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When Search Engine Marketing Fails, There’s Contextual.
If you are considering advertising online there is something that you should know, not all advertising mediums are created equal. Search engine marketing, which is still one of the most popular forms of effective online advertising, has limitations. Namely, its a pull medium that works extremely well when a need is well identified. However, if you have a “world’s first” new product or service that is about to hit the marketplace, its likely that search engine marketing may not be the answer. So whats left to do?
Likely the most overlooked medium (and my personal favorite) is contextual advertising…aka display ads or lack for a better term banner ads. Contextual advertising was one of the first monetization models on the web. However when most people think about banners, they usually exhibit a negative connotation. If this sounds like you, I urge you to reconsider because contextual advertising offers several advantages over search:
- Its not request based- contextual banners can be shown without having to enter keywords in a search box. This means that you are guaranteed that your ads will show to your chosen target market.
- Its pushy- the fact that visitors will be in context when they see your ad, means that you can push a compelling message into your prospective audience.
- Its Interactive- search engine ads are strictly text based and offer little or no creativity that meets the eye. With contextual display ads, you can enhance them with flash, video, audio, and creative design that will significantly increases the chance that your ad will get noticed.
- It has targeting options galore- contextual advertising networks like 24/7 Real Media, Tribal Fusion, and Fetchback offer more than your typical demographics or site targeting. In fact, several offer behavioral and retargeting options that allow for pinpoint targeting to your target market.
- Its affordable- typical contextual advertising rates are around $5CPM which means that you can purchase an enormous amount of inventory even if you are on a beer budget.
If you are considering entering the online ad landscape or have a search engine marketing campaign that isn’t performing up to par, contextual advertising presents a great opportunity. I’ll admit, its not for everyone…but then again, neither is search:)
