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Internet Travel Monitor - Marketing, Research & Tech

February 20, 2019

Digital Ads Still More Effective Than Social Media, Studies Show

While businesses increasingly are growing their presence on social media to draw in customers, digital advertising, or even more traditional advertising methods, remain the most effective ways to reach potential buyers.

According to an Admall 2018 Audience Scan, less than 14 percent of adults across the US find social media ads on Facebook and Twitter useful. This means the majority of "useful" ads still are coming from other places.

"Even though social media is a great medium for connecting with your customers, growing those personal relationships, from an advertising standpoint, it doesn't provide a lot of value to your customers," said Zach Brown, digital sales supervisor for the Kearney Hub.

Chances are, Brown explained, even boosting a post on Facebook is only helping you reach people who already like or follow the page. Whereas robust digital advertising strategies help businesses reach potential customers outside that existing circle.

In recent years, digital ads have become more advanced in how they are able to target internet users and in the analytical data digital advertising campaigns can provide.

According to the results of a 2015 study, targeted ads based on intent, rather than demographic, are now the most effective way to advertise. The study, from Micro-Moment, Wave 3 and Google/Ipsos, found that marketers who rely only on demographics to reach consumers risk missing more than 70 percent of potential mobile shoppers.

Targeting based on intent means reaching out to potential customers based on their online actions rather than their age, location or gender, the demographics Facebook lets businesses target for.

From reaching potential customers based on "geo-fencing", or the locations people visit while location services are turned on their phone, to targeting customers who have recently searched for an item your business sells, advertising is more specific than it ever was before.

By no means does social media not play a part in a digital marketing strategy, Brown said, but "it's only one cog in the wheel of the whole landscape of advertising."

"The key to successful advertising is reaching as many potential customers across the greatest variety of channels as possible," Brown explained. "I would never sit there and put all my eggs in one advertising basket."

Copyright 2019 BH Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. From https://www.kearneyhub.com. By Tiffany Stoiber, Digital Editor.

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