The Internet has made reaching your target audience, no matter where they may be, much easier and cheaper than before.

So why should you try to advertise online? 

Better 'Bang' for your 'Buck'

Online ads can be viewed 24/7 by millions of people all around the world, whereas TV and radio ads generally last less than 2 minutes and are shown a limited number of times a day. Some methods of advertising on the Internet are even 'pay-per-click' which means you only pay when someone clicks your ad - and, in general, those who are interested enough to click on your ad are more likely to do business with you.

Reach your Target Market

It's a lot easier to reach your potential customers on the Internet. Consider an ad for a fishing rod on a fishing website - almost everyone who visits that site will be interested in fishing. This means the people most likely to purchase your rod are the ones who see your ad (as opposed to an ad placed on the radio or in a newspaper).

Some sites that sell online advertising, like Google and Facebook have fancy algorithms that look at search history and tailor the ads accordingly.  That means if you sell fishing rods and someone has been browsing for rods, your ad will show up on the websites this customer visits.

Captive Audience

Technology means we can now fast forward through TV ads, and most of us do. The number of people that radio ads reach is getting smaller with the use Internet radio and music apps like Spotify or iTunes.  However, with Internet advertising you have a captive audience - a banner ad on the side of a webpage you are reading remains there, in your peripheral vision, as long as you are on that page.

Interact with your Market

The Internet provides you with the ability to interacting with your customers.  For example, you can post a helpful tip on a group forum.  People are much more likely to be loyal to brand where they feel they "know" someone or that someone is helping them. Alternatively your ad can be used to get them to visit your website, enter a competition, receive free information - all ways you can use to build a relationship with your prospective customer.

Plenty of Options

There are lots of options when it comes to advertising your business online - there's bound to be something that suits your business and budget. 

However, before launching into online advertising, we recommend that you identify key information about your customers.

Key information to know about your customers:

• What industries are they from?
• What size is a typical business?
• Where are they based?

Information about your customers can help you identify websites that they might commonly access (e.g.: news sites, industry sites) and allow you to select the most appropriate sites to advertise on. Google Adwords can also be highly effective in driving traffic to your website.

One of the easiest ways to start online advertising is through Facebook.  When you post on Facebook you do have the option to 'boost' a post and select who see's this post.  Choose a post that promotes your business well and give it a go; you can set the budget to make sure you're in control of the costs.

For best results...

For the best results we recommend you take a structured approach to advertising online and follow a Digital Marketing Plan, a Social Media Plan, or Publishing Calendar.  For more information check out Why Do I need a Digital Marketing Plan?  Also check out Ways you can advertise online.

Want to know more?

If you have any questions or need advice, you can get in touch with the Digital Journey team at 📧 hello@digitaljourney.org.