Get More Clicks with the Right Marketing Mix

Smarter Advertising for Your Dotcom Business

Get More Clicks with the Right Marketing Mix

As an online business — whether you’re selling educational children’s toys, providing a service like custom printing or promoting an app for Fantasy Football fans — you’re playing a volume game. You need tons of traffic to visit your website or download your app to succeed — and you need brand awareness to get that traffic. When you’re up against thousands of online, offline and multi-channel competitors, how can you make your business stand out? An advertising campaign that targets customers on all the screens where they spend time — TV, laptop and smartphone — will help you the get clicks, orders and downloads you need.

TELEVISION ADVERTISING

There are tens of thousands of businesses competing with yours, and all of them are doing the same types of standard advertising. Online search and pay-per-click (PPC) ads are standard in every dotcom’s toolbox — but do you want your business to be “standard”? Don’t you want to stand apart and attract larger audiences? Then, consider the benefits of TV advertising.

Even with the widespread use of mobile devices, adults in the U.S. still spend an average of 4.4 hours watching TV daily¹— and often while “second-screening,” which means using a smartphone or tablet at the same time. Using the visual impact and branding power of TV, you can reach a broader audience, engaging customers and reinforcing your brand so that when people need a business like yours, they search for you, rather than the products or apps that both you and your competition offer. You can even entice them with a special offer in your ad to visit your website immediately.

But you don’t have to advertise on the Super Bowl like your large competitors do or buy nationwide airtime to get attention. Instead, to build brand awareness and test results, try running ads in a local market (or just a part of a local market, as many cable TV providers divide their TV market into what are referred to as “zones”). Even if your customers are all over the country, you can keep your budget manageable by testing TV ads in smaller markets; then, expand or adjust your approach over time.

Think you can’t afford it? In many markets, 30 seconds of cable TV commercial time costs about as much as filling your car with gas. And by reaching a few of the right users via TV, you may start a word-of-mouth wave as they share information about your business with friends and family.

Millennials or early adopters may already know about your business from your online ads, but TV helps create brand awareness among a broader audience, such as seniors or children, who may not spend as much time online. Cox Media’s experts can suggest the perfect market, programming and channels to reach your target customers based on their demographics, geography and interests. For instance, if your website sells preschool learning toys, running ads on Nickelodeon during “PAW Patrol” and “Bubble Guppies” is a sure way to associate your brand with kid-friendly programming to reach children and families. To drive downloads of your mobile Fantasy Football app, choose from ESPN’s many NFL-related programs like “NFL Live,” “NFL Insiders” or “Sunday NFL Countdown.” A patio furniture website can advertise on addictive HGTV makeover shows like “Yard Crashers” or “Curb Appeal.”

ONLINE ADVERTISING

Almost nine in 10 consumers “second screen,” or use more than one device at a time while watching television², and 61% of women shop online while watching TV³. There’s no doubt that online and television work in tandem, so use TV ads to drive viewers to your website, where they can browse and shop, make a service order, or download your app.

What’s great about online advertising is that you can target custom audiences based not just on demographics and location but online behaviors and interests, like the terms people search and the competitor and related websites they visit. Do you sell high-end women’s handbags online? People who search keywords like “luxury handbags,” “designer purse” or “Louis Vuitton,” or browse bags on Barneys.com or Nordstrom.com, can see your display ads pop up as they surf the internet or see your video ads before other videos they watch — even if they’re unrelated to fashion or purses.

And online ads don’t just mean flat display ads; incorporate online video advertising, too. Did you know 35% of online buyers say they’re more likely to buy a product after seeing a video of it?⁴ Cox Media can help you produce multiple types of videos from just one shoot, so your investment in a TV commercial is also an investment in online video ads, video for your website, and even short clips for your social media accounts.

MOBILE ADVERTISING

The average U.S. adult spends more than 4 hours a day using a mobile device⁵. That makes mobile advertising essential for getting consumers’ attention and making your brand top-of-mind. You can also ensure you’re reaching the most relevant audience using “geo-fencing,” which limits ads geographically so they display only in areas where your target consumers live. For instance, if your mobile app targets affluent young men who love the latest technology, you can advertise in areas populated by tech workers. You can also target specific lifestyles. For example, if you run a food-delivery service, you can advertise on restaurant review and travel apps to reach restaurant-goers. Talk to Cox Media to find out about other local markets you may not have considered.

SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING

Buzz gets more people to your website and to download your app — and social media can help you get people buzzing. With 79% of adult internet users on Facebook, and 76% of those logging on to the social network daily⁶, Facebook is an ideal place to reach consumers of all ages, and you can enhance your organic social media presence with social media advertising that targets markets based on demographics, interests, location and online behaviors.

Of course, not everyone who visits your website will buy, but that’s where social media retargeting ads can help. These ads display to people who visited your website and left without taking action. Advertising products that shoppers browsed on your e-commerce site or ads for your mobile app can keep your brand top-of-mind and tempt them to return and make a purchase.

PLACE YOUR ORDER (FOR INTEGRATED ADVERTISING)

To get more prospects to your website or app, think beyond the new screens where they typically interact with you. Exploring a traditional advertising screen like TV can give you the traffic jolt you may need to kick-start a new stream of customers coming your way. It’s easy to get started: Contact Cox Media online or at 1-855-755-2691 to speak with one of our dotcom business advertising specialists in your area. They have the knowledge, tools and expertise to help you create effective video ads, and find and target the consumers most likely to buy.