What Is Advertising? - A Primer For Beginners.
Most people are familiar with the concept of advertising, but have a vague understanding of what it really means. They know that it helps sell products or services, but aren't quite sure how. And as time goes on, with the advent of new technology, this vague understanding has turned into an out-right confusion about what advertising is doing in modern day.
This is why we created this blog post all about advertising - to answer your questions and give you a little more insight. We'll be discussing everything from where the term "advertising" comes from to how much money advertisers make for their efforts. We'll also be giving you some tips on how to make the most of this tool in your online marketing efforts.
So without further ado, let's jump right into it!
What is Advertising? - A Primer for Beginners.
This post is, at its core, a primer to understanding advertising and how it works. It will outline the history of what advertising is, what types of ads you see online in the modern day and why they're there, who buys them and more. And while you can take this post at face value and leave with just a vague understanding of what advertising is all about, there are plenty of examples along the way that you can use as references to understand better.
In a nutshell, advertising is a way for a company to show that they've gone out of their way to promote their brand, product or service and make it known that it's better than the competition. With all the various forms of advertising available today (TV commercials, radio ads, billboards on the side of the road and more), it's easy to see why companies have turned to this as option.
Since we are talking about ads on the internet in particular, let's take a look at how they came about in modern times.
The Beginning - How Advertising Came To Be On The Internet.
Advertising first made its appearance all over newspapers. Businesses would place ads and pay a small fee per word to have their information spread all over the country. The concept of it is the same, but instead of newspapers, we now have websites that people can spread information on. And instead of paying a fee per word, advertisers are charged by impressions (how many times your ad was seen).
The arrival of the internet has made this process much easier and more cost efficient for everyone involved thanks to how it allows businesses to easily purchase online advertising in bulk to increase their reach. They can also do this from the convenience of their own home and not even have to leave!
This has allowed for far greater access to purchasing advertisements and made them cheaper for those who want them.
Types of Advertising.
There are so many different types of advertisements you see online, and there's always a new one being invented. That's because with the internet, there are all kinds of things you can advertise that were never done before and don't have to be done for only a few companies. You can advertise your product and brand in an effective way that didn't exist five or ten years ago and has been proven to work for businesses who've gotten their ads in front of consumers.
That's why from time to time, we'll be discussing some new forms of advertising (and things they're used for) that people may not be familiar with but might want to know more about.
Where Does Advertising Come From?
Francisco de Goya was one of the first famous artists to use advertising in his paintings. He used a series of ads for a ton of different things - laws, events, political groups, dealers and more.
Advertising has had its ups and downs through the years in regards to popularity but has settled into its present state. It's a way for companies to promote themselves and their brands with the knowledge that it will do well for them so long as they're willing to spend the money on good advertising.
Many of the most well-known advertising campaigns were created back when TV was the only way to buy advertising, and in some ways it still is. Through companies like Proctor and Gamble, you can see how TV ads work and what they do for a company as compared with other forms of media.
If you have time look at some examples of TV commercials here. Credit for this post goes to https://www.businessinsider.com/10-brands-that-wished-theyd-gone-metro-adverts
Advertising in Today's World.
Now that you have a basic understanding of what advertising is, let's touch on how it's changing and why that's important. You've likely heard the terms "digital" or "online" advertising before and wonder what they're in relation to traditional forms of advertising, like TV commercials or billboards.
That idea is something called native advertising - ads you see online that look like they're an article but are actually an ad. It's become a big part of online marketing because it allows companies to get their message out there and make sure people see it without having to shell out big bucks for a TV commercial or billboard on the side of the road.
Now that you understand that, let's talk about different forms of digital advertising.
Native Advertising - Online advertising that looks like an article but isn't. Native advertising is a great way for companies to get their ads in front of people without having to buy expensive TV and radio ads, and it makes sure they're seen as well! It's also a way for traditional ads (like TV commercials and billboards) to get more reach online.
Programmatic Advertising - Also known as automated or computerized advertising, programmatic advertising is one of the biggest ways brands reach customers these days via the internet. In programmatic advertising, a brand will be able to place their ads all over the internet (on websites, mobile apps and more) and still be able to control where and when they show, who sees them and so on. This is a great way for companies to reach new customers on their own!
Retargeting - Retargeting is another form of digital advertising that allows companies to get their sales pitch in front of interested consumers time and time again. If a customer visits a product page but doesn't make the purchase, they'll be able to see that ad over and over again until they make the purchase or click out of the ad. It's a better way for companies to reach consumers who are more interested and ready to buy, and it keeps them seeing your brand until they decide to buy your product.
Affiliate Marketing - Affiliate marketing is a great way for brands to put their ads on other people's sites. They can easily affiliate with different websites or blogs in order for their ads to appear on those sites, and if someone does purchase the first product from that website or blog, the company who sold it will get paid.
Conclusion
Advertising is a big deal, and it's one that people need to be aware of so they're able to make a smart decision about where it's right for them and what they like.
For those wanting to learn more about it and how it's being used in the modern age, check out this article on Facebook advertising here. If you'd like to find out more about other forms of advertising and some of their uses, feel free to take a look at these articles.
Ready to start doing the research on digital marketing? Check out these articles!
Image courtesy of Pixabay.