6 Best Types of Advertising for the Current Market
Once upon a time, the best types of advertising were TV and radio commercials, no question.
While those ads can still get great results, they are no longer the reigning champions for all brands. More and more, digital advertising is the medium of choice for brands to reach their target audiences.
There are dozens of different ad types that brands can use to get results. Here are six of the best ad types to use in the current marketplace:
1. Paid Search
Paid search will continue to be one of the best ad types so long as people use search primarily to find the content they need.
So much of online marketing is centered around helping businesses appear at the top of search results when people use terms related to the brand. Paid search lets businesses cut the line – so long as they use the right keywords and pay the right bid.
Paid search is a PPC model, or pay-per-click. Businesses pay a set amount each time someone clicks on the ad – not when they see the ad and not when they become a lead or make a sale.
The higher the bid the business pays, the more likely the ad will appear right at the top of search results on the first page. The more popular the keywords, the higher the bid will need to be.
2. Native Ads
Paid search is one of the many types of native ads, which are becoming increasingly important in today’s marketplace.
Native ads, simply defined, are those that mimic the look and feel of editorial content on the page. Paid search is a type of native ad because the ads are designed to look just like the other search results. The only way users know they are looking at an ad and not a regular search result is the appearance of the small word “AD” at the bottom of the entry.
Other native ads include blog posts that mention a brand’s product or include a link to its site, sponsored reviews, video tutorials, pins on Pinterest, and more. There is no limit to what a native ad can be.
The reason native ads are so critical in today’s marketplace is that they are often able to evade detection by ad blocking software. They don’t look like ads, so they don’t attract the attention of the tech. They reach more audience members as a result.
Native ads are also more engaging than other ads. They provide information. They inspire. They entertain. Many people don’t even know they are looking at an ad when they see a native ad, so they are more likely to engage with it. The interesting, funny, or inspirational content also draws people in, which increases the likelihood that they will click through on the links and learn more about the brand.
3. Facebook Ads
Social media ads are valuable tools, but Facebook ads in particular are powerful weapons in a brand’s marketing arsenal.
Facebook offers businesses thousands of targeting options based on the data it collects about its users. Every time a person likes a page or even likes a post, Facebook is logging that information and building a complex customer profile.
Businesses have more options to reach their target audience, such as whether they like cats or even cat videos, whether they prefer vanilla to chocolate, or even whether they are introverts or extroverts.
Facebook ads are priced similarly to paid search ads, with brands paying per click and bidding on keywords. Since Facebook has nearly 2 billion active users, these ads offer brands a great opportunity to reach a large number of their audience.
4. Video Ads
Video is much more engaging than written content.
Video has life. It can illustrate concepts in a way that text cannot. It also requires less brain power than reading, and people are more likely to watch a video than read an article, no matter what they are doing or how much time they have. Yet many people are short on time, and videos are easier for them to watch when they are in a hurry.
Brands can advertise within videos on YouTube or other channels, or they can create video ads that appear just like display ads on a variety of sites. They can also sponsor videos through creators, such as a sponsored video review or tutorial.
5. Interactive Ads
The more interactive an ad can be, the more engaging it will be. When users are expected to only passively view an ad, they are unlikely to move from passivity to action and click through on that ad.
Interactive ads can include fun puzzle games, surveys and polls, maps that provide information by location clicked, before and after photos separated by a slider, and so on.
Buzzfeed has great success with interactive ads in the form of their quizzes. Many of these quizzes are sponsored by brands, and they are nothing more than ads for the product the brand sells.
The more creative businesses are with their interactive ads, the more successful these ads will be.
6. Mobile Ads
Mobile ads can be any of the types of ads that you see on desktop. However, they are important to mention as a separate type because of the rapidly growing number of people using mobile devices.
Brands must invest in mobile ads if they want to continue to reach users and stay ahead of their competition. And they must understand the unique needs of mobile ad formatting so that their message is not lost.
Using an ad solution like Perion’s Undertone can help since it selects the best ad based on the device being used. Undertone ensures that ads are optimized for maximum results, including putting those ads in front of the right people at the right time.
Choosing the right types of ads can help brands gain leverage in the increasingly competitive marketplace. These are the best ad types that brands can invest in to stand out and to connect with their target audience. By using the right ad types and ad solutions, brands can maximize their ROI and reach their long-term goals.
Angie Geffen
SVP Marketing at Perion
Angie provides executive leadership to Perion and specializes in marketing management & communication, strategic planning, and developing product road maps.
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