Digital marketing is a budget-friendly and cost-effective method of expanding your reach locally, nationwide, and globally. Digital ads can be purchased with budgets starting as low as $5 and all ad platforms provide in-depth insights to improve performance. That being said, you may not be sure where to purchase digital ad space. Keep reading to narrow down your options.

The Difference Between Organic and Inorganic Marketing

Before we dive into how to utilize your digital ad space, let’s take a quick look at the difference between organic and inorganic marketing. One of the biggest mistakes small business owners make is taking the “if I build it, they will come” approach to digital. In today’s increasingly competitive marketplace, having a website and social media channels isn’t enough to generate traffic. A cohesive strategy is required that includes both organic and inorganic marketing.

Organic marketing is anything you don’t pay to access. You may hire someone else to set up or manage organic channels, but they are free.

This includes your:

• Website
• Landing pages
• Blog posts
• Social media posts
• Social media videos
• Online articles
• Online press releases
• Email marketing
• And more

Inorganic marketing is anything you pay to access. You may also hire someone to set up and manage these ads, but ad placement is also a set fee. This includes all of the channels we cover below.

#1 Search Engine Ads

Cost-per-click search engine ads are likely the first thing that comes to mind when you think of digital ad space. This includes ads placed in Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and other search engines. These are the ads that show up when you perform online searches. You don’t pay for the impression unless someone clicks on your ad. The ad links to either an opt-in landing page or a sales page of your choice.

While most businesses invest in Google, don’t count out less popular search engines. In fact, less popular search engines may drive more leads and conversions. This is because you are likely to have fewer competitors on other search engines. Also, the cost-per-click is likely to be lower.

That being said, cost-per-click search engine ads are generally the most expensive of all of your digital ad options.

#2 Social Media Ads

There are a variety of social media ads to choose from depending on your goals. This includes graphic ads, images, and videos that you pay to place on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more. Social media ads are your most versatile option, as you can purchase ads to achieve specific goals. Along with search engine ads, these are some of the easiest ads for hyper-targeting your demographic.

For example, on Facebook you can choose ads to generate:

• Page likes
• Post engagement
• Event responses
• Lead generation
• Opt-in offers
• Sponsored posts
• And more

If you own a local brick-and-mortar startup, you might invest $20 a month to generate new page likes from those within a 20-mile radius who are interested in the type of products and services you provide. Or your digital ad space could be used to build your subscriber list by offering a free ebook download in exchange for opting into a targeted marketing list.

#3 Sponsored and Guest Posts

There are a variety of sponsored and guest post options to choose from. They empower you to leverage another brand’s following to grow your business. The price point for sponsored posts can vary greatly.

Some of your top options include:

• Writing an article to post in a targeted online blog, magazine, or newspaper.
• Designing an on-page sponsored post ad for online blogs, magazines, or newspapers.
• Investing in programmatic ads that automatically populate in online blogs, magazines, and newspapers.
• Writing a press release and having it posted in a press release network.
• Designing ads or posts that populate in hyper-targeted social media feeds.
• Paying influencers to post sponsored videos, blogs, or social media posts.

#4 In-App and In-Game

In-app and in-game ads allow app owners to monetize their apps while providing you with an effective method of engaging your demographic. This might be a banner that pops up at the bottom of a screen, an ad that plays in between free gaming apps, or an ad you can click to earn bonus points or prizes in paid gaming apps.

In-app digital ad space costs between $4 and $12 per thousand impressions. Typically, the more impressions you purchase, the less expensive the cost per impression.

#5 Geofencing Ads

Have you ever walked or driven past a restaurant, retailer, or business and received a promotion or targeted ad on your smartphone? This is called geofencing. When the location setting on your phone or in an app is turned on, you can be sent targeted proximity ads.

Beacons are placed strategically in high-traffic areas that businesses can use to push ads to those nearby. It’s an excellent method of boosting walk-ins. Beacons can also be utilized within big-box and department stores to encourage upsells.

Simply turn off your phone’s location settings or in-app location settings if you don’t want to receive ads directly to your smartphone.

#6 LED Signs

There are a variety of ways to utilize LED signs for marketing. The first is to purchase your own sign and post your ads on the sign. You can even rent out ad space to other businesses on your sign in-between your ads. The second option is to do just that for yourself—rent out ad space on digital signs.

There are advantages to both of these strategies, and some business owners utilize both. Investing in your own sign provides you with the option of prescheduling your ads, mixing in communications, and updating your sign in real-time. Renting ad space allows you to place ads in other areas of the city, or in other cities around the nation—or around the world.

Considering Having A Digital Sign Build?

If you would like to learn more about having an LED sign built for digital ad space, reach out to Mega LED Technology to learn more!