What Does the Future Hold for Digital Ads? (mobilemarketingwatch.com)

What do you call a 5% conversion rate for digital advertising? Nearly impossible. That’s the dilemma that advertisers face as conventional advertising continues to have declining return numbers even as the amount of spending in the space continues to increase. All 3 types of advertising vehicles currently available to marketers and brands, including search, display and social ads, are ineffective at best. Heck, 50% of clicks on banner ads areaccidental, and the CTR for display ads is an abysmally low 0.11%! In the face of these ever dwindling numbers, marketers have been forced to look elsewhere and also adjust their strategies. That’s according to Samantha Pena, a business blogger writing on behalf of Hudson Horizons in a recent B2C post. What comes after the banners stop? One of the most exciting ad platforms right now are so-called ‘rich media ads’. These are ads which go above and beyond the normal, static advert and actually engage with the user through games, videos and sound. These rich media ads have a much been getting much higher click-through rates.  In fact, it’s been shown that users who view a rich media ad are 3 times as likely to continue on to the website that displayed it. Sponsored or ‘native’ advertising is also very hot.  Promoted posts on websites like BuzzFeed are where the line between editorial and advertising are merged, something that has an excellent effect on sales but hasn’t been embraced by fans of journalism with integrity. The trend has crossed over to the big boys however, and today even the venerated New York Times has sponsored content on its pages and its website. So what’s it take to create affective ads? In the end, advertising is about making a connection with consumers so that, when it’s time to make a purchase, they already have an affinity for your brand. That means; Emphasizing your brand while downplaying sales Giving your customers a clear and defined choice Whatever you do, do not annoy Personalize your ads as finely as you can If your digital ads follow those rules, customers will beat a path to your door every time.