The Difference between Successful and Unsuccessful Online Ads – by Ted Dhanik

Companies often spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising.  Unfortunately, these ads aren’t always successful if the company doesn’t have the right strategy involved in the process.

One of the mistakes that many businesses make is that they focus more on what they want than what the consumer wants.  One of the keys to advertising and marketing is to appeal to the needs and desires of consumers.  Essentially, the ad should give the consumer a message or information that is valuable to them in some way.  Viewers are much more likely to respond to the CTA (call to action) if they feel engaged.  There are a few different ways to do this.  Some advertisers focus on universally attractive content such as the season, upcoming holiday, or another unifying theme.

This general type of advertising can work sometimes, but more often than not, consumers respond best to tailored ads.  One of the major benefits of advertising online is that marketers can direct ads towards a specific type of buyer.  For example, display ads are typically placed on sites that are relevant to the content of the ad.  Therefore, this can create a higher ROI than traditional ads in print or on the television.  People are more likely to respond to products and services that are relevant to their interests and lifestyles.  For this reason, display ads have proven to be very effective for many businesses and advertisers.

Effective display ads often incorporate humor as well as a clear, concise message.  Studies have also shown that either single images or dynamic video ads tend to be the most successful types of ads.

Author bio: Guest post is provided by Ted Dhanik, the president and co-founder of engage:BDR.  engage: BDR is a leading media company that offers marketing solutions for direct response marketers.  Ted Dhanik has extensive experience with banner and display advertising.  Ted Dhanik was previously the VP of Strategic Marketing for Myspace.