What Is Pixel Advertising
Have you heard of pixel advertising? If not, read on to find out what it is, how it works and why it's such an important tool in the advertiser's marketing kit.
Pixel advertising — also known as a web bug — is a type of online advertising in which advertisers use placed pixels that are part of images or code to track viewing activity and detect mouse clicks, so they can measure the success of their marketing campaign.
This blog post will tell you everything there is to know about pixel advertising and how to use it for your business. We'll show you all the important things about this strategy for catching potential customers' eyeballs with high-tech tools.
A Brief History of Pixel Advertising
Most people are aware that the first use of pixels to track visitors was in print media. That's because they were used in magazines and newspapers. They were used to collect information about what was being read, and track potential advertisers. The most common way was to place a special code on the back of the magazine where readers could find it if they wanted more information about it. These codes would then allow advertisers an easy way to know how many people had read their ad, how often it was read, and what phrases were most likely to catch their consumer's attention.
It wasn't long before this concept and technology was introduced to the web. The first to do so was Wired magazine, who introduced a pixel that was placed on any page that a reader wished to email to friends. This allowed them to track how many times an article was forwarded, and what the most popular articles where among their readers.
Today, pixels are commonly used for many different applications and functions. What started out as a simple way for magazines to know how many people read their ads has now become a valuable tool for online advertisers everywhere. When you put your advertisement online, there are often things you want to know. For example, how many people viewed it? How many clicked on your ad to learn more? How many bought your product or service? That's where a pixel comes in handy.
How Do Pixel Ads Work Online?
Web bugs were originally used with the intention of tracking what people were reading and what they responded to, in order to help advertisers target potential customers better. Today, however, they have a few different uses.
The first use for this technology is for an advertiser to track who views their ads on the Internet. Essentially, these pixels tell you who viewed your ad, when they did it and what they clicked on.
A second type of use for a pixel is for the advertiser to track where viewers come from. This can be helpful if you want to target people who like a certain topic or subject matter. That's because it's likely that those people will visit more pages about your product or service later on.
A third way that pixels are used is to detect if someone actually clicked on their ad — otherwise known as click through rate (CTR). This is especially important in Google AdWords, which gives advertisers the opportunity to bid on keywords so that they get paid when potential customers click on their ads.
Pixel advertising is an effective tool for advertisers because it allows them to track their potential customers on the web. It tells you who viewed your ads and what they have been looking at in the past, so you can target them with specific ads that are geared to their tastes and preferences. That's why it's such an important tool for advertising — and one that many third-party companies like Google offer to businesses.
How Do I Implement Pixel Advertising?
There are a few different ways to implement pixel advertising for your business' online marketing campaign, depending on your needs. First, you can set up your own pixel with a partner like Google AdWords (even if they don't offer that feature specifically to businesses), or use one of the many third-party companies that offer this type of technology. All you need is a computer, some software and access to the Internet. Then, you'll be able to get started quickly so you can start tracking your potential customers and increasing your brand exposure online.
Here are a few more ways to get started with pixel advertising for your company:
Create Your Own Pixel Flash Video – This type of marketing strategy takes advantage of the unique features of flash video ads. It uses dynamic content so that it changes a little bit more frequently than traditional static ads. This can be especially effective for companies who have a product to sell, as it allows them to create flash videos that feature their products. They just need to find a different way of showing them on the screen than what regular static ads use.
Create A Web Bug – This is the easiest way for you to get started with pixel advertising, because it's a lot like what you would do if you were putting your ad in paper media. You just take an image or code and place it in a web page that includes some type of value proposition or call to action. Then, you'll place a pixel somewhere on the page where users can click to learn more. This is an effective method because people who see your ad want to know more about it and will naturally be drawn to that area of the screen where you have placed the pixel.
Use A Scripted Ad – You can also use your own script or program, which allows you to put a pixel on any website that you want. You would simply have to create one or add one to an existing program like JavaScripts or HTML scripts. By doing so, it will automatically place your pixel wherever you tell it without having to manually insert it on each page one at a time.
Pixel advertising has been around for many years, but it's mostly been used in traditional forms. However, today it is often used as a method to track potential customers who view ads on the Internet, which allows advertisers to target specific niches rather than just throwing their products out to the masses and seeing who bites.
With pixel advertising, you can make sure that you're reaching the right audience before you spend any more time or money promoting your products and services online. This will save you time in the long run by allowing you to get rid of campaigns that aren't working and keep those that are performing well.
Conclusion
Pixel advertising can be used in many ways, and there are many different tools that you can use to implement your own pixel ads. No matter what type of online advertising methods you decide to use, however, it is important that you get them right the first time. Just remember that anything that does not convert into a sale or actual response will just be wasted money for your business.
Image Credit: woodleywonderworks/Flickr
Category SEO
Tags Adwords Google IAB Internet Marketing Online Advertising Pixel Ads Tracking Web Bugs
Excerpt from the original article at http://www.datsyn.