As I mentioned last week, bigger, more annoying ads don’t work and neither do general banner ads. What does work is targeted, relevant ads, in the right place.
We’re programmed to think that more is better, and bigger is better. We want to go faster, not slow down. However, that may not be the best choice.
For example, say your company produces time and billing software for law firms. Let’s also suppose that your local cable company has a special promotion this month: 500,000 impressions (views) of your ad, on their front page, for only $500. Sounds like a great deal. Maybe it is, for a general advertiser, but not for lawyers who need time management software.
You may get a lot of visibility putting your ad on the Comcast home page in your town, but you won’t get the right people. What you do want is to specifically target lawyers, and the sites that they look at. So, you might try American Lawyer or the local bar association. Since these are places that lawyers frequent, your message is more likely to reach them (your target audience) than if you put it on the Comcast page.
Have stories of your own advertising successes (or mishaps)? Share them here.
Photo: clarita
