A website is like a guppy in the ocean of the Internet. Because of the sheer number of other fish swimming in that ocean, it is exceedingly difficult to get noticed. You must not only contend with other guppies, but there are larger and more powerful predators lurking nearby just waiting to swallow you whole.
But your website has an ally. It’s called Internet advertising, and it’s akin to having a giant squid as a bodyguard.
No matter how small your website is, you can find your niche audience by using several advertising methods to direct their eager clicks in your direction. But how do you advertise to the audience that will pay you any mind? Here’s how.
Identify Your Audience
This is the most important step to a successful ad retargeting campaign. By determining who your audience is, you’ll be able to cater ads that reach out to them specifically.
If you provide localized plumbing services, you don’t need to reach high school kids using MySpace to connect to their friends. But you do need to get the word out to current homeowners. You can do this by combining real-life advertising in newspapers and flyers with online ads on Facebook and Google using Google’s AdSense or Facebook’s ever-evolving advertising tools.
Offer an Incentive
To truly stand out from the other local plumbing companies in your area, you need to offer potential customers a reason to choose you. Whether you give a discount for new customers or you reward return customers, people like to think that they’re getting a good deal on a great service.
Now, what’s the point of an incentive if you don’t make it clear in your advertising? On to the next step…
Display Positive Aspects
Design display advertising that clearly declares the best thing about your website or business. If you’re a local plumber, for instance, you may not even need to make it obvious what your company’s name is (after all, many companies have names like ‘A1 Plumbing Company’ just so they could “rank” first in the phonebook back when that was the best way to find a good or service). Rather, it needs to be obvious what the user could gain from clicking on your ad.
Remember, your ad has to fit into a predetermined size. It’s best to cut down text as much as possible and to choose images or a layout that clearly sets you apart from the website your ad may be displayed on, whether it’s Facebook, a news website, or even a popular blog.
Stick to these simple ideas when figuring out how to run your website’s ad campaign. The giant squid never falters.
