Need to Know — Display Advertising in Automotive
Have you ever shopped for a product online and then began to see ads everywhere for the same or similar products? This is an example of a well-targeted digital display advertising campaign. Display advertising is an excellent tool to add to your digital advertising arsenal and has far-reaching capabilities.
So, what exactly is display advertising, and how can it help you grow sales for your dealership?
Display ads come in many different forms and allow dealerships to reach broader audiences than search engine advertising alone. They can appear on more than two million websites that are part of Google’s Display Network, which reaches over 90 percent of internet users throughout the world. Display ads can be made of images, text, and video. Below are just some of the forms that display advertising can take:
- Static ads. Also known as banner ads, these are ads comprised of a single image that shows up along the top, side, or in the middle of website content.
- HTML5 ads. Similar to static ads, these show up in the same places but utilize several images or messages that rotate using eye-catching motion.
- Dynamic remarketing ads. As users look at a specific vehicle on your website, the information is linked to a dynamic remarketing ad that uses your inventory feed with HTML5 to show users the same vehicles that they were looking at.
- Gmail ads. Shown in a user’s inbox, above their regular emails but in a similar format, these ads consist of an advertiser name and subject line which can be opened into a larger ad.
- YouTube Pre-Roll. These are the video ads shown before a YouTube video plays. They can be set to skippable, in which case advertisers are only charged when the ad is not skipped.
- Lightbox ads. A combination of video and static ads, these show up on a web page similar to a static ad, but users can hover over them to expand and watch the video ad.
There are several benefits to display advertising. Because the Google Display Network is so large, it allows advertisers greater reach than search engine marketing alone. And since advertisers are still only charged for a click on the ad, any time an ad is seen but not clicked on, it is essentially free advertising. Because of this, cost per click is much lower than for search ads. Display ads also keep users engaged in the car buying process by showing them ads based on their car buying interest even when they are not actively engaged in their automotive research. This way, display advertising can boost overall website traffic and conversions both directly and indirectly.
There are many targeting options available within Google’s Display Network. Most of the targeting done by DealerSocket targets the user rather than the website. Below is more information on the different targeting options. Each option can be used either independently or combined based on the specific goals and strategies of the campaign. Targeting can become an art in and of itself, the goal of which is to show users highly relevant and focused ads without narrowing the focus so much that the ads have limited reach.
Source https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/2404191?hl=en
Here at DealerSocket, we understand that no two dealerships are the same. That is why we have a dedicated team of in-house designers to create custom static, HTML5, and Gmail ads as well as custom templates for dynamic remarketing ads. Dealers also have a dedicated PPC specialist that is not only well versed on setup and management of display campaigns, but also can act as a consultant to develop the right strategy for each dealership based on that dealer’s budget and goals.
Learn more about how to grow your business with display advertising through DealerSocket.