Online advertising, while becoming more important for local business, needs a fresh approach and can’t just use the formats TV stations use, to interrupt their shows and sell products.
That’s because when we search for information, we didn’t ask to be bombarded with sales messages. We wanted valuable, reliable information to come up after a Google search.
So rather than creating online advertising content that looks like a TVC, consider these miracle ingredients for your next online video:
Information First
Imagine yourself in the other seat. You’re searching for content. So rather than an ad, you’d watch an unbiased video that gives you a more reliable take on the topic.
So think about the actual value of the information you are offering. This should make up the most of your online advertising campaign or your video. A tagline is fine but make sure we actually learn something about your unique product or service.
Example: Let others tell their story and learn from their experience:
Conversations work best.
We all have a natural defence mechanism when someone tries to just sell us stuff. So convert the whole process into a conversation with your prospective customers. They have just reached out to you, by entering your topic in a search field. So, unlike the TV ad which has to cut through the other noise in the living room (and did you notice that on radio and TV ads are always louder than the actual shows?), your content is wanted! It’s in high demand and people have just started a conversation with you. So instead of yelling your latest offer in their ears, give them a reason to thank you and put the valuable information first.
Example: Street interviews to trigger conversations with the audience:
The whole brain approach.
You are in a conversation so it’s not just about the information. Allow for some “right brain content”, an authentic and true feeling component. Advertising has traditionally been about using a lot of fiction and cinematography, yet, online advertising is more in line with authentic YouTube and Facebook content. So it better has an authentic flavour to it, and when you use things like emotions, personality and visual creativity, it’s best to go for authenticity, instead of fully staged and artificial sequences.
Example: Employer branding working with real people:
Time to shift our thinking about online advertising
So what’s the way forward? It’s time we started looking at our online presence and our online advertising, as a communication process again. It’s a conversation with a current or prospective customer, nothing more than that. And when you put yourself in the other seat, as the consumer who might consider buying a service or a product…What do you value the most?
I know for a fact that I love to find reliable, well presented and neutral information before I make a buying decision. I also know that I judge the book by the cover, so if a brand presents itself with poorly produced content, videos or web pages, I tend to prefer the other supplier who has a better online image.
So when you look into online advertising, reflect on how you can create and maintain conversations with your target audience, by simply giving away your expertise. You are an expert in your own industry, and hundreds, if not hundreds of thousands of people are doing a search for your type of wisdom. So when they do…do they spend time on your carefully crafted web pages because you show up in the results?
And when they do spend time on your website, does your online advertising feel like a smooth, informative, not too pushy piece of video content? Video content that makes people want to come back, save the link, send it to a friend and click on the next video? All this can be measured, and the customers who have transformed their whole vision on online advertising into a content marketing strategy, are now reaping the benefits and converting more leads.
So come and talk to us, and let’s explore how your next idea for online advertising can become something much bigger.
Kris Borgraeve
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