Chances are if you have a digital presence, you’re aware of the digital marketing opportunities afforded to you through platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram. Many brands focus all their time and energy on these platforms, dust their hands off, and walk away with the secure sense that comes with a job well done.
This isn’t without good reason — Google, Facebook, and Instagram are still the most popular and most mainstream digital advertising platforms. While we can’t fault a brand for targeting these channels, the realm of digital marketing extends far beyond these big three. After all, the internet is a vast universe full of websites and apps with their own user bases — if you’re not at least considering all your options as part of your digital marketing strategy, you may be missing out on converting even more leads into prospects.
Not sure where to start? We’ve rounded up four intriguing options that could provide a unique digital advertising opportunity for your organization. Take a look and consider if these platforms are right for your brand.
Ever been driving along wondering what there could possibly be to eat in the middle of nowhere, when suddenly you see a familiar set of Golden Arches rising over the horizon with a french-fried yellow glow? That same strategy is being applied to the navigation app Waze as brands attract travelers to their business by using one of three ad formats: pin ads, search ads, or takeover ads.
Pin ads highlight businesses when travelers get within a certain distance, with a pop-up listing and the company’s logo appearing on-screen with a description and a click-to-navigate button to direct customers.
Search ads place a brand at or near the top of search terms when a user enters a category. For example, restaurant owners can get more visibility when users enter “restaurants” in the Waze search bar.
Takeover ads appear when drivers come to a complete stop. These drop-down ads appear as digital billboards with click-to-navigate buttons, prompting drivers to take some action.
Compared to Google Maps, Waze only owns a fraction of the market. So, Waze advertising would be most effective in a major city — Boston, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago are the top five cities with the most competitive Waze to Google Maps user ratio — or top state — Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Washington, Illinois, California, Florida, and Texas being the top 10 states by number of Waze users compared to Google Maps users.
The addictive, fast-paced, trendsetting newcomer, TikTok has exploded in popularity during the last couple years with its short form (starting from a 60 second cap, now extended to three minutes) video content. Brands advertising on TikTok will find the app isn’t a serious platform. Businesses that thrive the most are ones that post videos that are fun, light-hearted, and visually pleasing, and that follow popular trends. TikTok allows you to showcase a more personal side of your business and its value more than a Facebook or Instagram picture would — on TikTok, there’s more room to be authentic and even off-brand.
Video marketing is not going away — we’ve known this for years — and TikTok’s younger user base of zoomers and millennials loves engaging with it. TikTok has proven when you use video marketing properly and creatively, it can help tap into new markets, create new audiences, and forge new relationships. TikTok has even shown power in influencing spending decisions and shaping purchases.
Thinking of doing some radio advertising? Why not invest that budget into a platform that will serve your ad anywhere, anytime? One of the most listened to music apps available, Spotify boasts 158 million premium subscribers and 356 million monthly active users, most of them falling in the 18-34 demographic.
Audio advertising allows businesses to create a personal connection with customers in moments when other digital media cannot. Spotify advertising enables brands to reach active listeners on any device, in any environment, at any time of the day. Audio ads are served between songs while there are no distractions, and the listener is fully focused on what you have to say — just like radio ads. Complement your audio ad with a clickable link so listeners can simply tap their screen to visit your website or Facebook page.
What radio was in the past, AudioGO is in the present. With a wide network of news, music, and podcasts on multiple platforms, AudioGO allows advertisers to air 30-second ad spots across a variety of publishers, including Pandora, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and more.
Boasting a listenership of more than 100 million unique monthly listeners, AudioGO targets audiences by demographics, location, music and podcast genres, and time of day. Advertisers upload their own audio, as well as a banner or image, then choose their ad’s targeting, budget, and timeline. Though not technically a PPC campaign — advertisers are charged by impressions rather than clicks — AudioGO provides a fantastic opportunity to get your brand in front of millions of users.
While more traditional forms of digital advertising are still important, neglecting other channels can result in missed opportunities. Explore other widely used apps and see how they can be used to heighten awareness of your brand and start turning prospects into sales.
To learn more about your marketing opportunities, contact Randy McDaniels at 309-346-7412 or email at rmcdaniels@mcdmarketing.com.
