Understanding How Digital Advertising Works and How to Use It for Growth

Digital advertising is bigger than ever, but it’s almost impossible to keep up with the constant changes. And because there are so many different channels and strategies for digital marketing, all of these changes are multiplied. Even with your best efforts, it’s likely that you’ll still fall behind. And, unlike a race where the result may or may not matter, not keeping up with the pack in your business niche can prevent your business from growing - or even succeeding altogether.

Want to keep up with the competition? Want to pull to the front of your pack? Then here’s everything you need to know about the best digital advertising services in Nashville…

Digital ads are better than traditional ads.

While there are ways to successfully incorporate aspects of traditional advertising with digital marketing, most local businesses don’t have the budget. So, if you’re left looking to choose between one or the other, digital ads are almost always the smarter investment. The biggest reason why (although there are several) is because digital advertisements are capable of being much more targeted. While traditional marketing is sold based on the sheer number of people that can be reached (like the number of people who subscribe to a magazine or the viewers for a specific television show), digital marketing can zoom in and target your exact audience. The end result is that you pay less to reach more of the right people.

Here are a few other reasons why digital ads reign the current marketing landscape:

1 - Digital advertising can be tracked much more closely, which means you don’t spend money on your “best guesses” or “hunches.”

2 - Digital advertising is far more targeted than traditional advertising. Even with a small budget you can still get better results because your ads will only be seen by the people most likely to be interested.

3 - Digital advertising doesn’t force you to be generic in order to appeal to the masses. Because it is more tailored, you can craft better copy and marketing messages that are far more compelling than any blanket “catch-all” type of ads.

4 - Digital advertising is strategic. It’s not based on guesswork - it’s tracked and supported by real evidence and numbers. When you choose to use digital advertising services, you can be confident that you’re never throwing money out the window.

5 - Digital advertising offers a legitimate ROI that traditional advertising can’t compete with. Because you can track every aspect of your advertising strategy, you aren’t just guessing that your ads are working - you know.

Here’s how to be successful with Google advertising...

People love to Google. In fact, recent numbers show that there are approximately 40,000 Google searches taking place every second. (That’s about 3.5 billion searches every single day.) It’s no wonder, then, why Google is the king of digital advertising. Google ads account for more digital ad spend than any other platform - a whopping 38.6% in 2017. But businesses aren’t just putting their money on Google because there are lots of people; businesses choose to use Google Ads because they get real results.

The most recent statistics show that the average business will double the money they spend on Google Ads - invest one dollar in ads and you’ll get two dollars back in revenue. If you knew of an ATM that let you put in $10 and get back $20, wouldn’t you be there every single day?

If you’re on Google Ads already, however, and not seeing this type of result, there’s a good chance that you need to rework your digital advertising strategy.

Here are a few of the Google Ads basics to get you started:

1 - Do Your Research. Before you run your first Google Ad, you’ll want to invest plenty of time researching the market first. You can begin by writing down all of the keywords and phrases you think you should be targeting to get you started, but it’s not a good idea to start spending money until you know how effective an ad will be. (Remember, this is the big difference between traditional advertising and digital advertising.) There are plenty of services that will help you run the numbers you need to see the competition - some of these are free, but a lot of the best ones are not. But, believe me, making the investment is well worth it. As you just saw, a dollar well spent on Google Ads can easily turn into $2. If you’ve tried doing research on your own but still aren’t getting the results you want, get an expert to help you see what’s best for your business. This type of guidance is what sets a lot of successful digital ad campaigns apart from the rest.

2 - Bid on the Right Keywords. Because so many companies use Google for advertising, you’ll run into a lot of competition, especially if you go after the wrong keywords. Once you’ve done your research, you should have a better idea of which keywords you need to be targeting. Remember, the more niche or local you can get, the less money you’ll end up spending - and the more effective your ad campaigns will be. It’s also a great idea to take advantage of the negative keywords option Google Ads has available. Using this feature can save you a lot of money and make sure your ads stay highly targeted. Once you’re ready to bid, you’ll tell Google exactly how much money you have to spend on each of the clicks. Of course, the more money you can spend, the more searches you’ll show up in.

3 - Utilize Programmatic Ads. If you want to get even smarter with your digital advertising campaigns, you’ll want to utilize Google’s Programmatic Ads. A more efficient way to create advertisements, programmatic buying allows you to see bidding in real-time, access the most current research, and to see all of the data you need to find opportunities for your marketing.

Getting started with Facebook ads…

If Google is king of digital advertising, then Facebook is the prince. The only platform even close to competing with Google in terms of ad spend, Facebook continues to grow its digital advertising presence, offering businesses incredible opportunities for getting in front of their audience.

Here are a few reasons why digital marketers love Facebook:

Incredibly Niche Targeting. Because of the information Facebook collects, it can offer incredibly accurate targeting for your business’s demographics. If you want to put your advertisement only in front of an audience that lives in Nashville, is between the ages of 18 and 35, likes baseball, and has kids - then Facebook ads are the way to go. This extreme targeting works really well for local businesses in particular.

Multiple Ad Types. Facebook allows for a variety of advertisements, including videos, images, products, and text. This allows businesses to see which type of advertisement their audience responds to best, oftentimes creating a more interactive or personal experience that results in more clicks.

Landing Page Friendly. Some of the most successful digital marketers are using Facebook ads as an opportunity to attract people to their landing pages. This type of marketing strategy is proving to lead to optimal conversion for products and services.

Even if you just focus in on these two digital marketing powerhouses, Google and Facebook, most businesses still find the learning curve to be daunting. And, because the best strategies are constantly changing, even spending time to learn what works now can be deemed impractical after just a few months. In order to get the best results, local businesses should consult an expert who offers digital advertising services in Nashville.

I can help! Let me get to know you and your business and I’ll offer you a free consultation that will show you just how effective digital marketing can be for your Nashville-based business.

Get in touch with me today to get started!