failed. But if we want to build a vibrant business long-term, we need to think differently. Why not take a lesson from the big guys? They know it's all in planting seeds. When people come across your ad, they may click on it. They may just think, "Oh, there's that thing-a-ma-jig I've been considering." They may bookmark your site and come back later. But even if they aren't yet ready to buy, the impression your ad made will be there when they are. Following are excerpts from an excellent short article by Todd McPartlin, owner of iMarketing: “Marketing is the lifeblood of every business. In this digital age, increasing sales as well as revenues depends on being able to successfully use available marketing technologies. There are many ways to get your marketing message across; don’t underestimate the value of online display advertising. This type sells your product or service through visually appealing text as well as graphics. “Strategic placement of display ads is critical. Don't limit your placement to the obvious. If you are a manufacturer of widgets, placing your ad on a site about tips for using widgets means lots of ad competition. Every widget maker will be on that site. Placing your ad on sites that are likely to interest your target market makes your ads relevant, personalized, timely, and unique. All these help in creating a successful advertising campaign or increasing the chance of the ads getting noticed. “Online display advertising campaigns are great strategies that can improve the visibility of your product and brand. It is an efficient way that can help you adapt with the demands of the times and to evolve an effective marketing plan and strategy.” ONLINE ADVERTISING WORKS Are you hesitant to use banner ads in your marketing campaign? Here is why you need to give it a chance: • Display advertising completes your branding circle. Online display advertising works in conjunction with traditional methods of advertising to complete the branding circle. The Internet with its billions of users around the world has huge potential to open new opportunities for businesses to grow and expand. Tri-media advertising alone – print, TV, and radio – cannot reach every market anymore, particularly when building brands. You need to complement tri-media with online advertising to tap the World Wide Web’s enormous market. • Look like a big fish and gain trust. You want your target market to trust your brand. That happens when they see you have enough going for you to produce and run a professional ad. Being a big player carries with it the connotation of credibility and reliability, traits that are not so easily achieved in online marketing. • Benefit from “Geo-targeting” when appropriate. Display ads give you the control to creatively personalize your online advertisements so that you can efficiently zero in on your market by geographic location. If you deliver pizza from your “brick and mortar” location, let the local market know by showing a banner ad with a telephone number so they can place their order. • Entice your target by knowing their interests. If you know your target demographics, you can understand their interests and what can captivate them. Use the knowledge to design your display ads to entice and grab their attention. For instance, younger targets would normally be interested in the social media and celebrity icons, while young professionals would be interested in niches like health, family, gourmet, and business. Target more established adults with upscale products, services, and experiences. • Get the ads featured on relevant sites. Your knowledge of the interests of your typical customer can take you further to include the knowledge of the websites they usually visit or the content that they read. Banner ads featured alongside relevant content increase the likelihood of getting noticed and clicked. • Enjoy lower marketing cost. Online display advertising can be inexpensive, while tri-media and use of TV and billboards typically cost much more. In fact, this kind of advertising is leveling the playing field for small entrepreneurs with limited resources. With billions of Internet users, you can reach so many target users for hundreds, not thousands, of dollars. From the blog of Gary Shouldis, founder of 3BugMedia, host of The Small Business Express, and consultant to the New York Times Business section: “Although print advertising, direct mail, TV and radio still have some relevance for some industries, for many, it’s a giant waste of time and money. “While I’m a huge proponent of optimizing your website so you can get found in search engine results for free, the reality is that it takes a lot of time, patience, persistence, and hard work to rank high in the search engines. And depending on your business, there might be too much competition to be able to ever achieve that goal for smaller businesses. But any website can be well supported by online advertising, so while you’re slowly and methodically building up your organic search rankings, or if you feel you never will, why not invest your advertising dollars more efficiently online right now? AGAIN ... ONLINE ADVERTISING WORKS When you run a display campaign, you are leveraging two of the Internet's best features for advertisers. First, you can target your ads in very specific ways. You can run your ads on websites that have content and keywords relevant to your business. You can have your ads shown to specific audiences that you select based on their demographics, geography, and interest. Second, you have several ad formats to choose from. You can choose simple, very specific text ads, or utilize the power of image ads. In closing, paid advertising should coincide with your organic marketing efforts (Search Engine Optimization). You should really be doing both, as the two of these methods working together can bring phenomenal results for your business.” We at Webworks Unlimited are specialists in gaining online visibility for your business. And as a small, family-owned business ourselves, we are committed to your success. If you have any questions or feel you are ready to grow your business, please contact us. WebWorks Unlimited can take over management of your existing website, providing hosting and updating services. Contact us to discuss the transfer of your website management.