Some assembly required. Such simple words, but we’ve all been there: staring at the instructions for the fortieth time, rummaging around our sad toolkits built over years—an odd screwdriver here and a few allen wrenches there—only to realize to our horror that we don’t have anything to fit this screw.
So we improvise. We grab some pliers and grip as best we can, sweating profusely as what should take seconds turns into minutes of exhausting labor.
Don’t let your advertising become that kind of labor. Ad types are tools. Each has distinct advantages and disadvantages depending on the job. Static, native, video and social ads: they can save us both time and money, turning arduous work into a breeze, but only if we use them properly. So let’s have a look at our toolkit, knowing which to use for our particular needs:
Static & Search
Ah yes, the workhorse of our advertising world. Static ads have been around for centuries, from Caesar’s face on every Roman coin to billboards pushing a new radio show. They have one purpose: to remind us our needs are best met by this brand, and remind us constantly.
One huge advantage of static (and search in our internet-driven world) ads is they have enormous scope, capable of reaching the widest possible audiences or drilling down to very niche markets. We can see them on the side of every website, reminding us of the product we keep adding to our cart but neglect to buy, or redirecting us to a new brand of coffee when we’re searching for our old staples. This makes them our most versatile tool.
But like any versatile tool, we’ve seen it all before. With the average person viewing around 5,000 ads a day, the disadvantage of static and search ads is they risk being ignored. We’ll look next at Native Ads—far harder to ignore precisely because they hide in plain sight.
Native
If the internet is truly a rabbit-hole of information, native ads push our audience to delve deeper, channeling them to our brand. That’s because these ads are not pushed to the side—they live within an article or blog, becoming a seamless part of the experience.
The main advantage of Native Ads is they foster trust, and trust translates into higher click rates and customer interaction. While we search for the top ten computers for gaming, native ads gently prod us with “The One Computer That Changes The Game.” It’s impossible NOT to look because as far as we’re concerned it’s just one more step along our research journey.
However, this increase in interaction comes with a problem. Native ads require significantly more preparation. Aside from images, we must create header and body copy that is compelling without being too click-baity. And the space for them is limited, meaning more competition and higher costs.
Video & Audio
Do you fear your static and search ads are going un-seen? Are there some brand messages you simply cannot express through static images alone? Then video and audio ads are your new tool-of-choice.
Far and away, video and audio ads guarantee eyes and ears on our brand. Even in the rare scenario where they can be ignored, it’s very difficult to take our eyes off moving images, and often they cannot be skipped at all. This makes them ideal for brand building and generating awareness around brand value.
On the other hand, video and audio ads are amongst the most expensive (often utilizing ad space that can only be obtained through special channels) and require the most preparation work. It’s the perfect channel to ensure view-ability, but less strong for conversion and sales-based metrics.
Social
And finally we come to the best ad medium for encouraging and rewarding customer interaction: social ads. These live amongst our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook timelines, blending in seamlessly and providing amazing opportunities to grab attention and educate audiences on your brand.
And education is the name of the game with social ads. This is because one of the major disadvantages of social ads is they reach a smaller pool of customers, often drilling down to specific interest-groups.
Successful social advertising also requires more time investment, because customer interaction on these channels must be more tailored. However, its power to build a loyal fan-base around your brand shouldn’t be underestimated.
The Perfect Tools
Often with our marketing, as with most D-I-Y projects, we try to manage with less. We envision a multi-tool that can handle it all, fitting every possible use and creating a big payoff in the end.
For most advertisers, that means we live in the static/search world, never venturing to the hardware store in search of something better. Often that results in solving problems with inadequate tools, wasting time and money better spent elsewhere.
But the immense advantages these different ad formats provide can take our advertising expertise to the next level, setting us apart from the pack. We have a golden opportunity to work smarter, not harder, creating results that not only inspire awe, but do so without even breaking a sweat.
Written by Taylor Bair