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Top Ten Reasons You’re Not Advertising Online (But Should Be)
Digital advertising is proving to be a valuable complement to the traditional media mix. Do you have cold feet? Here are ten reasons that may be holding you back, and ten reasons why you should jump in.
1. Your offering is too generic to initiate a cultural shift.
In search engine queries, 83 percent of consumers start with a generic search term and only a small percentage later refine their search with a product-specific query. Emphasize generic search terms early in the product lifecycle to help increase conversion
[1]
.
2. Your brand equity is too low to attract online audiences.
The Internet is about relevance. Differentiate. Try rich media to show your value. And get this: in a survey of 400 small businesses, half of the respondents felt the Internet has improved profitability, and 58 percent said the medium has helped their business grow
[2].
3. Your offering does not align with a consumer segment that can be reached online.
Every audience is online. The key is knowing how and when to reach them by aligning their interests (demographic and psychographic profiles) with strategic media buys and channels, and by leveraging offline efforts to transition your target to online properties.
4. Peer-to-peer referral will not influence purchase.
Last year was deemed “the year of the blog.” Blog readership increased 58 percent during 2004. By the end of the year, approximately 32 million Americans were blog readers. Imagine garnering referrals through a network of 32 million people
[3].
5. Offline buzz will not impact consumers’ mindsets toward your online offering. Broadband users (37 percent in 2004) are more likely to go online during TV commercial breaks. This is a great opportunity to leverage the decision-making power of the Internet by extending TV campaign messaging to online properties where consumers can further experience your brand.
6. Few of your prospects use email or the Internet.
Reach out in other ways. What about wireless messaging, podcasts, and text messaging? Over 22 million American adults own an MP3 or iPod player, more than 6 million have listened to podcasts, and 65.7 million use text messaging
[4],
[5]. Explore these channels before they’re filled with competitive clutter.
7. Tracking online behavior won’t help you understand or respond to your market.
The beauty of online is the ability to track in shorter timeframes than offline. You can learn which advertising is converting, how many page views are being consumed, and the most popular pages visited on your web site. Use this data to understand purchase behavior and hone your message, placement, and frequency to create the highest-performing online initiatives.
8. Your target audience does not include Gen X, Gen Y or Millennials.
The Internet is maturing to become more widespread in its representation of all age groups. In the last four years, most new Web users were aged 55 and over. Consider the purchasing power of this group, which buys the most expensive products
[6].
9. Your offering can’t be packaged for ecommerce.
Use the Web to extend brand value. Consumers who research products online before buying are more likely to spend even more on related products when they buy in-store
[7]. Help make the sale in advance by demonstrating your brand value online.
10. You can’t combine marketing initiatives in a valuable, measurable way.
Internet technology is inescapable and continues to change how we live. During the next 10 years, cars, homes, and mobile phones will be connected to the Internet
[8]. Online will increasingly converge with consumer behavior, enabling us to communicate in novel ways. It’s the future of advertising. Ready to jump in?
Barry Bryant
Harvest One Media
Harvest One Media (http://www.h1media.com/) combines media with technology to cut through market clutter, helping companies reach and connect with prospects.
[1] The ComScore-Overture Study, 2004
[7] Forrester Research; The US Consumer 2004: Multichannel and In-Store Technology Report
Barry Bryant
Harvest One Media
http://www.h1media.com/
e: barry.bryant@h1media.com
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