Display ads (in its various forms) are the leading advertising asset today, and if you own an e-commerce store, you might already be aware of this.

Throughout this article, we’re going to discuss some of the best practices for successful e-commerce display ads that will make your audience click click click  and avoid the so-called banner blindness many users are currently experiencing.

Let’s jump in!

1. Keep it Simple

Chances are you’re reading this article because you want your display ads to be noticed, for your clients to click, and for your engagement rate to shoot through the roof, right? Well, if you’re looking to achieve this… you’ll want to keep it simple.

Display ads today are nothing like 90s advertisement, not even when the first internet display ads appeared. The BUY NOW calls to action, for instance, are totally different nowadays compared to what they used to be. The use of very bright colors, too much information (or too little), and colors that make no sense are practices that should be thrown out the window. 

Today, you’ll want to keep it simple, making sure design and copy make sense and complement each other. Keeping your display ads simple will make your customers understand your message and take action, instead of making them look away or not see your ad at all. Because even if you used the brightest of colors and the biggest of fonts, they might scroll right past it.

We understand it can be tempting to use bright red and yellow font (yikes) but if you really want your ROI to be something out of this world, you’ll want to avoid throwing everything you can think of into a single display ad. Also, in terms of size, these guys are pretty small. Too much information or overwhelming color palettes can be difficult to read, confusing, overwhelming or a combination of the three. 

2. High-Quality In-Banner Video

We all know how successful video has become over the last several years. Video advertising is now a huge priority for advertisers and brand owners across all media platforms and online formats. And now, it’s starting to be the best format for display advertising as well.

Forget static, people want movement.

Creating in-banner videos isn’t too difficult, especially if you’re using the Only Mega tool. You’ll be able to capture your audience’s attention while creating great content for your brand and boost your branding strategies as well. 

In terms of e-commerce, in-banner videos are opportunities for retargeting. Dynamic videos offer advertisers a great possibility to amazingly remarket previously viewed products with a video. These will drive you more engagement compared to static display-ads.

3. Use High Quality Assets

Whether you’re using video, animation or static images, make sure you are utilizing high-quality assets. You wouldn’t want your display ads to look pixelated, would you? 

Even if display ads are quite small, this doesn’t imply the quality of your images and videos should be cut back. Whether you’re using illustration, photography, video, or monochromatic colors, as well as brand logos and other graphic information, make sure these are of quality and look crisp and clear. Most users nowadays are aware of what’s good and bad quality and their expectations are much higher than they used to be, this, thanks to the accessibility of information the internet has been providing for years.

This is why e-commerce owners or marketers should not expect to serve a pixelated, display ad and receive a considerable engagement rate.

Moreover, make sure you use the highest-quality possible when exporting while keeping the style 150 KB file limit to use Google Ads. Read our guide here.

4. Create HTML5 Ads

When competing in e-commerce advertising, it’s not an easy task to create ads that stand out from the rest. The truth is, lifeless and static ads will most likely not grab your consumer’s attention, this we know for sure.

Creating HTML5 media advertising is an essential option for e-commerce owners and marketers. You can increase your display advertising performance by up to 267% with rich media. 

What is rich media, you say? It is an ad that includes any features such as audio, interactive elements or video which encourage viewers to engage. This includes Spotify playlists, in-banners search, and others. 

5. Create Dynamic Content for your Latest Offer

If you’re interested in serving several display ads for different offers you may want to look into dynamic advertising. 

For instance, with dynamic content, you’re able to create ads per product, promotions, and sale dates, among other options. To do this, use live data feeds. The information on these sheets will automatically reflect on the different offers going live.

Additionally, dynamic ads allow you to create different types of ad creatives and copies for different audiences. You can use geolocation, latest purchases, recent interests and more, in order to serve different ad types to different consumer types.

On the other hand, dynamic content will help you make your e-commerce more relevant and engaging. Not many brands are taking advantage of dynamic ads, and at this point, you can be the first one in your niche!

6. Stand Out

We are aware of how competitive the advertising world can be for e-commerce. Everyone wants to stand out, everyone wants a slice of the cake. However, most e-commerce sites looking to stand out end up using the same design trends, color schemes, and copy type, only because it is “what people like”. 

The best way to stand out is to have a clear brand narrative and sticking to it. Make sure you’re not designing just for the aesthetic that is in style presently, as this will not reflect your brand, just a moment in time. Your brand needs to be timeless.

Not only that, you will need to make sure your ads are approved by ad networks, meaning that design specs like having defined borders and correct sizes are essential. 

7. Stay Relevant

Ensure your ads are well-targeted and relevant. As mentioned earlier, it’s tempting to do what everyone else is doing because it gives you the sense of doing “what’s right”. However, studies have shown that users will click on ads that reflect their needs or current situation. In which case, the ads you serve will need to be created based on your target audiences’ needs. From there, tailor your copy and images to that audience. 

Be useful to your users! Highlight sales, selling points, product values, and show your consumers how your product is used, how it will make their life simpler. Engage with your audience through your ads.

8. Sticking to your Brand

You’re you. Your unique selling propositions are different than your competitions’. This, you need to communicate the best you can. Make sure you know what your brand style is and follow the same stream of line, this consistency will make sure your users know who is “talking”.

Each display ad campaign should have the same feel and look, so even if you’re looking at a different promotion, sale, or ad, your user’s senses need to instantly connect the ad to your brand.

This consistency you can achieve will create a sense of loyalty and recognition, which is important amidst the competition. If you come to think of it, you can easily imagine display ads for Apple or Target right now. The colors, patterns, images, everything. You will need to achieve this with your brand as well.

9. Spell Check your Ads

This might sound like something obvious to do before publishing, however, some people don’t to it enough. Make sure you are not rushing your advertising and are skipping one of the most important parts: spell checking. 

Even the slightest mistakes can slip your mind, especially if you’ve been working on something for quite a while.

Here’s the thing: Even if you need to rush display ads out the door in a minute, you should never, ever stop spell checking. If your audience encounters ads that have spelling errors, this will create a sense of untrust and will prevent conversions immediately. 

So, if you ever feel the temptation to skip this step, you may end up ruining tons of hard work for creating well-founded trust in your brand.

7 E-Commerce Display Ad Examples

1. Harrod’s – Showcase Your Products

A great way to generate engagement and branding is to showcase your products in an attractive manner. The most alluring ways are to use your good quality photography and some compelling copy that drives people to click. It’s the best way to show how your product solves a specific problem as well. In this case, Harrod’s is promoting their “Holiday Boutique” so that their users can find the perfect gift for the upcoming holidays.

2. NIKE – Keeping it Simple

In this display ad, Nike stays on brand by combining the colors on the sneakers to the background of the display ad. They keep the copyrighting simple and to the point as well in order to generate engagement on the ad. 

3. Perigold – Stunning Imagery

One of the best ways to capture your audience’s attention nowadays is by using powerful, conceptual and high-quality images on your ad. Take Perigold, for example, this luxury furniture brand keeps the copywriting quite simple, however, they use a stunning photo to capture their audiences glances. Even if you’re not using every flashy color on the palette, you are still making your customers look, but not blind them. That’s what every brand should aim for.

4. Cadillac – Clear Communication

When creating your next e-commerce ad, ask yourself, what do I want to show my potential customers? You can start by a single product, a benefit, or a brand narrative. Take Cadillac, a luxury car brand that just wants to tell you about their seating space in their cars. It’s simple and makes just about anyone want to learn more.

5. Sherwin Williams – Personalize your Messages

Sherwing Williams is a brand that knows how to capitalize on people’s want to personalize everything they own. In this ad, users can take a quiz and have their personalities read based on the colors they have on their walls. Brilliant.

6. Lumber Liquidators – How To’s

Lumber Liquidators’ display ad to show customers how they can use the app to test flooring options right at home is great. It’s a brilliant way to keep your customers on their toes and letting them know you are constantly working towards their satisfaction.

7. Adobe- Increase Awareness

In this advertisement, Adobe is tailoring the message directly to their users, allowing them to take a look at the design possibilities when using Adobe in a clear message. The design is on-brand and successfully creates brand awareness. It solves the problem and it looks fantastic.

Final Thoughts: Do Display Advertising Right

You may be surprised that standing out is much easier than you thought if you follow these tips, and most importantly keep things simple. Play with different formats, such as video, dynamic display ads, HTML5 ads, and ensuring the assets you use are the highest quality you can find.

Another good aspect to keep in mind is to avoid the temptation of creating outdated advertisements. Lucky for you, that shouldn’t be a problem. You can use our display ad creator and choose from thousands of templates you can easily customize to fit your brand. 

Apart from this all, be concise, stand-out, and don’t try to be like anyone else. If your users are to fall in love with you, it will be due to your uniqueness as a brand. Good luck!

The truth is, there are many alternatives, but there is one, in particular, that is compelling and offers everything you need to create powerful, conversion-oriented banner designs that will generate positive designs on your client’s (or your own) websites and advertising/marketing strategies. This is Bannernow.

But first, let’s discuss some of Google Web Designer’s biggest issues.

Google Web Designer Issues

First and foremost, Google Web Designer is a tool that allows you to create interactive display ads. But, it was designed by developers for developers. This basically means it is a software extremely difficult to use unless you are a developer, which is not the common denominator for most designers.

Unlike Bannernow, Google Web Designer is complicated. It makes it twice as difficult to create and manage your designs and doesn’t even allow for collaboration with your team – amongst other things. 

Due to this, and other frustrating complexities, Google Web Designer lacks the tools and user-friendliness that display ad banner design tools should have, like Bannernow. GWD has simply become obsolete in terms of being a cornerstone tool for designers and ad agencies.

Bannernow is your Best Alternative

We’ve found that Bannernow is a perfect and elevated, alternative to Google Web Designer. Here’s why:

Bannernow is the definition of “easy-to-use”. It is, in substance, a tool that works efficiently for designers that are familiar with design tools such as Sketch or Figma. Unlike Google Web Designer which was created by developers and for developers, Bannenow, is very easy to play and create with.

So now you know, if you’re a designer working in an ad agency or someone interested in reaping the benefits of simple-to-use alternatives to GWD, go for Bannernow!

More Bannernow Features

DoubleClick Studio and Google Ads Compatibility

No need to worry about compatibility with Bannernow. You can easily export to Google Ads and DoubleClick Studio with the use of the tool. There is a 100% compatibility just like with Google Web Designer.

Image Optimization

With Bannernow, you can optimize your image assets. The tool will automatically resize and compress any images used in your banner. This way, you don’t need to use a third-party tool to start creating. You count on the right tools for the right moment of the creative process in Bannernow.

Banner Translation

If you’re on the international market, you might need to have your banners translated into other languages. Instead of having to manually edit the text, use Google translator or other third-party tools, you can translate the copy on your banner straight from the dashboard. You can even edit all banner sizes simultaneously. 

Essentially, you can reach the world with Bannernow.

Custom Fonts

Have custom fonts? Upload them to Bannernow and it will automatically convert them to web fonts and will remove any unused characters on the banner’s export.

Hundreds of Templates Available

Want even more? With Bannernow, you can start with a blank canvas or choose from hundreds of trendy templates available in all sizes. You can create compelling designs without having to think too much and publish in no-time.

Bannernow Ad Banner Examples: https://bannernow.com/html5-banner-examples

Final Thoughts

In today’s world, the creation of visuals is critical, as they play an important role for every company and brand trying to stand out from the crowd. 

Ad agencies work towards the creation of high-end visuals and brand identities and need to be able to produce without having to fathom complicated and hard-to-understand tools such as GWD to please clients.
If you are a designer looking to create compelling ad banners, try Bannernow today.

“Cookies” are small amounts of text stored in a user’s computer created by the website the user has visited or is currently visiting. Through these cookies, merchants are able to identify customers when they return to a page, scroll, and browse through a specific website. Third-party cookies are blocked by browsers, whereas first-party cookies are not.

As a matter of fact, first-party cookies are nothing short of essential to most online merchant’s success. Let’s dive into this topic:

How First-Party + Self-Hosted Solutions Ensures Success in the Midst of Change

The biggest issue, as of now, is how third-party cookies are blocked by default in browsers such as Safari, Firefox, all iPhones, and will be shut off in Google Chrome by 2022. But hold on, this doesn’t end here, the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), currently does not allow you to share data regarding your customers/audiences with any other ad networks.

These pressing issues lead to a highly important question for every digital advertiser currently working in any industry: Will it be possible to create dynamic ads based on behavior and previous purchases (retargeting)?

Well, before you start pulling out your hair at the thought of your sales floundering like never before, there’s a solution: Switching from third-party cookies to first-party cookies. 

Here’s how:

Use a Self-Hosted Ad Server to Your Advantage

The solution? Set up a self-hosted ad server in order to serve your ads from a subdomain.yourcompany.com. This allows you to save first-party cookies when the user visits your websites. Your website will be able to capture their cookies while the user gets served an HTML5 ad on a different website, for instance.

The advantage? It allows you to maintain control over your user’s data, while, of course, not sharing it with any other company. Merchants have full control over data with all the benefits… For instance, you can still connect a live product feed, retarget users, and show similar products in your display ads using the recommendation system.

Selecting a Self-Hosted Ad Server

When you select a self-hosted ad server, ensure you can install it in one of the top cloud data providers, such as Amazon AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure. Here’s a quick list of the 3 most stable cloud services you can rely on:

1. Amazon AWS

2. Google Cloud

3. Microsoft Azure

An example of an easy-to-install self-hosted ad server solution is Bannernow. This system is remarkable as it not only allows you to set up a self-hosted ad server easily, but it also provides a complete creative management platform that includes an HTML5 banner maker, live feeds creator + connections, in-display video ads creator, easy-to-use campaign scheduling, full analytics and metrics, and much more.

Final Thoughts

This is your next move! Almost every publisher has intelligently switched from third party data collection to first-party and has full control (and owns) his or her visitors’ data. Every online advertisers and merchant should start following this example, consider first-party solutions, and utilize self-hosted ad servers to manage your users’ precious information and use it to their advantage. Will you?

If you have any questions about self-hosted ad server solutions for the success of your ads and marketing strategies, get in touch! We will be happy to help you out.

We want to share with you some of the strategies and concepts behinds some of these brands’ advertisements – so that you can use this inspiration on your own campaigns! At the end of the day, everyone wants to create an impact and make a difference. Let’s dive in.

1. Victory Against Covid-19 | Iaso Hospital 

Be concise: A picture is worth a thousand words and Ogilvy (the agency behind this ad) knows how to craft a compelling message by using a few, unique elements. Sometimes, all you need to do is showcase something people see every day under a new light. 

Here, they successfully implemented the correct colors, elements, and resources to communicate victory and support to medical teams around the world.

2. Keeping it Safe | HOK-Elanto 

Say it differently: At this point in the game, everyone wants to stand out from the crowd. If your company is interested in putting out a message to show support during the crisis, the best thing you can do is be innovative. Ensure that what you are creating counts on unique elements to your brand. Stand out!

3. Contact Exclusively Online | Activ

Use insight: Are you able to spice up your advertising and marketing efforts by utilizing elements from our every day lives? If it makes sense to your brand, use it to your advantage. This may not be the most poignant message tactic, but if you’re looking to show your support through a crisis, it’s best than not doing it at all. Besides, messaging throughout quarantine has kept people in touch all around the world!

4. Stay Home | Yellow

Use color: Sometimes, we can’t stress enough how color and design are elemental in advertising and marketing. If your brand has an amazing color story, use it to your advantage! Plus, nowadays, the art of illustration has made it possible for many companies to stand out and create stunning artworks, which even end up in museums. Remember, if you’re in the mood for doing something impressive, the combination of great design and illustration can never go wrong.

5. Keep Your Distance | United Nations

Have fun: If the United Nations can be quirky and witty with a “help control COVID-19” ad, so can you. It’s true, a global pandemic is no simple subject to talk about, however, people are waiting to scroll and find something that brings a smile to their faces! So, after you publish new preventions and ways your company is being responsible, have some fun, and create an ad that is fun and spreads words of support as well.

6. Covid-19 Flags | Wunderman Thompson World Health Organization

Be “creatively” informative: If you’re looking to communicate impactful data to create awareness around a certain issue, there are creative ways to go about it than just slapping a big number on an ad. Take Wunderman’s latest Covid-19 ad. They successfully urge people to stay home through graphs on country flags. It’s an incredible idea as it delivers information and is visually moving.

7. Ramadan Tips | Panzani

Product-forward: Are there ways you can use your product center-stage in your ad? Panzani did a great job of using their pasta to show which activities people are doing in quarantine and how their product is there to help them through it!

8. #AdoptANeighbor | DDB Portugal

Make a change: Ads aren’t simply visually appealing pieces of communication. Ads can also serve a bigger purpose to create movements towards social change. Like in this example, DDB Portugal proposes a new way to spend quarantine by “adopting a neighbor”. They explain how you can still communicate with neighbors through social networks and this way, make new friends and create support groups to get through quarantine.

9. Now is Your Chance | Nike

Be confident: If your brand is known for its poignant and confident messaging, this is your chance to showcase it. With this “now is your chance” ad by Nike, people are instantly encouraged to “play for the world” and stay home. In terms of design, there isn’t much to see, but in this case, it’s all in the copywriting. Ask yourself: What are some impactful messaging tactics I can implement during a crisis?

10. Go Outside Again | Heraldist & Wondermarks

Do your research: Good ads aren’t created from little research. In this case, Heraldist & Wondermarks discovered that one of the few situations where people were allowed to go outside during COVID-19 was to walk their dogs. This ad creates awareness around responsible adoptions for dogs during a time where it may not be at the top of the priority list. However, they successfully communicate how a dog or cat can help you stay active now and in the future.

11. #SupportTheDoctors | McCann

Show support: It’s important to show your support through creativity. Nowadays, users can tell whether you put in the effort to create a wonderful piece of information. Do it like McCann and thank the medical teams through beautiful illustrations!

12. Keep Distance | Audi

Use your logo: One of the most elemental things that reflect your brand’s visuals is your logo – use it!

13. Facts to Safe | Who

Make it simple: Sometimes, it isn’t necessary to go all out to create an award-winning ad. During a crisis, companies need to get the message out there – quickly. Try to put your best effort into it, but if visuals are not your strength, use data to make it impactful.

14. Long Live Rock n’ Roll | Kiss FM

Use nostalgia: What would the world have done to keep music and rock and roll alive? Pretty much anything sounds about right. Without inspiring musicians, there would be no music, so stay at home! This is the logic behind Kiss FM’s COVID-19 advertisement… Truly noteworthy.

15. Greetings from Home | Dadada Production

Stay clever: When crafting a wonderful advertisement, try thinking about people’s everyday lives and how your product can tailor to their experiences effectively. This idea was to use vintage postcards to let others know where you are during quarantine… probably in the living room. Amazing! This ad creates awareness and it stays insightful.

16. Stay off the Road |Changan

High-Quality Images: Photography makes the world go round. Use impactful photos in high-quality to create awareness.

17. Stay Home Instructions | IKEA

Staying on-brand: There’s something about IKEA’s ads that work every time. And that’s because they are constantly asking themselves… “How would IKEA say this?”. Of course, it isn’t this simple, but if more brands would ask this simple question, more amazing ads like these would be created!

18. Art of Quarantine | IKEA

Think outside the box: And by “outside the box” we mean, think about what has been done in the past and how you can re-make it into something unique? Here is a clear example of what art would look like during quarantine.

19. A Safety Driven Lifestyle | Nissan

Do more with less: We enjoy how simple and yet product-forward they were able to communicate what an empty seat means at the moment.

20. Keep your Distance | National Parks & Wildlife Service

Stay positive. You can still create awareness and a sense of support while being clever about your advertising and using the right tools to create ads like OnlyMega.

Final Thoughts

Some of these creative ads were published by world-renowned companies, as they continue to pivot on the fly and communicate in a meaningful way. Because if one thing’s for sure, is that creativity never dies… especially during a global pandemic.

The new Coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken over the world (literally) as governments are trying to contain it by closing down public spaces, schools, events, and even borders. These measures signify an incredible loss for an increasing number of companies, such as Spotify, Google, Unilever, and the global market in general.

However, we are inspired by Einstein’s words and due to the significant changes in consumers and marketers, this is our chance to do something about it. Throughout this guide, we will discuss how ad agencies and businesses can optimize and automate their display ad strategies. Walk with me?

How Marketers & Ad Agencies Should Be Responding

Throughout the social changes the Coronavirus has presented us with, there are many short-term adaptations that need to be in place to continue succeeding. 

61% of marketers have already altered their short-term media strategies and only 9% have made long-term changes. Now is the time to make big moves online and stay away from offline. Plus, the budget shift is not as surprising due to digital media being consumed at a higher rate due to the lifestyle of all post-corona audiences.

The truth is, all companies should be making efforts to optimize and automate their digital-media and online advertising strategies. Making these efforts in processing and publishing will ensure you come out on top. Beware of sitting around waiting for your competition to make big steps!

The Ultimate Tool to Optimize your Display Ads Processing & Publishing

Whether you’re the owner of a marketing or ad agency, you need to be able to serve your clients with reliable strategies that will make them stand out from the crowd – now more than ever. But for this, you need to count on reliable tools that make the job a lot easier and faster!

One of the tools I’m referring to is Bannernow. In times like this, you need to produce display ads for a wide array of clients and industries with minimum efforts. Especially if you are handling different accounts, with Bannernow a single designer can easily create hundreds of display ads in one week.

Bannernow not only allows you to create and publish to major networks in bulk, but you can also choose from compelling designs that will surely drive high CTR. 

Make the Move to Flexible Channels

Apart from making short-term media efforts, there are other ways you can ensure your success (and your clients’) throughout the Coronavirus outbreak. This has to do with moving to more flexible channels.

During times like these, you notice your client’s budgets are being cut almost in half. This means it’s time to move towards cheaper and more flexible channels. This is where programmatic advertising comes in, if you’re interested, of course. 

At the moment, programmatic advertising’s impressions are increasing and you may need to look into it.

Both display and video ads are supported on programmatic advertising and these are the channels that will most likely increase in your short-term media plans for your clients.

As a matter of fact, all out-of-home advertising such as billboards will have much lower exposure due to people being on quarantine. Due to this, event marketing has come to a halt, and that marketing budget will quickly pivot towards online ads.

Also, there are many B2B brands that are increasing their digital advertising spend to compensate for leads they otherwise might have picked up at events. You see? This all translates into new opportunities for your ad agency to revamp your client’s strategies.

Flexible Channels Call for Flexible Resources

It’s true! In order to pivot towards more flexible channels, you need the flexible resources and platforms to support your strategies, especially if you’re growing more and more interested in programmatic advertising…

A great example of a flexible tool during this time is Bannernow. You can download multiple banners at one in many formats including HTML5, AMP, GIF, MP4, and PNG. 

For optimization, you can automatically set the 150kb limit and optimize your banner for this target size so they get approved much faster.

Be Future-Forward

What this essentially means is to consider that “this too shall pass”. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t make the efforts towards success. Now is your chance to rise to the top of your competitors with the appropriate marketing tools and strategies in place – both short and long-term.

The uncertainty this situation makes us feel is definitely understandable, however, let’s not forget that this too shall pass. During times like these, every marketer and advertiser should focus on polishing up messaging and advertising across digital channels – because the truth of the matter is… we will be remembered for our actions during tough times.

With this, I want to imply that it is not the time to “shy away” from new growth opportunities. Marketers should not forget that in the middle of a crisis – you need to be innovative. A good marketer will know to execute his/her ideas.

Embrace the Digital Opportunities

With the several affected companies cutting their marketing budgets, there may be a drop in CPM and CPC prices (due to the decline in competition). If this doesn’t translate into opportunity, I don’t know what does. This is your chance to acquire new customers at a lower cost than months before.

Also, keep in mind that consumers will spend more of their time watching or reading the news. This presents an amazing opportunity for marketers to publish compelling and relevant display ads. You can definitely capture the attention of your target audience at a lower cost than the pre-COVID19 period.

Finally, Adapt Adapt Adapt

An important part of being successful is being able to adapt. Keep your business as digital as possible and learn from the shifts in society. Make sure you are locating your target audience and continuously learning about how their lifestyle has changed.

Remember, only optimized businesses will survive, so you should do everything in your power to optimize your agency work with the correct tools and strategies. Good luck!

Is the infamous saying “desperate times call for desperate measures” all of a sudden become true? There’s no question that with the novel coronavirus, we are living unprecedented times, but what concerns marketing and advertising measures – they shouldn’t seem desperate, they should be informative and supportive. 

Especially if you plan on keeping your business alive after this crisis slows down. It’s important for businesses to be present without putting a halt on future plans. Ultimately, this is what will set successful companies from the not so successful ones.

Plan your advertising campaigns after quarantine with our checklist.

Communication Hasn’t Died – It Has Strengthened
Will the end of the coronavirus mark the beginning of a new era? Will the way we communicate and socialize radically change? It might. Because during these times, we have lived through many emotions and big shifts in society. 

One thing’s for sure: we may be apart due to #socialdistancing but we have strengthened the ways we contact one another. Quarantine and self-isolation did not mean “less communication” as technology continues to allow people to carry on in areas of life and work.

But what does this mean for leaders, businesses, and consumers? It means new opportunities. Businesses should revamp their efforts within this scope. Even if creative problem-solving is getting overwhelming, the Coronavirus marks the potential beginning of a “new normal” in which people are not only communicating in a different way, but something like this could potentially happen again.

While some believe that coronavirus is here for the long haul and others think that warm weather will curb it, only time will tell how serious of a pandemic it really is and how prepared we are to handle it, not to mention, how this will impact our daily lives.

With that being said, I think it’s time for companies to start planning for the near future. We know that whatever happens, the crisis will slow down at some point and things will gradually go back no normal. As this occurs, will you have planned ahead for this next big shift in order to advertise your products? 

The following checklist I created is made up of forward-looking strategies for businesses to better understand how to face this pandemic now and afterward.

But First: Know your Search Behavior.

I think the most important strategy for businesses nowadays is to remain present. This means ensuring you pay close attention to the daily changes in people’s lives. 

As of now, we can assume (and prove) that people are working from home. But what will happen when the quarantine lifts and a new shift happens? Will your advertising campaigns be up to parr to this “new” change?

Being attentive to search behavior is a way to learn more about this which varies by industry and query. For instance, take the keyword “toilet paper” which has gained massive popularity since the beginning of March.

What I’m trying to say is that businesses and organizations’ responses are key. Are you taking it calmly and taking action or do you find yourself paralyzed or panicked? Are you taking advantage of the search behaviors that concern your industry during and after quarantine?

The best answer during this “coronacrisis” is to not stop your tailored marketing by any means. Here’s your checklist!

The Ultimate Plan for Marketing & Advertising After Quarantine

1. Know Your Search Trends

During quarantine and after quarantine, businesses need to plan in relation to search trends. This will make them relevant for PPC and short-term SEO. For this, you can use tools like Google Trends. 

This strategy will allow your business to create relevant content that answers specific queries showing up. 

2. Create Relevant & Timely Content

Taking the time to create a future-forward strategy will outline the importance of knowing what your consumers are “talking about” and tailor your strategies accordingly. Once people start coming out of quarantine, a business must continue to communicate relevantly using unique insights on the situation. 

Also, ensure that your “business as usual” content is still running. Have a good mix of related content and business content so that you are tailoring to both ends of the spectrum.

3. Ramp Up Digital Content Now. Watch your Budget.

Once people get out of quarantine, it’s very likely they start consuming other types of content. This will mark the next “shift”, the one after the crisis. They will meet with friends more, consume in-person services, reconnect with loved ones, companies will ask their employees to resume work physically.

Be prepared for that moment. Prove yourself useful for the time people once people start sharing other types of content and products once self-isolation is over. For a while, it’ll be more about meeting in-person and collectively until it all goes back to “normal” – and maybe, that new normal is digital-forward. Who knows?

4. Continue Optimizing your Content

Yes, even after quarantine is over, continue optimizing content that fits into the new context. At the moment, you may work on content about the COVID19 and quarantine. 

Try to tap into these content pieces and layout strategies to advertise products and services.

5. Search Marketing and Display Advertising for branding & crisis communications

Even if the sales of your products and services have slowed down, once quarantine is over, you can use search engine marketing for branding purposes. For instance, you can now have creative ads that could point to landing pages with key information. Once the quarantine is over, you can create landing pages that are also insightful.

6. Stay Ahead of the Competition

If you decide to pause advertising campaigns, your competition may not. Set up your business for success during and after the crisis. The brands able to follow through will be the ones consumers will end up choosing and staying in contact with.  

Check what your competition is doing and the key responses they are delivering now and afterward. Offer consumers something superior in comparison. Use your creative strategies to end up on top.  

7. SEO is your Long-term Strategy

Your SEO budget should not divert unless it is critical to do so. Remember, Google’s algorithms don’t take a break. So you should be creating visual and written content tailored to how the crisis unfolds. 

Plus, this slower period may be your chance to take on some forgotten projects, such as content creation, that can position you for SEO down the road. Don’t take a break! Take action.

8. Ensure Brand Safety in your Advertising

Look into contextual targeting. Put all your ads in the right context now, during peak sensitive times, and once the quarantine is over. Pay attention to where they are being placed and by whom they are being seen. 

For instance, you don’t want travel ads in China right now. Not only is this inappropriate, but it’s also against government travel restrictions. Once the quarantine is over, try not to go crazy with your advertising and remember: the change will be gradual and will still require sensitivity.

Avoid creating a negative brand impression. Make sure your content and ads are relevant and brand-safe.

9. Target High-Value Customers

As quarantine lifts, marketing and advertising will gradually shift as well.  

So, instead of making efforts (and wasting budget) to acquire new customers, e-commerce marketers should focus on the nurturing of existing customers with high lifetime value. 

Invest in consumers that have stuck around long enough and have created loyalty with your brand. Trust me, most of them will continue to be loyal during and after a crisis.

To learn more about your loyal customers look into your analytics. Look into past behavior and discovering patterns. Segment audiences and predict conversion rates. Once you grab on these insights, tailor your campaigns accordingly.

10. Create Relevant “Creatives”

Continue incorporating keywords and visuals relevant to the crisis into your advertising and marketing campaigns, while ensuring they are appropriate for the situation being.

If your product has the potential to help people continue their quarantine, or slowly stop it, get your message an products out there. A rule of thumb during unprecedented times is to create campaigns that promote helpful and positive messages. 

Final Thoughts

If the gradual recovery of the coronavirus is similar to SARS, it is predicted that all retail activity will go back to normal by June. Until then, ensure you are present in the market. Support your customers and keep communication lines open. Adjust your advertising strategies accordingly and you will remain in a strong position for the future

Programmatic Marketing: The Definitive Definition

When first reading about Programmatic Marketing things can seem more than a bit confusing and even baffling. Especially when finding out that this method involves millisecond long auctions while a page is loading and algorithms (advertiser’s biggest fear). Yep, you may be at a bit of a loss here. 

No worries though, we got you covered. We found a much simpler way to define the term: 

Programmatic Marketing is an automated bidding form on advertising inventory, which takes place in real-time, to a specific user, with specific characteristics (or behavior type), in a specific context. 

By definition, when seeking to get that specific, this is where programmatic marketing steps in. Being a general term, think about it as based real-time ad bidding and as a real-time transaction to bid.

Still lost? Keep on reading. By the end of this article, we promise you’ll have a handful of answers! 

Programmatic Marketing in Numbers

You may be asking yourself, “what’s in it for me?”. Why is Programmatic Marketing something you should be adding to your marketing efforts within your business? 

There are many opportunities when it comes to Programmatic. On one hand, you have Google targeting 60% of digital budgets on Programmatic in 2019 and data that shows that Programmatic will be taking over the majority of all digital advertising spending over the next few years.

Consequently, according to a recent study from the  World Federation of Advertisers, Programmatic is widely popular in North America with 31% of digital budget being spent on it through 2017-2018.  

Programmatic Marketing is Paving the Way to Change 

The numbers look great, however, there are many marketers out there who lack the knowledge of Programmatic and are reluctant to give up previous purchasing methods for ads. 

It’s only natural, as when something this new and this powerful is introduced, it might be a lot to take in. But surely, programmatic marketing will finally pave the way to change the way we bid ads.

The truth is, a bit of knowledge and practice can go a long way for your business. And for anyone reading this post, know that you too can take advantage of Programmatic in the future. 

Steps: How Programmatic Marketing Works

Up until now, we’ve been selling you on the idea of how amazing Programmatic is, but if you don’t know how it works, you’ll never reap the benefits. 

So let’s dive into how it works:

1. Imagine a potential lead is clicking on a web page that contains an advertising space configured for Programmatic. 

2. The page’s publisher decides to put up and ad impression for auction in an ad marketplace. 

3. The ad marketplace will run an auction amongst any advertisers interested in displaying ads within that specific space when a lead clicks on that page.

4. Like with any competition, especially online, you’ll have various advertisers bidding during the auction. However, whichever is ultimately willing to bid the highest naturally wins the auction.

5. When advertisers are bidding, they would already know everything about users loading the specific page. Based on this data, they set a max bid.

Because of this you can create tailored and targeted audiences like never before. What type of audience can you create? Let’s take a look:

• 1. You can create an audience from a list of direct emails from your customers.

• 2. From the data provided by your chosen DSP (A demand-side platform is a system that allows buyers of digital advertising inventory to manage multiple ad exchange and data exchange accounts through one interface.)

Example: Let’s say one of your potential clients has purchased shoes costing over $100 in the past 30 days. This data is gathered from the email receipts the user received (yes, your purchase data is available to advertisers) which is useful data for the DSP.
On the other hand, if you’re using the Google DSP, you’ll access data gathered from across all Google services, which include, Gmail, YouTube, Android, Geolocation, etc. All of this information is available to advertisers looking to create campaigns on Google’s DSP.

• 3. From third party data providers. For instance, you’ll be able to purchase data regarding a certain audience with a specific health issue. Of course, all of this data is provided anonymously. Once the advertiser accesses this information, all they are able to see are numbers. Total number of users, the approximate number of impressions, and so on. No personal information such as name/email/phone is every disclosed.

You’ll be able to create specific ads and create specific rules for each of them. 

For instance, if you’re looking to target people with a specific health issue, you’ll want to show a specific ad during the first week of each month and no more than 10 times. You can also create an ad sequence. This means you can create different types of banners and show the user a storyline via your ads. All of this by targeting your audiences through Programmatic Marketing.

5. Finally, the winner’s ad is displayed to their customers once the page loads.

Once the user loads the page, the audience the user belongs to, will make them visible to advertisers that want to start bidding. Each advertiser, at this point, sets the max bid for a specific audience. 

Example: Let’s say there is a user regularly purchasing from luxury apparel brands. Their audience group belongs to “luxury apparel buyers” and the highest bids for users like these will differ from those who sell kitchen accessories.

Now, this process is entirely automated. Any max price each advertiser is willing to bid per impression has already been set. You now understand why Programmatic Marketing is defined as a “millisecond long ad auction”. This auction or competition is completed within the same milliseconds it takes for the specific page to load. 

Amazing right? Let’s keep going!

The 6 Advantages of Programmatic Marketing

Now that you know how the ropes work, it’s time to learn about the advantages Programmatic can have for your business. 

• It’s Automatic. Programmatic Marketing will potentially open many doors. Since it’s automatic, you don’t have to sit behind your computer waiting for the next auction to happen to start bidding. None of this would be a possibility if any of the steps were done manually (even if it was done before, yikes!)
• No Pre-negotiation. Programmatic marketing allows advertisers to get a hold of any type of digital media without having to go through the pre-negotiation stage of pricing. They’ll pay the relevant impression they actually are looking to receive.
• Minimum Budget. Bidding doesn’t mean you pay fortunes to display your ad. You can sign up for minimum numbers of impressions and budgets. This potentially makes any digital advertising you do, more flexible.
• Buy Digital Media. You can buy any piece of digital media across publishers, which ends up reducing administrative costs.
• Bid for Individuals. Programmatic marketing allows you to arrange bids for each individual who accesses the site, so people are now being targeted to a greater extent than ever before.
• Customer Data. Programmatic Marketing technology can identify users by behaviors, purchases, what they like, etc (anonymously). Remember no personal data is ever disclosed. 

Ad Blockers and Programmatic Marketing/Advertising

Believe it or not, Programmatic ads have been around for some time now, even if the term is fairly new for you. The issue is, that with the advancement of programmatic advertising, consumers and users are becoming aware of their personal data being used to serve them ads across the web. Which is one of the reasons why ad blockers have become so popular in the last few years.

Now, with Google’s new move regarding their own “adblocker” the game is still changing. 

Nevertheless, there may be many reasons why users decide to install an adblocker into their computers and other devices, which depend on personal use. But one thing’s for sure, they don’t really want to see ads or know about their data being used. 

Is there a way to solve this? Well… There is.

Adblocker’s Bottom Line: Advertising Needs to Evolve

This is what it all comes down to. Users don’t want the same advertising methods being force-fed to them, especially while the concern over data security grows. Publishers, marketers, and advertisers need to become more aware of this and serve ads people actually want to see and engage with. 

Programmatic advertising is a great tool for just about anyone who is looking to up their advertising game. And although this may be true, anyone in the business needs to evolve with users. Because it just won’t be the other way around.

Available Formats of Programmatic Advertising

You can now create ads using this technology in a variation of advertising formats. About 10 years ago, Programmatic only supported display advertising, but now, you have a wider range of options:

1. Display

This is the oldest programmatic advertising format. Then again, Display doesn’t have to be static and boring. You now have the chance to create banners for display campaigns that are animated and creatively designed, by using tools like OnlyMega. 

Nowadays ads are more dynamic due to technological developments over the past years. You can create display campaigns for various devices that target the right client with the right offer at the right time.

2. Video 

This is key for anyone who owns a business. It’s a known fact that video has grown in the past decade or so and has become one of the most powerful advertising tools online.

Check this: Programmatic video spend has been $13.4 billion in what goes of 2019. So you know people are spending their money where it matters.

3. Native & Social

Programmatic ads can mix into the content on social media, websites or apps. You can tailor your ads to contextual targeting as well. 

And get this, DSP’s now allows advertisers to buy programmatically across major social media platforms. 

3. Voice

Since Alexa (Amazon) and the great growth of streaming apps (Spotify), voice has reemerged into another popular advertising format. Furthermore, this offers a very rich source of contextual and user-focused targeting. Imagine how specific you can get with your advertising in voice, with all the information streaming services have from their millions of users? Seeing this growth, Google is now offering advertisers the chance to purchase programmatic audio ads through their own DSP too.

4. Digital out-of-home (DOOH)

Out of home advertising is new for Programmatic. The truth is, the production process of advertising is coming to an end. What was in the past known as advertiser -> agency -> media seller ->printer, is getting extinct rather soon. In its place – DOOH. 

This integration across existing programmatic platforms offers the possibility of real-time ad optimization and reactivity.

5. Television

Programmatic is not yet big on T.V. Yet, large industries such as SKY, Google and Netflix are laying out the groundwork for the needed support programmatic will need on this platform. This is the most under-developed format up to date.

How to Buy Programmatically

Now it’s time you start pulling on those ropes. In order to do this the right way from the, you’ll need to ask yourself and your team a few questions. Why? Because like in any marketing/advertising move, you first need a goal and a strategy for optimal results.

3 Key Points for Laying out your Strategy:

• Will this help reach your target audience. If so, is the target audience already clear to you?
• How will programmatic be used for your brand? Brand awareness vs. Conversion driving?
• How will programmatic advertising improve your business potentially?

Once you know what you’re working with, you’ll be in the clear as to what your next move is.

After you’ve determined your strategy, it’s time you pick the correct DSP for your brand. There are many providers and in order to land the right one, you’ll need to get a few things sorted out as well:

What should you consider when choosing a DSP:

1. What audience are you hoping to reach? Different DSPs will offer different reaches, segmentation, and channels depending on the target market you want to reach. It’ll be important to define if your DSP works for the target audience you need to reach. 

2. How will charging with your DSP work? You’ll have a couple of options: 

• CPM (cost per thousand)
• CPC (cost per click)

Normally, DSPs that charge on CPM are known to be more transparent with costs.

3. Does your DSP provide support? It’s always better you choose an agency-style DSP so that you can get support when you need it. Most importantly when launching campaigns, optimization, and set-up.

4. Make sure your chosen DSP is able to execute cross-channel strategies.

5. Hey, you get what you pay for. Facts are facts! Do your research regarding DSPs in terms of optimization, targeting, control, and support. You’ll need to have your mind set on paying good money for quality. 

Once you’ve chosen. Get ready to test out different ad formats, creatives, and personas. As well as experiment with bid strategies and more.

The Future of Advertising (Programmatic or not)

As mentioned earlier, programmatic is nothing new, nonetheless, it’s in constant evolution. From the growing formats it supports, to technology, regulations and such, it’s exciting to try something that is in constant improvement. 

Though as technology advances, so do the users, which are ultimately the ones who keep advertising alive. The battle for data privacy, ad blockers, cookies, and just plain disturbing advertising is still on the table and should be considered by you and your team.

In this day and age, as much as there is a new and evolved way of marketing and advertising, the ways we advertise need to evolve. Transparency in the digital marketing industry is a key consideration nowadays, serving great ads from creatives to strategies, will definitely be the way to go for years to come.

Have any questions or concerns about creating ads for your next big Programmatic Advertising move? Contact us! We are happy to help.

Companies around the globe starting to experience a decrease in sales in the midst of a pandemic can be pretty overwhelming, especially now, being at the peak of a situation that seems too unreal.

But I’m not here to spread more worry. I’m here to tell you that it’s not over. It’s time for your brand to kick its advertising efforts into high-gear, in a smart, effective, positive, and innovative way. Let’s get started.

Leave Uncertainty Aside and Take Action

It’s no news that the global economy is taking a hit because of this pandemic, forcing many to take unprecedented action, brainstorm solutions constantly, close offices, have employees work from home, and tweaking strategies to pull in some revenue.

All of the above is true, but let me offer my pat on the back my friends…because all is not lost. There are still efforts you can make to pull in as much revenue as possible in the midst of a crisis. We’ve come a long way since the dot com bubble burst and the 2008 economic crisis. And while some are too afraid to do anything about it, the ones that “roll with the punches” come out on top – and this doesn’t always correlate to the number of resources you count with.

Most of the time, it has to do with how smart and creative you can be.

Throughout this guide, I’m going to review advertising and marketing strategies that will keep your business afloat and loyal customers close. Yes, you can still gain leverage on your competition and create brand awareness that generates leads.

Assessing the Damage & Maintaining Digital Efforts

Reality check. It’s a tough situation and you’re counting your assets and resources as we speak. But this pandemic should not put a halt on your advertising efforts, now is the time to “hit the gas”. This doesn’t mean you have to spend all your revenue on advertising, it means that you’ll have to be meticulous to be successful. 

Apart from watching your spending and ensuring your strategies are working, you will also need to stay innovative – which we will go over in a bit.

On the other hand, coronavirus seems to be the only thing on everyone’s minds at the moment, and it’s true. It’s a pandemic in the midst of a social media era, what can we expect? The truth is, everyone is being affected and feeling anxious about what the future holds – especially small businesses, the backbones of the economy. 

But here’s the deal, most consumers are turning to social media to gain a sense of community while on quarantine or self-isolation. This is one of the main reasons why your company must continue to creatively advertise and deliver quality content that fulfills your consumer’s unique needs.

Because one thing we don’t know is how long this will last and how will it continue affecting businesses. And while traditional advertising will take a bit hit, brands will opt to focus on digital ads instead.

Online Advertising Will Increase

Depending on the product or service you offer, it is essential that you bear in mind that your core audience is most likely online most of their time during quarantine days. Don’t take my word for it, experts are predicting a huge increase in digital ad spend over the next few months – due to consumers not being able to leave their homes.

Social and mobile opportunities are increasing as people travel less and work from home. A recent study conducted by Global Web Index found that there is an impactful increase in activity in social media across all age demographics, this includes:

• 15% Boomers
• 29% Gen X
• 30% Millennials
• 27% Gen Z

Interesting, right?

Invest in Advertising Efforts on Social Media

When I say invest, I mean investments backed by testing and experimenting strategies. Now is not the time to go spending all your resources – although I’m guessing you already know this. What this is a good time for is to ensure your marketing efforts are working to perfection (or what this means for your business).

How to ensure they are working? Well, in terms of advertising, make sure you are creating brand awareness. This is the perfect time to get your hands busy in creating unique and engaging ads, video ads, and content that your potential consumers can look for to keep them busy – and buy from you.

Ask yourself: what efforts can your brand make to appeal to the current necessity of your consumers? You must understand that this is a moment of self-isolation in which many are making social media a part of their daily routines (more than ever) to keep connected and in touch with loved ones.

According to recent reports, it is predicted that social media spending will rise by 22.2% as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. And there’s been a huge jump on Instagram ad posts over the past weeks with an amazing 76% increase. So, if you know your brand can potentially have, or already has, a strong social media presence, tap into it!

Think About Branded Content your Consumers are Looking For 

In the midst of a crisis, thinking caps are to be on. Think hard about the content people are expecting to consume.

As creators, company owners, facilitators, and providers we have the responsibility of being conscious about the content being published. Consumers are in need of support and community from their favorite brands – and guess what? Social media is an excellent vehicle to deliver this.

Brands will need to be as present as ever and deliver and deliver content and products that are of true consideration for your consumer. If you don’t have such a product, make sure you communicate in a considerate manner during this time.  It’s not the best time to sound too “salesly”, even if selling is your goal.

Communicate in a way that doesn’t hurt your brands’ narrative. Don’t make Coronavirus your angle for selling. Your brand should communicate how it is contributing to the global climate. If you’re taking advantage – in the wrong way – it shows!

A clear example of needed content during this time revolves around how to keep physically and mentally healthy during quarantine. This will naturally interest your consumers. However, make sure your messages are optimistic, your consumers should still feel excited about the world after reading your content/ads.

Further along this article, I’m going to share a few examples of successful brands advertising in an optimistic manner. 

Focus on Conversions

I know your main focus is converting… isn’t that what it’s all about? Yes. However, you need to create an impactful digital marketing technique to focus solely on conversion rate optimization. This means making small changes to your user’s journey or marketing funnel to turn more of your visitors into customers.

How? Here are a few tips:

• Create positive content regarding your business –Look back on your case studies, reviews, and recommendations and use them in your marketing and advertising efforts. Share this on social media and create awareness about how your brand is generating (and has generated) a positive impact.
• Customer Experience – After your spread positivity, ensure that your website offers a quick and personalized experience. It’s not a time to make huge changes that can cost you money. Remember, there are small changes on your website that can impact final results exponentially – do that!

Always Measure Your Results

When you don’t measure, you don’t have a clear North – which means you don’t know where you’re going. When this happens, it’s likely that you are throwing money down the drain. 

Measuring gives you accountability for your next marketing move in terms of design, strategy, and conversions. Measure against your success criteria and the following:

• Sales
• Number of leads generated
• Referrals
• Upsells

How? There are a few ways:

• Make sure your Google Analytics is configured correctly – You need all the basic data that drive your marketing efforts. Set up goals, connect a Search Console, and define what you need to measure. Google Analytics offers tons of free data that can help you shape your strategy, tap into it!
• Measure Social Media ROI – Budget is getting tight. You need to make tough and well-informed decisions on how you’re spending your resources. One option is to pull the brake on your social media activity altogether. It is very time consuming and sometimes, a non-essential activity. But before you do this, explore how social media is really contributing to your visibility, engagement, and conversions.
• If you find that social media marketing is not what will – at the end of the day-, drive results to your company, set it aside and invest in something that is working for you and bringing in the money.

Never Stop Testing & Learning

Even in the midst of a pandemic, testing, learning, and testing again is the never-ending cycle that successful brands have. But you must know this: There is no correct way to do digital marketing, there is no one-size-fits-all solution or answer. You need to find your own – testing and learning is the way.

And in times of crisis, you need to be as creative and innovative as possible. But you need to be aware of your analytics in order to learn from your experiments.

Follow this process for success:

• If you are experimenting with a new strategy, it should be quick, inexpensive, and easy to execute.
• If it works, awesome! Do more of it.
• If it doesn’t work as expected, kill it and move on. No harm is done. Be ruthless and quick, say “next”! You will have tested something, learned, and allowed yourself to move from it to experiment with something new.

Make Innovation Your Best Bet

Successful companies make innovation one of their core values. In times like this, it is essential for companies to be looking over the horizon. If you consider yourself one to “roll with the punches” you need to stay innovative. This will allow you to make the best of a delicate situation and potentially, come out on top.

• Use technology to your consumers’ advantage: What are the tools you can put to good use to ensure that your clients are getting personalized and customized information? To name a few examples, go live on social media, create Zoom meetings to help your customers shop. Take advantage and make their experience unforgettable.
  
  
• Serve messages that speak to consumers during this time. Spark conversations with your clients and let them know you are putting in the effort to make their shopping experience as breezy as possible. Let them know how you are taking advantage of technology to help them.

• Stand out with the design. Now is the time to kick your digital efforts up a notch. Get creative and make relatable content. Make sure your digital advertising looks good and crisp. Yes, people want to stay informed but they still want to be blown away by creative content that keeps them busy – and consuming.

• Don’t be afraid. It is an anxious time for everyone, but sooner or later, it will pass. As a company owner or brand executive, you’ll want to remember these rough times as those in which your efforts made your brand grow exponentially – due to the innovative decisions you made.

Word of Advice: Don’t Become “One of Them”

As a brand and communicator during a pandemic, the last thing you want to do is address the outbreak in your marketing campaigns in an inconsiderate manner. Don’t ruin your company’s reputation by publishing marketing material that seems to be exploiting this delicate situation.

You don’t want to be associated with this crisis for the wrong reasons.

The best thing you can do is rework your marketing strategies and focus on building long-term brand narratives within the limitations of what is currently happening in the world.

Shift your strategies to follow how media consumption is growing and how much people are spending their time online and on eCommerce. At this moment, brands need to resist focusing on the short-term activations to come out of this current climate triumphant.

Lastly: How Brands are Advertising in the Midst of Coronavirus and How You Can Too

We’ve discussed a lot in this article, but now, it’s time you put your creativity to work to stay innovative, engaging, and positive for your consumers.

1. Be Visually Creative |  McDonald’s Brazil:

McDonald’s visuals are simplistic, but very impactful. They make excellent use of their logo and witty personality to educate consumers on the importance of social distancing – an imperative measure that must be taken by everyone to avoid getting infected by the COVID-19.

McDonald’s is creating brand awareness during a rough time – the right way and continues to generate consumer loyalty.

2. Be Insightful, Go Virtual | Behr: Behr Your Background

If we’re talking innovation and real-time strategy, this is a perfect example. Behr is aware that more people will be working from home and connecting using video calls to keep in touch. 

With this campaign, Behr helps you “behr your background” so that your home is camera ready. They offer a free library of stylish home backgrounds you can download for your next Zoom video call or meeting. How fun is that?

3. Create Awareness | Mucinex: Spread Facts not Fear

Experts have called the coronavirus (before becoming a pandemic) and “infodemic”. Due to all the misinformation about the virus being spread quicker than the virus itself. With the many opinions and voices,  this heightens anxiety and confusion in people.

That’s why Mucinex, a recognized flu brand, wants to “spread facts, not fear”, to encourage safe habits and point people to real, expert information.

Combined with attention-grabbing and crisp design, they created these helpful and engaging ads, which drives to covid-19facts.com, with helpful and up-to-date information about the COVID-19 compiled by the WHO and other experts. Brilliant.

4.  Use your Voice | Coca Cola: Stay United

Brands have immense power when it comes to communication. Using that to the advantage of the greater good is amazing. Not only are you using your voice for something positive, you are also creating awareness. 

You are letting your consumers know that you care about them and the world. With strong visuals and a powerful message, brands have the power to shift the world. 

5. Use your Product to Stay Visual | Mercedes-Benz – Flatten the Curve

Mercedes-Benz urges people to stay home in order to stay safe and #flattenthecurve. In this message, they stick to using their product and stay visually appealing to consumers. You can do the same, be creative! How can your product become a visual reference to communicate value and information at the same time?

Not only are they urging people to stay inside, they are also thanking those in the front lines trying to control the disease. They continue to provide information across their social media platforms on activities for quarantine like coloring books for kids and more.

Let’s Make the Best of It

This is a very hurtful situation for many. However, now is the best time to communicate with impact and innovation. It’s important to stick together and create community-centric messages for consumers and brands alike. 

Stay safe! If you have any questions about strategies or how you can advertise for conversions, let us know. We’d love to hear from you.

Let’s get into it!

First Things First: What are Ad Tags & Click Tags?

To put it simply, an AdTag consists of a piece of HTML code. This code is inserted within the source code of a web page, that is, where the ad you’ve created will be displayed. 

It’s made up of a URL (from the browser which requests the ad) + HTML or JavaScript code (which will let the browser know how exactly to display the ad). Too much information? No worries, you’ll get the hang of it!

Here are 2 examples of what AdTags look like: 

• <script src=”https://cdn.onlymega.com/cjxrhtpod00065epdpqc1fik1/embed.js?bnTag=” async></script>

• <iframe src=”https://cdn.onlymega.com/cjxrhtpod00065epdpqc1fik1/embed.html?bnTag=” style=”border:none;width:300px;height:250px;” frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”></iframe>

When this code is placed on a website, it automatically displays the HTML5 banner you designed.

ClickTags, on the other hand, are a click-through URL. In HTML5 ads, this is a shortcut for setting the click-through URL in the platform. A click tag is implemented when you want to track impressions and clicks without the need of the API overhead. 

Here’s an example of a ClickTag passed to the adtag: 

<script src=”https://cdn.onlymega.com/cjxrhtpod00065epdpqc1fik1/embed.js?bnTag=%%CLICK_URL_ESC%%%%DEST_URL_ESC_ESC%%&cb=%%CACHEBUSTER%%” async></script>

ClickTags can be inserted in an HTML5 banner which was exported as a ZIP package. Once this ZIP is uploaded to Google Ad Manager, you will be able to control landing page URLs, for instance, from the Google Ad Manager dashboard directly. This means that the banner will always open the URL that will be passed to it from the Google Ad Manager.

How do Tags Work with HTML5 Display Ads?

To put it simply, an AdTag can display different HTML5 ads, based on the user that loaded the ads on the website. This is called: Programmatic Advertising which basically refers to showing different ads, with different content based on the information gathered about the user. 

For example, a simple banner you uploaded as a ZIP will always show the same content to all users. 

To put it as simply as possible, this is how AdTags work:

1. The user loads the page where the AdTag is located.
2. When this AdTag loads, it passes information about the user down to the Ad Server. 
3. Then, the Ad Server decides which ad is more efficient to show based on the information gathered about that user. A quick example of this: Product IDs the user recently viewed. Also, the Ad Server can even have A/B tests running to decide which ad is better. 
4. The user finally sees the ad. 
5. The AdTag can now pass on the information about “how” the user interacted with the banner back to the Ad Server. This is if, for instance, the user hovered over the banner and didn’t click, how long the user watched the video inside the ad and even how long the banner was playing animation until the user closed the page.

Let’s move on.

But Wait, What is a Third-Party Ad Tag?

Well, this is a piece of JavaScript code, generated by a third-party Ad Server. This is placed into an ad inventory space within a website, which will display the creative which was previously uploaded on the ad server.

Ok, but if that’s too confusing, let’s go again. Basically, the third party AdTag is the AdTag hosted on a specialized service, in which you create and store banners, including specific banners displaying specific rules or A/B tests.

One of these third-party Ad Servers is BannerNow, which allows you to design animated banners, schedule them on a certain time & date, maybe you need to schedule different banners on weekends, well this server can help you do that. You can also create A/B tests and retrieve analytics for the AdTags, which includes animation duration, impressions, CTR, rollovers, video duration, heatmaps, etc.

Now, don’t let the big words get you confused though! All the work done after implementing a tag happens almost automatically, you don’t need to really think about the process. However, this is excellent and useful information, especially when considering options for the most optimized way of serving your ads.

But… Why Do You Need to Implement Ad Tags?

Well, there are many reasons why you need to implement these tags when advertising in the display network.

Let’s go over the 5 reasons why you need to implement ad tags:

1. Ad tags collect important & specific information regarding users who see ads for user segmentation purposes.
2. This will help you optimize your ad strategy quickly and easily, you’ll be able to use your budget to the fullest. Plus, you’ll be able to make adjustments as the ad runs.
3. Make changes from the ad server itself instead of heading directly to each publisher.
4. You’ll be able to track important ad engagement and visibility.
5. It’s possible to schedule all your campaigns to display specific ads on special dates such as Christmas, New Years, Black Friday, etc.

And there’s more… Nowadays, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon control over 80% of online advertising. Corporations and startups are spending millions on creating engaging ads, so the cost for displaying banners has naturally skyrocketed.  

This is why it’s important that EACH impression for your ad is displayed to the RIGHT user. And, don’t forget how important it is to optimize your ads through A/B testing. Always, always, be TESTING! 

So, yes, if you ask us, we would say it’s a big deal to implement these. They make a huge difference and really help you make improvements to your ads.

ClickTags, What are These For?

So now that you know what ClickTags are, you need to know about the purpose they fulfill.

First, ClickTags are not an alternative to AdTags. It is simply a way of passing the click URL to the banner. Nothing too complicated!

For example, the ClickTag can be passed to the banner which was uploaded as a ZIP to Google Ad Manager. When you download the HTML5 banner from OnlyMega, it will already contain the custom JavaScript snippet that controls ClickTags passed to the banner. This means that you won’t need to write any code, it works from the box. 

After download, upload it to the Google Ad Manager, set the target URL and that’s it! The uploaded banner will open the target URL you set since it contains the ClickTag handling by-design.

Using clickTags with AdTags is not very complicated, to tell you the truth. Because the ClickTag is passed to the AdTag via Macros (a special string constant that will be replaced by the real URL when the AdTag is loaded on a web page).

Here’s an example:

<script src=”https://cdn.onlymega.com/cjxrhtpod00065epdpqc1fik1/embed.js?bnTag=%%CLICK_URL_ESC%%%%DEST_URL_ESC_ESC%%&cb=%%CACHEBUSTER%%” async></script>

In this Ad tag – %%CLICK_URL_ESC%%% is a macros string that tracks/counts clicks on Google Ad Manager –  %%DEST_URL_ESC_ESC%% is a macros string that is a click/destination URL, and –  %%CACHEBUSTER%% is a macros string adds a random number to the ad tag so that the browser doesn’t cache the banner.

When the user opens the page (with the AdTag), this is what it’ll look like:

<script src=”https://cdn.onlymega.com/cjxrhtpod00065epdpqc1fik1/embed.js?bnTag=http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/aclk%3Fsa%3Dl%26ai%3DBsD-iGQbNSun3LJvqjQTg0MWeDOCtkEmu5vD7CsCNtwGQThABGAEg9084AFCAx-HEBGDJhvuGyKOQGYgBAaABzvrC_wOyARN3d3cuY29ycC5nb29nbGUuY29tugEKMzAweDI1MF9hc8gBCdoBWWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuY29ycC5nb29nbGUuY29tL2VuZy90ZXN0aW5nL1RTL2RvY3MvdGVzdHBsYW5zL2NhZmVfdGVzdGluZy90ZXN0XzNyZF9wYXJ0eS5odG1suAIYqAMB9QMAAAAE9QMEAAAA%26num%3D1%26client%3Dca-mongoogle%26adurl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fonlymega.com&cb=1234″ async></script>

If you take a closer look, you’ll notice that the macro strings were replaced with real URLs. One URL tracks redirects and the other controls the URL in which the user will be redirected once the banner is clicked.

2 Ways to Publish Display Ads with Tags to the Google Ad Managers

So now that you’ve got the tags down. It’s time you publish these into your Google Ad Manager and see how well they work.

First Option: Zip File 

1. Create and download your banner from Onlymega
2. Upload to Google’s Ad Manager

Remember that Onlymega will generate a zip file, which already includes a clickTag that Google recognizes! So no hassle for you there.

Second Option: Embedded Code 

1. Create a banner on Onlymega
2. Copy the AdTag code
3. Follow the rest of the steps from our knowledgebase here. 

Great, but which option is the best suited for you?

We think the best and most convenient is the second option, which contains the embedded code. Why? Because this will allow you to control the creative on the Onlymega dashboard. 

Ok, so let us explain a bit here:

Imagine you created a banner set which consists of 20 banners, all different sizes. But, you need to update only one word on a CTA button. If you were to have gone with the first option (zip file) you would then need to upload each size manually into the Google Ad Manager and find out which is the one you need to change.

But, if you’re using tags, all you need to do is publish them and you’ll be able to edit the banner within Onlymega. Any edits you make will be automatically updated on Google’s Ad Manager, without the need to re-upload every time you need to make a change. Excellent!

Some Useful Tools for Validation

1. clickTag validator for uploaded ads: https://h5validator.appspot.com/3pas/asset
2. clickTag Validators for Ad tags (embed code): https://dfpgpt.appspot.com/

Well, there you have it! Now you know how useful AdTags and ClickTags can be for your campaigns. Not only will they provide you with valuable information about your campaigns, but they are also useful for when editing creative on your banners as a whole. And hey, if you have any questions, concerns, or comments, make sure you reach out! We are happy to help with your tech questions

Praying involves SEO or Search Engine Optimization (that’s a whole other story) and paying involves PPC or Pay Per Click campaigns. One PPC campaign type involves creating compelling display banners and publishing them across advertising networks such as the Google Ad Network. This is the most direct line to generating potential sales and visits to your website. 

It seems easy, sure, but it involves taking into consideration a few factors we’re going to review further along this article. 

Display Banner Ads for the Health Care Industry

When you pay Google or the search engine of choice it displays your banner across different websites and platforms depending on your conversion goals. Display ads are an excellent way to build your brand through voice and design. 

We like to say that display banner campaigns “stick with you” and it’s why it remains to be an impactful form of advertising. Through the use of colors, design, and smart copy, the message conveyed helps others recall your brand whenever they need to. 

For instance, when someone searches for symptoms of a certain condition or is browsing the Time website or watching a YouTube video, they will notice your display banner somewhere along the way. If your segmentation and strategy are done right, the potential client will most likely click on your banner to find out how YOU can help solve their issue.

All in all, what we’re trying to say is that if you’re in the healthcare field, there are no barriers to what you can do in terms of advertising, even if there exist strict barriers that are constantly telling you “NO”. We’re going to prove it by showing you a few examples of astonishing campaigns in a bit.

The Barriers in Healthcare Advertising

There are limitations to what you can do in every industry, morally speaking. But we’re sure you’re well aware of this.

However, when referring to “healthcare” and combining this term with terms like marketing and advertising, some of these barriers start to appear out of nowhere. They lead you to an internal and external dispute between the “rights & wrongs”.

Well, we’re here to say you can navigate those barriers and make your voice as a brand heard nevertheless. It’s just a matter of navigating those hurdles while avoiding precarious situations, of course. Which doesn’t mean you have to shut down your creativity as a healthcare brand owner. By no means should you be approving mediocre strategies, advertisements, or display banner designs.

We’re here to say that you can build a creative healthcare brand by, of course, navigating FDA rules and regulations, but still building a booming advertising strategy.

• Can you be creative and witty when creating healthcare ads? Yes.
• Can you deliver impactful, meaningful, and truthful messages through healthcare display ads? Yes.
• Can you be successful by running marketing and advertising strategies for healthcare service online? YES.

Creative Advertising Campaign Examples for the Healthcare Industry + Tips

Before showing you a few examples of display advertising campaigns for healthcare brands, we want to show you the bigger picture. What are some of the most successful marketing and advertising campaigns of other healthcare brands around the world? Let’s find out.

Below, you’ll find some of the most clever, creative – and of course, inspirational healthcare advertising campaigns that nonprofits and healthcare service providers have launched in the last several years. This way, you can create your own strategies through the influence of others and enjoy the same (or even greater) type of success.

1. #YesMamm – Carilion Clinic Campaign – Keeping it Simple

We love simple and concise messages for campaigns. Take Carilion Clinic’s “#YesMamm” campaign as an example. It’s nothing but clever! They released graphics and display ads with this concept and used them to answer the most common breast cancer questions across the web and social media.

The campaign is interactive, friendly and raises awareness about breast cancer. It also drove heaps of traffic to the Carilion Clinic website and encouraged women to make an appointment. 

Sometimes, it just takes a brilliant hashtag or tagline to make your display ad campaign work wonders.

2. United Healthcare – “We Dare You” – Making it Interactive

You can design a fascinating banner… but what happens next? Right after the “click”, you have to make sure you’re offering your audience something to stay interested. 

UnitedHealthcare created this interactive campaign that promoted healthier habits. Through monthly quizzes, “dares”, and prizes on their website, they encouraged their audience to make healthy changes in their lifestyle month after month.

The takeaway? The interactiveness. Make sure your banners and overall campaign aesthetic look sharp, but also, ensure your audience has a reason to stay on your website.

3. Healthcare.gov – “Deadline” – Creating a Sense of Urgency

One of the most common marketing techniques is to create a sense of urgency through campaigns. Healthcare.gov created Facebook ads with a deadline. This urged their audience to take action. By using trigger terms such as “don’t miss this” or “last chance” their campaign created a sense of urgency and got people interested in the movement. 

Plus, studies show people are more willing to take action through this type of marketing. Take advantage!

4. Oscar Healthcare – “On Your Phone” – Staying Up To Date

Just because you work in the healthcare industry doesn’t mean you can’t stay up to date on the latest trends, let alone ignore them. Oscar Healthcare’s ad is a total win and we’ll tell you why:

Not only is the design bright and happy and the illustrations are engaging, but the tagline is simple and it’s a true “insight”. It’s something everyone understands! Through a simple message that has a greater significance, they were able to create a robust- and successful ad.

This ad proves Oscar Healthcare is trustworthy, convenient, up to date technology-wise, and is reliable. They’re there when you need them because they’ll be where you are – on your phone. It also takes some of the “seriousness” away and makes people smile and get engaged. Brilliant, isn’t it? 

5. John Muir Health – “Bodies” – Keeping it Real

Bodies can be embarrassing sometimes. And in spite of us humans knowing this, talking about “gross body stuff” remains taboo. But not for John Muir Health. 

A great way to refresh your campaigns it to “keep it real”, creative wise. And again – healthcare doesn’t mean that being serious is the only way to sell your services. When you liberate a certain topic, you are creating a narrative for your brand and trust with your audience. Yes, believe it or not, when you’re being witty it’s much easier to create confidence!

Take the real problems that real humans experience on a daily basis and communicate it in a smart, creative way through your campaigns. People will love you for it because they love brands with a sense of humor. Period.

The Bottomline

Don’t get us wrong, we know advertising in the healthcare industry can be complex, which is why you may need a slight push in the right direction. Hence, why we created this article to help you out!

Whether you’re looking to create compelling medical advertising campaigns or you need a bit of inspiration to start off, you can count on us. Don’t forget, Onlymega is an online, no-code-knowledge-needed display banner maker that can get you where you want to be – in front of your audience.

Have questions? Get in touch or choose your plan here. We’ll be happy to hear from you!