The Web has been up and running for more than 15 years now, but there is still one area that leaves many marketers and business owners befuddled: online advertising. “Most Internet advertising campaigns are based on hunches and guesswork, not on the endless amounts of research that show what really brings great results in online advertising,” says Joe Plummer, coauthor (with Steve Rappaport, Taddy Hall, and Robert Barocci) of The Online Advertising Playbook. The authors offer these three tips to help you become a more effective Internet advertiser:

Learn the secrets of online advertising from the editors of FuelNet Monthly by downloading your free copy of Internet Marketing: Online Advertising Tips for Business Growth without cost or obligation.

1. Target the right consumers with your ad. With online advertising you can locate precise groups of consumers — whether they are current customers or attractive prospects — to deliver messages that really matter to them. Get as much information on your market as possible to determine the most effective target advertising techniques (e.g., geographic, demographic, purchase-based). This will help you create the most innovative, cost-effective, and successful advertising.

2. Don’t recycle your offline ad. It’s unlikely that you will be able to simply tweak your offline ad, post it to the Web, and watch the customers flock to you. To effectively get your message across, you’ll need to create an ad with a prominent logo, clear flow, and a format matched to the job it needs to perform. Creativity is critical. Colorful, engaging executions with eye-catching headlines or interactive capabilities will help your online ad stand out amid the clutter.

3. Strike a connection between online search and advertising. Search engine marketing has proven effective for traffic building, lead generation, and brand building. The first step is using offline print and broadcast advertising to drive consumers to their computers to search for your products or services. Keep in mind that most search activity is time-challenged, so you’ll need to create highly engaging search text ads with excellent titles. Also, always make sure that your text ad or listing takes consumers to a landing page that will serve their needs.

Permalink: http://www.fuelnet.com/?p=1519