Contextual advertising has everything to do with being in the right place at the right time. In a digital era where internet audiences have come down with ad fatigue, advertisers are and have been, feeling the growing pressure to ensure their messages are delivered to customers that matter. Also, with search engines such as Bing and Google moving toward the ban of third-party cookies, advertisers can no longer rely on their datasets to target such audiences. And, that’s where contextual advertising comes in.
Offering a variety of benefits, such as cost-efficiency and accurate targeting, digital marketers are taking advantage of this medium to turn fewer leads into more conversions. If you’re looking to invest more in productive advertising, or if you’re discovering new ways to improve your current efforts, here are three ways to make your contextual advertising more effective.
First, what is contextual advertising?
Contextual advertising is the strategic placement of PPC (Pay-Per-Click) ads on web pages and websites that are related specifically to your advert. Utilising programs such as Google Ads, businesses can segment their ads using relevant keywords and topics. This assists in the delivery, or the ‘placement’, of ads to the most appropriate audiences, making it one of the most cost-effective methods of advertising. Contextual advertising can be observed as YouTube bumper ads, in-app ads, as well as generic display ads.
Say, for instance, you’re reading an article titled, “People lose 35% of their eyesight by the age of 29”, and right above the title is a display ad for Specsavers. Within the context of the article, an advert for an eye test or a new pair of prescription glasses just might be exactly what you need. Already, we can determine that this form of advertising has the potential to reach the right audiences and turn authentic leads into sales. However, what can be done to ensure your contextual advertising is even more effective?
Killer copy and a quality visual
Good advertising, no matter the format, always starts with powerful copy and quality design. Considering your advert is merely showing up on the sideline, and the fact that “96% of consumers don’t trust ads”, one should take the time to understand their customer and what they consider to be an intriguing advertisement.
This begins by delivering your digital marketing message in as few words as possible, starting with the hook of your ad; its purpose. What convinces the audience to click is when you start with what makes your brand relevant to them; fill them in on the nitty-gritty once they’ve hit the landing page. Additionally, the visual elements of your advert are just as vital in differentiating yourself from spammy ads. No matter what you use, whether it’s a short animation, a static image or a 6-second bumper ad, customers are more likely to trust those with original, high-quality visual content.
Always consider your customer
With the importance of design in mind, an effective ad comes down to user experience. This relates to the ad itself, as well as the site on which your ad will appear. In the name of ‘customer versus brand’ trust, you will want to remain as unobtrusive as possible, blending into your ad destination as much as possible. According to Small Business Trends, if an ad should look vastly different from the site’s CI on which it is presented, you are highly likely to disrupt the user experience.
However, by integrating contextual and native advertising, marketers can have their advertisements customised to suit any website or site page layout. This includes amending ad sizes and design to allow for a more organic flow of content.
Keywords are king
It goes without saying that accurate ad placement is the result of comprehensive keyword research. If you’re looking to employ contextual advertising correctly, you need to ensure you’re applying the “right place, right time” methodology. For instance, Google will sweep the content of a web page and will match it with adverts using keywords relevant to that content. So it’s crucial to be thorough. It is also worth mentioning that around 2017, Google removed the ability to use content keywords, such as ‘sports’ or ‘medicine’, deeming them too vague to truly determine the context of a web page or ad.
To apply adequate keywords and placements, we go back to the point of considering the audience. Here, we must take into account what a potential customer should be interested in to have your ad delivered to them. From there, we can determine the most applicable keywords, and further narrow our audiences by employing negative keywords.
Final words
Following this guidance could lead the way in helping you achieve your marketing goals. If you’re choosing to employ contextual advertising, it’s probably because you’re looking for a more cost-effective way to advertise and grow sales. Without these three key factors, you’re likely to waste capital, lose potential customers and discredit your brand’s image with disruptive adverts.
What many businesses are doing is reaching out to reputable marketing agencies in Cape Town which have a knack for performance marketing, and are ready to assist you in your advertising endeavours. Contact Rogerwilco for all your SEO, PPC and paid advertising needs, and we’ll help you achieve your objectives.
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