Archive for category: Digital Business Owner

When paying for online advertising space, your business probably dips into a wide array of digital ad platforms – think the likes of Google Ads, Facebook Ads and probably many alternatives not quite as well-known to the average marketer.

However, approaching all of these platforms individually can be a cumbersome process costing you more time and money than strictly necessary. It’s therefore easy to see the appeal of demand-side platforms (DSPs), which collate online advertising opportunities from many different providers.

In a nutshell, why use a demand-side platform?

HubSpot defines a DSP as “an automated programmatic advertising platform where marketers can purchase and manage ad inventories from multiple ad sources.” Much of the attraction of using a DSP is summed up in the word “automated”, as it allows you to streamline the ad-sourcing process.

The main benefit of using a DSP, according to HubSpot, is that “you can manage all your digital ads across many networks on one interface.” The ads you can buy through a DSP include mobile ads on apps, banner ads on search engines and video ads on social media.

Hence, you don’t strictly need to set aside time to approach Google Ads, then Facebook Ads and so forth when you want to utilize many different advertising networks. Instead, you can just use one platform – a DSP – and leverage multiple networks through that single access point.

How do you actually source ad slots through a DSP?

Using a DSP can feel akin to participating in an auction conducted by robots. Through an automated system, DSPs buy and sell ads in real time, using what is known as programmatic advertising. The real-time nature of the proceedings enables ad placements to be auctioned off in milliseconds.

However, as with any auction, you should – before using one – think carefully about how much you would be willing to spend in the process. How much you do need to spend for online advertising can be determined on a cost-per-click and cost-per-action basis.

When using a DSP, you would specify your ad-buying budget so that the platform does not go over this when automatically fetching ad placements for you.

Using a DSP can bode well for you in the long term

This is because a DSP can help you to not only secure digital ads but also manage them for the long haul. As a TechFunnel article explains: “DSP platforms enable media buyers to manage campaigns from multiple channels, [and] optimize, analyze and gain insights into them in one interface.”

A DSP allows you to see, at a glance, the effectiveness of your ads – including impressions, clicks, click-through rates and conversion rates. While referring back to this data displayed on the reporting dashboard, you can tweak and optimize an ad campaign in the hope of improving results.

DSP advertising can even help you to build profiles of people who do see your ads. Each of these profiles can detail – for example – what type of content the user consumes and where and how often they click on the ads.

Mobile marketing is one of the most critical aspects of digital marketing. People are spending more time on their smartphones and consequently, they’re using them for more than just calling people! They’re reading emails, watching videos, browsing social media- all while they’re out in public.

Social media applications like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram are the most used apps in the world today and you see more information about the download rates of 2021’s most popular apps here.

With a track record of consistently high app downloads by people around the world, this means that users are actively engaging and using their smartphones more now than ever, thus meaning that businesses have an opportunity to tailor their marketing efforts and campaigns to smartphone users.

Best practices for mobile marketing for online businesses

1. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly

This is the most important thing you can do! If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, customers will have a hard time viewing it on their phone and are likely to leave. There are many different ways to make your website mobile-friendly, so do some research and find out what’s best for you.

With more people relying on their phones to browse the internet, it’s essential that your website is optimised to look good and functions well on a mobile device. If it doesn’t, you’re going to lose customers fast.

2. Optimise your website for search engines

This is another essential step that businesses should take regarding mobile marketing. Ensure that your website shows up in search engine results pages when people are searching for keywords relevant to your business.

You can do this by using the appropriate keywords on your website and in your content and optimising your website’s structure and design. If you don’t take these steps, you’ll miss out on many potential customers.

3. Create mobile-friendly email templates

Most people check mail on their phones today, so your emails must be optimised for viewing on a small screen. This means using a simple layout with large text and minimal images, and ensuring that all links open in new tabs/windows.

You can also create separate email templates specifically for mobile devices, ensuring that the formatting looks good no matter what type of phone the recipient is using.

4. Optimise for video

Video marketing has become very popular because it’s so easy and accessible on mobile devices. YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google, but did you also know that more than half of all online activity (including shopping) happens right before or while watching videos?

If your business isn’t taking advantage of this opportunity by including optimised video content on its website, then you’re missing out big time! Make sure that any product demonstrations or other instructional videos are optimised for mobile viewing, and you’ll see an increase in sales.

5. A/B testing for marketing

A/B test is a process of experimentation that helps you determine which version of a particular marketing campaign is most effective. You do this by testing two (or more) different versions of the same and then seeing which one is better.

This is important for mobile marketing because there are so many different ways to reach your customers through their phones. By testing different formats, designs, and campaigns against each other, you can see which method is most effective.

6. Create a solid call to action

If your CTAs aren’t visible enough, many potential leads won’t convert into actual sales. Many businesses don’t realise the importance of having a clear and conspicuous “call to action” on their website or ad landing pages.

Don’t let this be your business! Make sure that when people visit your site, they immediately know what it is that you want them to do (i.e., buy something from you).

This will save customers time by not forcing them to figure out whether or not they should purchase from you before continuing with other tasks on their phones.

7. Integrate with social media

Integrating your mobile marketing campaigns with your social media efforts is a great way to reach more people.
Ensure that all of your social media profiles are optimised for viewing on phones and tablets and include links to your website and other relevant content.

You can also use social media to drive traffic to your landing pages or website and promote special deals or offers. By using all of the available channels, you can reach a larger audience and increase your sales chances.

Conclusion

Mobile marketing is a great way to reach out and connect with your customers on the go, but you must follow certain best practices to optimise for this type of audience.

There are many different ways to use mobile devices as part of your marketing efforts, so make sure you’re doing everything from social media integration to video optimisation correctly.