E-commerce is a different beast as compared to traditional businesses. While it still retains the same buy and sell concepts, there are many differences that you need to consider if you want to make your mark online. The biggest difference when it comes to traditional commerce and e-commerce lies in how you market your business.
Online advertising is basically the practice of turning lurkers into consumers through various means. If you have a background in traditional advertising, transitioning into online ads won’t be difficult but you still need to learn a thing or two about it. Here’s everything you need to know about online ads before using them for your business.
Types Of Online Advertising
Online advertising is a broad term. It’s just like traditional marketing which branches out into print, TV, and radio. The key difference, according to marketing wizards at Storegrowers.com, is that online advertising branches out into many other practices. Here are the most common forms of online advertising.
- Social Media Advertising – this is by far the most popular form of online advertising and it includes reaching out to people on various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. One of the reasons why it’s so effective is that there are billions of social media users worldwide to reach out to.
- Paid Search Advertising – people commonly start their e-commerce purchase by going to platforms like Google to search for specific goods. Paid search advertising makes it so that your products appear on the results page for consumers to see.
- Native Advertising – if you are just starting up, it tends to be hard to get noticed by your target audience. One way to begin increasing your following is through Native Advertising. Basically, this form of marketing sees you have links to your products published on popular websites like Buzzfeed for viewers to see.
- Display Advertising – it’s one of the least liked forms of online advertising because it somewhat ruins the experience of consumers online. In-display advertising, ads to your content are placed in banners, links, and even in between videos in the form of search ads.
How Much Does It Cost?
The price of online advertising depends on what kind of advertising you want to be done for your products. The most expensive is usually paid search advertising but considering that it gets you direct links, the price is well worth it if you are thinking about results.
On average, a small business can spend around $9,000 to $10,000 per month through online advertising campaigns. Big businesses can spend as much as $50,0000. It seems like a tall order but considering how hard it is to stand out online, it’s a worthy investment which is why it’s important that you be smart about online advertising.
A Good Website Is A Must
When it comes to online advertising, good materials are only secondary. What’s more important is that your website needs to be great. According to Google Ads, the makings of a good e-commerce website include call-to-actions, navigation links, contact information, images, videos, and even reasons why your product is important.
Aside from these essential web design elements, it’s also important that your website is optimized to run on various devices. People shop online through mobile devices mostly but that doesn’t mean you should let your desktop website rot. Both should be equally optimized to guarantee a smooth buying experience for consumers.
It should also be easy for your consumers to get in and buy the stuff they need without having to go through numerous menus. People shop online for convenience so it is only a must that your website remains as simple and as easy-to-navigate as possible.
Everyone’s Doing It
Every business owner online knows how stiff the competition is inside the internet. That basically means that you should expect all of your competitors to be doing the same amount of online advertising as you.
When it comes to online advertising, you need to be smart, efficient, unique, and creative. Standing out may be tough online but it’s essential if you want to make your business more formidable. In most cases, it’s often best to have the pros do online advertising for you.
Online advertising might be tough to digest and commit to when you are just starting up but eventually, you’ll see that it’s much easier to handle than traditional marketing. The main problem is just that there are a lot of means to advertise online. Hopefully, this short guide is a big help to your future online ad-ventures.
