If you’re in the retail business, you know how important it is to actively reach out to your customers repeatedly to build a rapport with them. Doing paid ads online allows you to find and reach your target audience, thereby increasing organic traffic to your site significantly.
Because there are so many buying options available to customers today, it’s easy for a brand to get lost in the mix. Customers won’t even get the chance to see what you’re offering if you don’t invest time and effort into paid advertising.
Right now, Google Ads is the most popular platform for paid advertising online, followed closely by Facebook. Other social platforms like Twitter and Instagram are also good for paid promotion. But how do you decide which one to go for?
Well, you weigh your options. In this article, strategies for paid advertising online that will take your business to new and profitable heights.
Let’s take a look!
1. Run Google Ads for search results
Google Ads allow your website to show up at the top of the search results when someone searches for an item similar to what you’re selling. This brings in organic traffic to your site and draws more eyes to your products.
According to research, 75% of people claim that paid search ads on Google make it easier for them to find what they’re looking for. Moreover, about 63% of people online have clicked on a Google Ad to speed up their search.
Setting up Google Ads for your business is a pretty straightforward process. Here’s what you have to do:
● Go to your Google Ads account
● Click “Campaigns” on the menu to the left
● Click on the “+” sign to select a new campaign
● Set some goals for your campaign
● Select a campaign type - this allows you to decide where you want to show your ads
And you’re done. Google Ads run on pay-per-click (PPC) advertising so whenever someone clicks on your link, you’ll be paying a certain amount to Google. The average return on investment that these ads bring is $2 for every $1 spent, which means this is easily the most effective way to run paid ads.
2. Do paid advertising on Facebook
Currently, most marketers are using Facebook to advertise their products, and for good reason. Facebook has roughly 3 billion users, all of whom can be marketed to. This social media platform is especially good for retail promotion because it targets individuals and offers them products based on their consumer needs.
In recent years, Facebook has introduced a number of creative ways to do paid promotion on their platform.
Carousel ads
Carousel ads allow consumers to see a range of different products that become visible as they swipe left on the original promotional post. Each product showcases its own price and any other relevant information such as size, availability, etc.
As a customer, you’re pretty much window shopping through Facebook with these ads, before heading over to the site to buy. Therefore, Carousel ads make it more likely for your offers to reach the customer, and for them to then click on your site.
You can also get creative and do so much more with Carousel ads. Tieks wanted to promote their new ballet flats so they used Carousel ads to display different portions of the same shoe. This way they were able to highlight the different features of the flats and why customers should buy them.
Simply head on over to the Promote section on your Facebook page and follow the step by step instructions to set up your Carousel ad.
Instant Experience ads
In 2016, Facebook rolled out its Canvas ads feature, which it then renamed to Instant Experience ads to better describe what it does. As the name suggests, these ads are like mini-websites that give customers a glimpse into what a particular brand is about.
Instant Experience ads are essentially full-screen ads that provide an immersive ad experience to the consumer. People are introduced to the brand, their products, and any offers or promotions they may have. These ads are also great for brand storytelling.
As a small business, you might not have the budget to make high-end graphics for these ads. Luckily, sites like PosterMyWall have thousands of retail sale poster templates that you can browse through and customize, and then upload as your ads.
Take inspiration from Burberry, a brand that used Instant Experience ads to showcase its range of scarves. Customers were able to get a quick look at their products and then decide to go to their website.
Go to your Ads Manager on your Facebook page to start creating your Instant Experience ad.
3. Focus on Twitter and Instagram
Two-way engagement is the driving force behind both Twitter and Instagram, which makes them great options for paid promotion. Your customers will not only see your ad but will also be able to add their own comments and questions.
Twitter ads
The trick with paid promotion on Twitter is to keep your tweets short, sweet, and to the point. After all, you have a very limited space to say what you need to. You will also need attention-grabbing visuals and pop culture references, both of which do very well on a Trends-based site like Twitter.
The clothing brand Threadless made the perfect promotional post for Twitter. They used striking colors and a relatable meme, and they made sure to add important information to guide the customer all in one tweet.
Simply promote your tweet to get it on more screens. And if you can make it good enough to go viral, that would be the icing on the cake.
Instagram ads
Instagram ads can reach over 1.2 billion people, which makes it very likely for you to find your audience here. Re-use the posters you made for your Facebook advertising (or make new ones) and put them up on your grid. Then, simply tap on what you want to promote, e.g. a special deal on sweaters or household items, and promote it to reach your target audience.
4. Take advantage of remarketing
Remarketing is a strategy that allows you to follow up with customers who come to your site, browse through your products, but don’t end up buying anything. This is extremely effective because you know the people you’re marketing to are interested in your brand. They just need a slight nudge in the right direction.
The best way to run a remarketing campaign is through Google. Simply head on over to your Google Ads account, create a new campaign, and then choose from the various targeting options to decide what’s best for you.
This remarketing campaign by Nike is a great example of what you should be doing. These ads show up on people’s screens after they visit the Nike website. Notice that they’ve kept the ad as simple as possible.
Also, notice that the call to action button is prominent and straightforward. This is something that all remarketing ads should have - a visible button that takes the customer back to the site in just one click.
Final thoughts
Running paid ads online can make or break your retail business. Like we said before, the competition is so tough that you need to use all the tools at your disposal to run an effective marketing campaign.
Remember that the main takeaway here is to make bold, informative ads displayed in creative ways across the internet, especially on social media platforms.
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