9 Types of Paid Online Advertizing that Work

Paid advertising is almost certainly part of every marketer’s digital marketing strategy. It helps give a brand or business an extra push to bridge the gap where organic growth, which is harder and harder to achieve, falls short. There are various types of paid ads to opt for, and with stretched budgets, you may be wondering which ones will give you the highest ROI. Let’s investigate...

If you want to be seen online, the wisest move your brand can make is to pay for online advertising. Why? Well, ad spend is expected to reach over $455 billion this year. The vast majority of this spend goes to display and search ads. Therefore, your brand will need to pay for its spot in being seen first by your audience.

Why Paid Advertising Works

Digital marketing makes the online marketplace easy to categorize. This is highly beneficial across the board since targeting audiences can be done with precision and analytics to measure an ad’s performance can be tracked in real-time. In many instances, it is affordable and flexible, making it the best route for achieving your marketing goals.

Ads have become part of almost every online experience, and are being created seamlessly to fit in with the content that the viewer is already engaged with. All sorts of businesses advertise online, whether they provide online shopping experiences or not.

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Types of Advertising

There are server types of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads, namely:

1. Search Ads or Search Engine Marketing

These are among the most popular types of online ads. It appears as a result on a search engine page (or website) when someone searches for a keyword-relevant to your ad. You’ll only pay when a user clicks on the ad, which gives you the benefits of a performance-based costing model, which is determined by an automatic bidding system.

PPC ads are one of the most important types of ads to use. With 2 billion websites in existence, reaching the first results page of a search engine can be tricky. This ensures your spot there is fast-tracked by relevant audiences. It is also a great method to use as you wait for your content marketing to pay off. There are other options for payment too, like pay-per-impression where a flat rate is charged for every thousand views an ad gets. This ensures more exposure but doesn’t guarantee that the views will translate into actions taken by the viewer by clicking, for example.

2. Display Ads

Display, otherwise known as banner ads, are displayed to audiences when they search for your product or service. They are online billboards in the form of images, text, floating banners, popups, videos, or retargeted ads. These are often more affordable than PPC ads. Rates are determined by the website owners and are usually based on traffic. This works well when advertising on sites that relate to your business, whether it’s a complimentary service or a community hub.

3. Social media Ads

Just about every major social media platform has geared towards becoming more business-friendly. With that comes a number of advertising options that are highly targeted, affordable, and flexible. This creates the opportunity to reach your audience directly via platforms that people spend an ever-increasing amount of time on daily. These ads can be set with different goals, build your social media presence and community, be measured in-depth, and include lead generation forms.

Read more about Social Media Trends in 2022

4. Remarketing Ads

Remarketing ads are designed to reengage audiences. It serves as a reminder to someone who has recently visited your website but has yet to convert. These ads can be helpful in moving people along the sales funnel by renewing their interest. Tracking pixels are used for these, which show how your audience views your web pages. This helps make it more effective as the viewer will be shown relevant content from your business which they previously showed interest in.

5. Google Shopping

Google shopping ads are displayed in a carousel above search results. It shows the viewer the product and price in a form of online window shopping. Your product will appear alongside your competitor’s products and can help to showcase your content at the top of results pages. Daily budgets can be set for these campaigns, as determined by a bidding amount. It factors in the viewer’s location and device for accurate targeting. The business’s name is displayed and can also feature other information such as discounts, ratings, and special offers.

6. Sponsored Gmail Promotions

With Gmail ads, you can reach leads directly in their inbox. These ads appear at the top of their inbox (labeled as an ad) with a subject line in bold. Marketers can set goals, target information, and campaign types when creating these. You’ll only be charged each time someone opens the email.

7. YouTube Ads

We mention this one separately as YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine. Instream ads appear before, during, or after videos on YouTube. They can be displayed in the sidebar, set to be non-skippable, or full-screen.

Here's Everything You Need to Know About YouTube Advertising

8. Native Ads

Native ads are displayed by publishers who craft content that matches their publication. In other words, it is an online advertorial. These ads are therefore indirect and include the editorial element to help captivate audiences. These partnerships and collaborations offer the viewer an otherwise seamless experience, without being exposed to clear-cut advertising. From a marketer's point of view, this also creates visibility and spreads awareness among established readerships. Sponsored content can increase engagement and click-through rates.

9. Affiliate and Influencer Marketing

Affiliates and influencers can form part of paid ads online. Many influencers are now required to mark their posts as ads when promoting a brand that they work with. While it was once possible to get influencers to work for free or for exchanges, most established ones today have rates per post. Affiliate marketing is closely linked to this and is based on performance. Rewards are given when people take a desired action, like visiting a site or making a purchase.

Are Your Ads Working?

There are no two ways about it - paid advertising works. The best digital marketing strategies will incorporate these ads as part of their strategy, along with organic and earned campaigns. For more on how to make paid ads work for your brand or business, get in touch with us at Nexa. We’re a digital marketing agency based in Dubai with tons of experience in helping our clients grow.