{"id":120814,"date":"2020-02-20T19:05:27","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T01:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.digitalmarketer.com\/uncategorized\/digital-advertising\/"},"modified":"2022-06-02T15:53:25","modified_gmt":"2022-06-02T20:53:25","slug":"digital-advertising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digitalmarketer.com\/blog\/digital-advertising\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Ever Needed to Know About Digital Advertising"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Everything<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Digital advertising is one of the most powerful ways to launch, grow, or scale any business online.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can work for any type of product or service, in any industry, at any size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s so magical about it? Why does it work so well?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, for starters, digital advertising gives you a scalable and predictable way to generate the one thing every business needs:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traffic to your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all need traffic to generate leads, which we need to generate customers, which we need to generate revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, you need a lot more than traffic to succeed. You need a great offer, a desirable product or service, a well-designed website, and so on. But without any traffic, none of those things will matter\u2026 because no one will ever actually see <\/em>them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that, dear friends, is where digital advertising comes into play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But before we get into too much detail, let\u2019s start with the basics and make sure we\u2019re all on the same page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Digital Advertising?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When we say \u201cdigital advertising<\/a>,\u201d we\u2019re referring to paid media buying<\/strong>. It\u2019s the process of spending money to get people\u2019s attention online, so you can hopefully convert them into a new customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may seem like a new development, but the concept has been around for a long time. The only things that have changed are the mediums or channels we use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Graphic<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Think of digital advertising like a water hose that sends traffic to your website. The great thing about it is that it\u2019s predictable and completely under your control.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need more traffic? Just turn the hose on, or turn it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need to pause traffic for a while? Just turn the hose off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a lot of people who complain about the fact that digital advertising costs money. They prefer to get all<\/em> their traffic through \u201cfree\u201d channels like SEO and organic social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there are 3 serious problems with that \u201corganic only\u201d approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. First of all, getting organic traffic requires a lot of work<\/strong>\u2026 so it\u2019s not really free, <\/em>is it?<\/li>
  2. Second, your traffic depends on the Google\/Facebook algorithm\u2026 which can change at any time and decimate your traffic if you happen to be on the wrong side of an update<\/strong><\/li>
  3. Finally, you have no control over your traffic and less chance to scale than by adding paid traffic<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Regarding point #1: <\/em>There\u2019s no such thing as a free lunch, or free traffic. You pay for it with either time or money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Regarding point #2: <\/em>Did you know that the average organic reach for a Facebook post, as of Q3 2019, was just 5.5%? That means for every 1,000 people that like your page, only 55 will see your organic posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Companies like Facebook and Google make their money from ad revenue, which means they have a vested interest in shifting more of their exposure to paid traffic.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Regarding point #3:<\/em> If paid advertising is like a hose, organic traffic is like the rain. Yes, it\u2019s \u201cfree,\u201d but it\u2019s unpredictable. You can\u2019t control it, and you can\u2019t rely on it. Because you might just find yourself in the middle of a drought at the worst possible time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We\u2019re not saying you shouldn\u2019t try to get organic traffic. Heck, we love organic traffic!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But for anyone who\u2019s serious about launching and growing a real business online, you need more<\/em> than organic traffic. You need to master paid digital advertising<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And that starts with understanding the big picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    How Digital Advertising Fits in with the Customer Value Journey<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Ryan Deiss, the fearless founder of DigitalMarketer, has said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThe role of marketing is to move prospects and customers seamlessly and subtly through each stage of the Value Journey.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We love this quote and use it often. We say it so much that if we had an office parrot, it would be repeating this phrase over and over while getting cracker crumbs all over the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why is this concept so important to remember?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Because it reminds us that even though this is digital advertising, <\/em>we can\u2019t forget the human element <\/em>that\u2019s inherent in all of marketing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yes, we may be setting up ads inside of digital platforms and manipulating them through technical settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But at the end of the day, the person seeing those ads is a human being. <\/strong>And none of this digital marketing stuff is going to work if you don\u2019t understand the person on the other side of the computer screen, what their problems are, what they want, and what process they go through in deciding whether or not to buy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We mapped this process out for you, and we call it the Customer Value Journey<\/a> (CVJ for short).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Digital advertising is so versatile that it can potentially be used at ANY stage of the CVJ. But most often, it\u2019s used at these 5 stages: Aware, Engage, Subscribe, Convert, and Ascend.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here are some examples of paid online advertising used at these stages of the CVJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Aware<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    At the very beginning of the CVJ, you\u2019re showing an ad to someone who has never heard of you before.<\/strong> Then, once they see your ad, they have become aware<\/em> of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s an example. If you\u2019d never heard of thredUP before, this Facebook ad would do a good job of catching your attention (notice the bright pink bar that stands out in the newsfeed) and making you aware:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"thredUP<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    You wouldn\u2019t know much about the company at this point, but you\u2019d know they exist, and you\u2019d know they\u2019re \u201cnot your typical thrift store.\u201d That\u2019s all you need to reach step 1 of the CVJ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Engage<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    In the next stage in the CVJ, your aim is to get people to interact with you\u2014by reading a blog post, watching a video, commenting on a post, and so on.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s an example of how BookBub does this with the help of a Facebook ad promoting a quiz that generates book recommendations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"BookBub<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Online quizzes are a great way to generate engagement, because they\u2019re quick and easy to complete, and they give you some piece of fun or helpful information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (In this case, anyone who reads a lot would be interested in new book recommendations based on their preferences.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Subscribe<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Your next goal is to get the person to subscribe\u2014to give you their contact information so you can continue to follow up with them over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Typically this is done via email, but you could also use other follow-up methods such as Facebook Messenger, SMS, even snail mail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We\u2019ve had tremendous success generating subscribers by using paid online ads to promote our different <\/strong>Lead Magnets<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> The way this works is simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We create something valuable and give it away for free, in exchange for joining our newsletter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"DigitalMarketer<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    All you have to do is fill out a form to sign up for our email list, and you\u2019ll get the Lead Magnet (in this case a 10-point blog post audit) free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Convert<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Now it\u2019s time to get some sales. This stage of the CVJ is all about generating customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The mistake many companies make is trying to jump straight to Convert, and skipping the 3 steps that come before it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But when you follow the CVJ in its proper order\u2014by creating awareness, engagement, and subscription before<\/em> asking for the sale\u2014you\u2019ll discover that people are much more likely to buy from you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s an example of a \u201cConvert\u201d ad by HelloFresh:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"HelloFresh<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Notice how they\u2019re trying to maximize their number of sales by presenting an irresistible offer (10 free meals). Yes, giving a discount cuts into profits, but it also generates more total customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And the more customers you have, the more profits you can earn later<\/em> when you reach the next stage of the CVJ\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ascend<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Last but not least, the Ascend step is all about getting your customers to make more purchases and bigger purchases over time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Running paid online ads to your customer base can be extremely profitable, because these people already know and trust you\u2014which means they\u2019re much more likely to buy higher-priced products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sea-Doo does a great job with this ad, in which they promote an extended warranty:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Sea-Doo<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    How Digital Advertising Fits in with Customer Value Optimization<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    We teach another system here at DigitalMarketer. This one provides a 10,000-foot view of how the marketing process works (when it\u2019s done right).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We call it Customer Value Optimization<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s what it looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Customer<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    The Customer Value Optimization process gives you a tested and reliable roadmap to build an unstoppable business in any niche, market, or industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So where does digital advertising, AKA paid online media fit in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At the very top, as one of the traffic sources that send people into this whole process in the first place:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Traffic<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    The beauty of the Customer Value Optimization process is that you only have to pay for traffic at the beginning.<\/strong> Once a visitor has subscribed to your newsletter, you can continue to follow-up with them for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n<\/a>\n\n\n\n\n

    The Most Important Digital Advertising Platforms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    OK, now you should have a pretty good idea of what digital advertising is, why it\u2019s such an important part of your overall digital marketing strategy<\/a>, and how it fits into the big picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Next, let\u2019s dive into some of the specific platforms available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Remember that the concept of paid advertising is nothing new. It\u2019s just the channels, or mediums, that have changed with the rise of the internet.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can actually think of many of these platforms as a newer \u201cdigital equivalent\u201d of an older advertising medium. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n