Let's face it, we see A LOT of advertising every day. Whether it be on TV or on one of our social media apps, online advertising is everywhere. More specifically, Americans are exposed to up to 10,000 advertisements every day, according to an article from Clutch.
One of the types of advertising we discussed in my Leadership and Media Strategies course was location targeted ads. I think location target messages or ads could positively affect how people view the ads they are receiving every day. In other words, if someone was shopping at a particular clothing store and was then sent an ad for that particular store and a type of clothing piece that store was selling, I think it could have a higher possibility of persuading that person to buy it.
When considering this type of advertising, I believe location can be a huge factor in selling a product. However, I think a lot of research and procedures should be conducted before just hitting people with more ads they don't necessarily want.
One idea I had in mind was an application that was specifically for location targeted advertising. Think about one of those big catalogue books or weekly ad insert you find in a newspaper, specifically for one store, but in the form of an app you can use on a mobile device. This would give people the ability to locate ads on their own rather than get bombarded with ones they weren't interested in and of course, this would depend on location where the ads or deals would pop up when someone was using the app at a specific store. I think this would be more appealing to people because it gives them the control over the ads they are receiving.
We also studied six other types of advertising, specifically for online usage. These include: search engine ads, display ads, Facebook ads, Twitter advertising, Instagram ads, and retargeting ads.
Personally, the type of advertising that I think is the most effective and I guess the most appealing to most of our society today is all of the social media based advertising. With Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, I think you can reach a lot of people on these platforms. Also, I think these ads are more effective because you can target your ads based on what your audience has 'liked' or 'followed.'
Along with the online advertising one can find on social media, I also think display advertising is very effective because it allows companies to amplify their branding and ultimately, to create a bigger awareness of their image. The article previously mentioned states, "display ads are effective if you want to increase visibility on pages you know your potential customers visit." With this idea, I think people are more attracted to ads such as these solely because of the imagery they can provide to support the message of the ad. Yes, text be powerful standing alone, but if you have an image or graphic to amplify it, then I think you would have a higher chance of people reading it.
According to the article that covers these types of advertising, "With so many organic marketing strategies out there, it's easy to overlook advertising, but investing in your outreach can accelerate your growth and pay dividends for year. You just need to develop an effective advertising campaign with a specific goal in mind."
I think this sums the whole idea of advertising for any business or company really well. When strategizing how you want to develop an advertising campaign, it is most important that you identify what you think will work best for your company. Yes, researching the way other businesses or companies run their campaigns can help, but it may not be exactly how your business's campaign should be or tailored to your target audiences.
Since ads can be overlooked a lot, it is important that your business's ads are both relevant and appealing, while also representing the image and branding of your business at the same time. Slapping text and an image together doesn't do the trick. If you are thoughtful and strategic behind the ads you are delivering to your audience, then there is more of a possibility that this audience members will engage in those messages. With pretty much everything else in strategic communication, knowing your target audience and understanding it should be the biggest element you are constantly keeping track of and can help a lot when determining how to structure an advertising campaign.
Do you have a company or business that utilizes online advertising? Is there a type you prefer over the next? I would love to hear your feedback or ways you have found to work or not work for your business or company. Be sure to comment below!
Well, that's the end of another post from my 'column.' As we continue to face the uncertainty of this crisis, I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. I am thankful we have all types of technology to communicate online since the start of this social distancing practice. Be sure to come back next week for my next post.
-CC
Colton,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I liked your use of graphics to break up the paragraphs; I find this to be more visually appealing. As you also stated above, I was more inclined to read the post because of your use of graphics which can add a bit of fun. Great idea for an application that filters unwanted pop-up, location generated ads! I think allowing people to have more control of their geolocation is a huge part of getting them on board with the continued use of it for businesses and organizations to gather data which allows them to further connect with their audience. Your application could also be a way for people to search what is nearby in the area; they could possibly find someone new to eat or shop. Great job engaging with the reader; this is something I myself could do better at. Remember to read over your text to avoid those unwanted typos to ensure the clearest communication possible with your audience.
Great job!