Internet Advertising

Internet Advertising Strategies and Challenges

Internet advertising is the next hottest focus for advertisers and has prompted a flow of innovation and creativity from companies wishing to cash in online. Internet advertising is perhaps most appealing for its perceived ease and convenience. Placing Internet ads requires very little manpower, relative to many other forms of traditional advertising, and can mean the difference in millions of dollars to businesses.

However, since the inception of Internet advertising tactics, Internet consumers have become more savvy; their tastes for good Web content is more discriminating than it once was. Web visitors have been bombarded by flashy ads and alluring promises for too long, and, in recent years, Internet advertising has started to change. Thus, in many industries, Internet advertisers are working overtime to come up with new ways of captivation viewers and holding their interests long enough to get their product message across to potential buyers.

Here is some more background information about Internet advertising to help you understand the marketplace and strategy:

Text-Only Ads

Text-only (no graphic) Internet advertisements have become easy to overlook, especially for the more high volume or experienced internet user, however it may be that they are still useful for certain types of advertising purposes. Theses types of ads allow Internet companies to advertise their products to a very specific target groups and advertisers may find that niche traffic is enough to sustain their business. However for larger companies, such as Amazon.com or Yahoo!, the simplicity of these types of ads is not shown to bring consumers to their sites in the numbers that they need to see in order to increase revenue and sustain growth patterns. Therefore, higher budget Internet advertisers generally choose to use graphics in order to appeal to consumers.

Rich Internet Applications

Rich Internet Applications are a form of internet advertisements that allow users to enjoy a more ‘sophisticated’ experience. While providing Internet advertisers with the ability to track Web site usage and demographics, Rich Internet Applications help advertisements to move away from the traditional Internet advertising strategies in order to become dynamic. Advertisements can be sent directly to mobilized, multimedia units, such as cell phones, portable mp3 players and other technologies.

Combining Multi-Media

In recent years, Internet advertisers have had to become even more creative with their ads. One of the most innovative strategies has been to place an advertisement before an online movie or multi-media presentation. Offering viewers the opportunity to watch preview clips from a favorite TV show, short films, cartoons, favorite commercials and more has become a way that Internet advertisers can lure in consumers to view their presentation of a product. This type of advertising is generally referred to as “Viral Marketing” because movie clips are circulated on the Web (along with advertisements).

Blogging is also a highly effective and studied form of online marketing that relies on text and messages to spread the word about a particular product or service. Bloggers link their blogs to other blogs, increasing search-engine traffic. Having a steady flow of search-engine traffic is essential to ensuring that your Web site stays high in search engine searches.

The Combo Pack

Studies show that the most effective way to use Internet advertising is to utilize a combination of sources from text-only, to graphics to Rich Internet Applications. With the new technologies constantly emerging, Web viewers are able to send and receive emails from their cell phones and other forms of technology, potentially bypassing advertisements altogether. Thus, Internet advertisers need to incorporate innovation with visual appeal in order to ensure visibility.