Advertising in a Digital Landscape

Barely anyone watches TV in real time anymore. We’re all hooked on Netflix, Hulu, and all sorts of OnDemand TV, specifically so we can skip commercials. Even YouTube gives viewers the option to skip an ad, and  the majority of people do.  So what’s a business owner to do to ensure that their marketing budget is well spent? Or more importantly, how can you ensure that your digital advertising is most effective?

1. Prioritize Facebook: There are so many social media platforms that have exploded over the past decade, but when it comes to marketing, Facebook still reigns supreme. It is estimated that about one out of every six minutes that people spend online, they spend on Facebook. Additionally, because of its origin as the first ubiquitous social media platform, the demographic of users varies more than on any platform. Think of it this way- do you know your grandmother’s Instagram handle? No? How hard did you laugh at that snapchat that your CEO uncle posted on his story? Oh, he’s not on it? Chances are high that you have “liked” a picture or commented on a status he posted on Facebook, though. The point here is that your ROI is going to be much higher on Facebook, whether your goal is customer acquisition, new sales, or brand recognition, than it would be on Instagram or Twitter simply because of its familiar user interface and community feel.

2. Know who your customer wants to be: A real marketing trend that has emerged in the past few years is Influencer Marketing. Look at Fit Tummy Tea for example. After figuring out who their product would attract, the company did their research and discovered that a successful way to tap into their most likely customer base, women in their 20’s and 30’s, was to identify who those women follow on Instagram and pay those people to promote the product. What’s an easy way to figure out who your potential customer wants to be? Find out what are they watching on television. Reality television and its stars are bigger than ever before and they amass millions of social media followers. You can get creative and even find YouTube stars with millions of followers. With the right budget, influencer marketing is a highly effective strategy.

3. Invest in Ephemeral Marketing: We’ve previously discussed the benefits of , and if you want to stay relevant and have a younger target audience, it would behoove your company to market in platforms such as Snapchat and Tumblr.

–It can be confusing.

–Why?

–These youngsters are creative

–They know trends before we do.

–And they have us outnumbered.

That was an example of a Tumblr thread. Even Taylor Swift found it confusing, but she knew that’s where her fan base was. It was a way to communicate directly with her fans, just as you want to communicate directly with your customer. Don’t ignore these younger platforms for long, because just like the tweens on it, they grow up  fast.

4. Have a user friendly mobile website: We all have a smart phone in our pockets. It’s easy, fast, and convenient to pull it out and do a quick online search. In fact, about 80% of users research products from their phones when shopping. Unfortunately, we have all also had the experience where we can find the right button to purchase an item, or the screen won’t turn so we can view the product in a landscape format. Maybe the videos aren’t working properly because they were made with a Flash Player and your iPhone doesn’t run Flash. Maybe you decided to use a YouTube video to combat this, but be careful! Lead a horse to YouTube, and it will drink from a thousand different ponds. Invest in developing a clean, easy to navigate mobile website so your potential customers don’t get frustrated and exit once and for all.

The most effective marketing and advertising campaigns have left the television medium. If you’re a new business with a limited budget and must focus on one element, make sure it’s digital marketing. It’s the investment with the highest rate of return, and the digital landscape is not going away. It’s only going to get more immersive in all of our daily lives, and with the right digital marketing strategy, so will your business.