In this article we'll explain more about display advertising, how it can benefit your business, and what makes a good display ad.

Quick Links:

First up, what even is display advertising? In its simplest terms, display advertising is the process of advertising a product/service through visual messaging, usually images, videos, or gifs, on websites or apps. It's a form of digital marketing.

Display ads can't just appear anywhere, they are placed on third-party websites which are part of a publisher's display network. Two well-known publishers are the Google Display Network and the LinkedIn Audience Network.

The ads are designed to look similar to the traditional print ads you get in a newspaper or magazine. They come in a few different sizes and orientations and should have a strong call to action (CTA) which encourages users to click on it.
​

Search advertising (typically thought of as cost-per-click or CPC advertising) uses a 'pull' approach, whereas display advertising uses a 'push' approach.

A pull approach is where a user types in some keywords and a relevant ad is served back to them. In this instance you know the user is actively looking for a product or service relating to these keywords so intent could be considered high.

The push approach is where the ads are displayed to users who didn't directly search for the product or service, but they have been targeted for a reason. This could be through a remarketing campaign (retargeting users who've already visited your website or taken a certain action), because they're browsing a complementary website, or because their user profile meets certain criteria (e.g. their location or age).

Display ads enable you to showcase your products or service in a wide variety of ad formats. When used in conjunction with a publisher, they give you the potential to reach users on millions of website across the globe.

Display advertising generally falls at the top of the funnel, as an excellent way to build brand awareness. It's used to attract users who may not have specifically searched for your business, but your ad has sparked their interest enough to click through to find out more.

Success with display advertising comes from targeting the right user at the right time.

When using display ads for remarketing campaigns, they're invaluable as mid-funnel support, to remind users who have previously visited your website what they're missing out on. These users already have some brand awareness, so the promotional messaging should reflect this.

Display ads may start with brand awareness and have a broad reach, but they still have to provide a return on investment. There's no point in running ads if they can't turn leads into conversions. Here are some tips on what's in a good display ad:

A strong CTA is essential to getting conversions in display advertising. The goal is to encourage the user to click on the ad to reach your landing page. It should be actionable, relevant and clear, such as 'Order here'; if you can include a user benefit that's even better, for example 'Click for a free trial'.

Ideally your display should link to a specifically designed landing page on your website, written to encourage users to convert.

A good landing page mirrors the look and messaging of your ad. They should both use the same design/graphics/logos/etc, but also follow through on the same offers or promises. If your ad told users they could 'Order here', the landing page should enable them to do so.

Your ad copy (written text) should reflect what you're offering and be easily digestible. This can be tricky to do when dealing with a small space - having a great ad designer helps! These guidelines can help:

Most publishers are very specific about the ad sizes they will accept; however, they do usually provide ad guidelines. When designing your ads, always check what sizes you need to work to before commissioning the artwork - this will save you both time and money!

Once your ads are live and out in the world, you need to know if they're working: are they bringing valuable leads back to your website (or whatever result you were specifically hoping for).

There are some common metrics used by display networks for you to measure your campaign performance.

These include:

On the other end of things, you'll want to check the analytics and performance of your landing page. For example, how long do users spend on the page, where do they go next, do they perform the action you expected?

All of these metrics add up to how you measure the performance of you campaign, and if you need to change any elements.

Now you know a bit more about display advertising in general, the next step is to explore how Promote, our custom-built B2B advertising tool, can help you reach your ideal customers with display advertising. Check out our article on Using Promote for Display Advertising.

--

Questions, comments, feedback? Please let us know by contacting our support team via the chat or by sending us an email at support@dealfront.com.

RELATED:

​