Humans are visual creatures, and that’s why most forms of advertising are meant to capture their attention visually.
This is why traditional advertising methods like television, newspaper, and magazines have dominated the industry for over half a century.
However, Smart TVs, tablets, and smartphones are found in almost every household. In order for brands to effectively reach their audiences, it’s important to have a presence across different online channels.
Here’s where display ads come in.
They are ad banners that are served across websites in dedicated spaces (such as header, footer, sidebar) and varies in formats like images, videos, GIFs, etc.
The total global spend on Display Ads in 2021 is around $204 billion. It’s popular for businesses around the world because it’s great for driving brand awareness and engagement!
We know Facebook and Instagram are great channels for ads, but today, we’ll share five other effective, display advertising options to reach audiences. Some of these you may already have heard of; some might be new. Take a read-through and see if there are any new ones you might add to your digital marketing strategy!
- Google Display Ads
- Youtube Video Ads
- Social Display Ads
- Mobile App Advertising
- Digital Out-Of-Home (DOOH) Ads
1. Google Display Ads
Ah, yes, the type of Display ads that dominates the playing field. This is the go-to for many advertisers. The Google Display Network can reach 90% of internet users.
These are typically charged on a Cost-Per-Click (CPC) basis.
Google Ads allow you to:
- Measure ad performance
- See which websites are showing your ads
Their analytics are in-depth, and you can monitor and determine which ads are driving the most clicks, which ones are underperforming, and make adjustments accordingly.
You could pair display ads to retarget people who have visited your website organically or through paid search.
This is one of the most trusted avenues to run display ads and should be a foundational part of your digital ad strategy.
2. Youtube Video Ads
Youtube is part of Google’s empire, and it also happens to be the second-largest search engine in the world. Have you ever had a leaking faucet, not sure what to do about it, and looked on Youtube for tutorials on fixing a faucet before calling a plumber?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Youtube was the social channel that saw the most significant growth amongst Americans. Youtube saw a usage growth from 73% of US adults in 2019 to 81% in 2021!
People have been turning to Youtube during the pandemic to learn new hobbies, share content, and stay entertained. Whether it’s a new recipe, a guided yoga session, or a makeup tutorial, there’s a Youtube community for anything.
Youtube offers a few types of ads:
- Skippable In-Stream Video Ads
- Non-Skippable In-Stream Video Ads
- Bumper Ads
- Discovery Ads
- Non-Video Banner Ads
Videos are consumers’ favorite type of content on social networks. In fact, marketers love them too: 88% of marketers are satisfied with the ROI they get from their video marketing efforts on social media.
3. Mobile App Ads
Mobile app ads are known as in-app advertising. These ads that served within an app when the user is using it. And as we know, most mobile users are spending most of their screentime on apps. This applies to any mobile app on smartphones and tablets.
Plus, since the pandemic hit, the average global mobile phone usage has increased by 1 hour a day!
There are currently four types of in-app ads available:
- Mobile Native
- Mobile Banner
- Interstitial
- Rewarded Video
One of the most significant benefits of mobile app ads is in-depth data tracking and audience targeting capabilities. For example, you’re a wellness company that sells essential oils and diffusers. You could choose to target users interested in meditation and mindfulness–there might even be an opportunity to target them on specific apps!
You can reach engaged users through personalized creatives, increase clicks to your website, or download your app.
Studies have proven that in-app ads are 13X more valuable than web ads, which means mobile should be part of your online digital strategy.
4. Social Display Ads
Social Display Ads are a newer form of ads that big brands like Starbucks, Microsoft, and Levi’s are loving.
The way they work is by taking a brand’s existing content from their social accounts and serving it as an ad across the Google Display Network. They can pull content from these social channels:
- TikTok
Ad formats include regular posts (static images), videos, stories (Facebook & Instagram), and carousels.
People are used to consuming visual content on their social newsfeeds, so when they see this type of content across the internet, it piques their interest more than a regular display ad, resulting in a higher click-through rate!
It is an exclusively programmatic display ad format, so if you’re interested, definitely consider inquiring with a reliable digital advertising agency such as War Room.
Why consider Social Display?
Firstly, it will save you time and money–how? Well, you can use your existing, well-performing visual content on social. So no need for additional design, and you can launch it almost immediately!
Secondly, you get to extend your ad reach. People who see your ad might not follow you on social, so you’re getting more eyes on your brand. Your social content is aligned with your brand image, so brand consistency will be maintained across all channels by running these ads.
Social Display ads can amplify your brand’s presence when combined with other ad formats.
3. Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH)
Physical banner ads have always been popular. But meet its shiny, new cousin: Digital Out-Of-Home ads (also known as DOOH ads). It delivers ads through outdoor signs, digital billboards, and screens at airports, bus stops, malls, and other public spaces with high foot traffic. These are bound to get eyes on them.
The ads are an upgraded version of the traditional, static billboards and can showcase interactive, animated images or videos.
You can get creative for DOOH ads. You can serve dynamic content -which means the imagery and messaging can be automatically changed depending on the time of day or weather etc. Imagine you just left the office after a long day at work and it starts raining cats and dogs–and you forgot to bring your umbrella! You duck under a bus shelter to dodge the rain, and a DOOH ad lights up, featuring a tropical beach in Hawaii, with the caption, “You deserve paradise.” Wouldn’t you agree?
You can get creative and make your ad interactive and engaging. Check out this GMC ad, for example, https://youtu.be/VEJs8puLPX0
Digital Out-Of-Home ads are effective for brand awareness campaigns.
We recommend having a cross-channel strategy set up, no matter the size of your business. Never put all your eggs in one basket. So, a PPC search campaign, a Facebook ad, and another type of Display ad would be a great starting point.
There you have it: 5 effective channels for display advertising that brands can use to drive better results!
Also Read: 30 Most Surprising Facts about Apple that you should know today
