Digital marketing is known for being much more affordable than other mediums. The accessibility of digital advertising to businesses of all sizes and marketing budgets is one of its biggest advantages. With that being said, dollars are still being wasted when ads aren’t optimized to their full potential.
Even if your campaigns have been performing at a high level, chances are there are a few key adjustments that can be made which will not only reduce costs, but increase results as well. I’ll explain what you should be looking for if you want to take your digital ad performance to the next level.
1. Start Out With a Clear and Specific Goal
It sounds obvious, but one of the most common mistakes in digital marketing is launching a campaign without first identifying the goals you’re hoping to accomplish. Here’s why it’s so important: on most advertising platforms – especially the big guys like Facebook and Google – an algorithm identifies the best audience for your ad based on which users are taking the actions you want. For example, if you’re looking to get more contact form submissions and have an ad set up with that goal in mind, algorithms will recognize which people are most likely to convert based on those who have converted already. If you’ve set up the ad without a specific goal in mind (this can happen with traffic ads), algorithms simply can’t differentiate between the “clickers” and those who are actually interested in your product or service.
The best digital marketers are the ones who are able to get the algorithms on ad platforms to work in their favor. This all starts with clearly identifying a goal during the setup process.
2. Don’t Forget About SEO
Search engine optimization – better known as SEO – can be the most cost-efficient facet of your overall digital marketing strategy. In fact, it’s the only thing on this list that doesn’t require a piece of your marketing budget at all.
Listing directories like Google My Business have given business owners and marketers an avenue to cost-free exposure. If you haven’t claimed your business’s listing on Google, I highly suggest making that a priority. Fill out the description of your company with a few sentence of keyword-rich copy, add in photos of your location, and fill out all fields accurately.
Aside from listing platforms, blogging is one of the best ways to increase your brand’s visibility when it comes to search engines. Make sure posts are long enough (1,000-words at least) and include backlinks. Finally, don’t forget to update your website by posting new content on a regular basis.
3. Experiment With CTAs
Forget about low-cost adjustments you can make to your ads, this one doesn’t cost anything at all. Even better? It’s easy to evaluate the results in a relatively short amount of time. Of course, I’m talking about the call-to-action (CTA).
In the advertising world, creative is rightfully prioritized. Unfortunately, that means less consideration is given to the button that users click which directs them to the landing page you’ve set up as the destination for your ad. Though it seems insignificant, the importance of the CTA has proven itself time and time again.
When it comes to the potential edits to could test out, I would recommend one basic CTA (ex. Learn More) and one more descriptive CTA (ex. View New Products) and would also suggest trying out different fonts, colors, and placement in terms of where it’s located on your graphic. Though there are some studies that would tell you otherwise, I’m of the belief that there is no formula which guarantees CTA success. You simply have to experiment and your audience will let you know which one it prefers when you look at the data.
4. Create a Killer Landing Page
You’ve got an attention-grabbing graphic, a well-thought-out targeting plan, and you’re getting all kinds of traffic from your audience. So why aren’t you getting the conversions (that ever-important ROI) that you expected? This is a question that is asked on a daily basis by marketers in every industry. If everything is performing well but your audience is stopping just short of the final step, the reason is likely due to a sub-par landing page.
Think of your landing page as an extension of the ad itself. If they aren’t consistent, your audience (who was interested in the ad in the first place) will likely drop off before the reach the bottom of the funnel. Never assume your audience is going to do any work once they get to your website – you need to lead them exactly where you want them to go.
5. Take Advantage of Social Media
If paid advertising on social media helps you find new customers, your organic social media strategy should be centered on keeping them engaged now, and in the future.
Driving real results without paying for advertising is a challenge (to state the obvious) but if you know the preferences of both your audience and social media algorithms, it’s certainly possible. Even brands that have small followings can grow their reach by posting content that other users find interesting enough to share with their social media followers. Think of it this way: if you make an organic Facebook post that gets shared by three of your followers, you’ve likely extended your reach to hundreds (if not thousands) of individuals and it didn’t cost you a single penny.
How do you make this a reality? Post on a regular basis and stay away from messaging that sounds too sales-y. Remember you’re trying to entertain and inform your followers, not try to sell them something (that comes later). If you’re able to build a community by using social media, you’ll have a built-in group of people who will keep your business top-of-mind.
Wrapping Up
No matter how budget-efficient your campaigns are already, there are going to be adjustments that will lower your marketing costs while maintaining (or even increasing) results. The tips in this article are the most commonly applicable to businesses of all sizes, but as always, there’s no one-size-fits-all marketing playbook.
If your business needs assistance in putting together a marketing strategy tailored to your needs, get in touch today.
