Advertising technology has become an easy milking cow for online fraudsters.
It’s easy to put up a website with content pilfered from other legitimate publishers. These fake websites could then start finding advertising partners.
Businesses that don’t care about their image are fine with these websites as long as they generate enough traffic, meaning more people would see their ads. But if you want to follow a straight path even in the uncontrollable Internet, have a more defined and specific strategy, like using digital marketing services.
Invest in research.
Instead of investing in ads that pop out on random websites, place your ads on crucial pages. For this, you would need reliable data, which would include what websites are normally visited by your target audience, how frequently they would visit them, and how they interact with the pages.
It’s unfortunate that previous issues, such as that between Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, had marred researching user data. But it should not deter you from pursuing ethically done research.
Besides learning about frequented websites, you could also research what kind of ads would attract your target audience. After all, even if your ads are placed on the websites they visit, they would not click them if they don’t find it interesting.
Create a communication plan.
The immediate association with a communication plan is lobbying. Groups that are doing advocacy work and campaigns create these plans because they want to convince people of their ideas. The objective of influencing people in their way of thinking is nothing different from an advertising campaign. Lobbyists peddle their ideas while you are selling goods. In both objectives, you want to convince people to act on something.
A good communication plan will have a specific target segment of the population you want to sell to. You would have key messages, what you want to tell them about your product so that they would buy it. Then your strategy as to how you will communicate these messages to them effectively. A thorough plan needs to be backed up by good research. You will need to know how best to reach your target audience so that your messages can achieve the effect you want.
Have someone manage your social media.
Managing social media accounts primarily for business is not as simple as maintaining private accounts. The purpose is to reach as much audience as possible with the most engaging content that would hook them. It’s not a simple matter of getting likes but sending out a convincing message to make them check out your product.
As such, the social media manager will have to make sure that the posts are always fresh and uploaded when your target audience is most active on these platforms. The social media manager will also have to keep track of the trends so that the posts made will appear in strangers’ feeds.
Other than a social media manager, you could also invest in influencers and trend spotters. Social media influencers are more credible to their followers’ eyes because they give the idea that they are showing how they go about their days. Rather than a superficial setting where models show off your product in ads, influencers use your product with the context of their lives.
Invest in a data system.
You might not be able to afford your own Information Technology unit immediately. You could still have a system designed to capture all the data you will generate in your operations. Rather than keep on outsourcing a research team, build a database that could generate analyses.
An example of the data set that you could benefit from is the number of site visits you get if you advertise on your social media account at a particular time. If you record this kind of data over time, you will eventually see patterns and trends. You will be able to plan and adjust your advertising strategy accordingly.
Partner with an SEO company.
If you want to generate more visitors to your website, you have to make sure that your website is visible in the first place. Well-positioned ads are one way to get visitors. Another is showing up in searches. SEO or search engine optimization will make sure that your website is suggested and rank among the top when someone searches for the products you are selling.
Most people are now getting their information online. They also do work and spend leisure time on the screen. It is just natural to attract buyers; you would go to where their attention is focused. Compared to what you will gain from it, the investment you make in digital marketing is worth it.
