Online advertising when compared to offline advertising holds several benefits, some of which are briefly discussed below.

Before the Internet became the main vehicle of advertising, only the larger companies could reach target audiences nationally and internationally through television, radio, and magazine advertisements. Magazine advertisements were simply too expensive for the small business owners and as such only the larger companies could afford to place full page adverts. Fortunately the Internet changed the scene dramatically, making it possible for everyone to advertise and sell to a wider audience beyond national borders. Yet, many business owners fail to realize the full potential of online advertising.

Online Advertising is More Affordable

As mentioned earlier, Internet based advertising is more affordable than printed advertising. When one for instance, prints 10 000 flyers which are then distributed by means of mail or hand-outs, the costs, time and limited return on investment simply outweigh the coverage benefits. With only about 1-2% of the receivers responding to flyers, it becomes a burden rather than a marketing tool. When one places a full page ad in a newspaper, the costs can vary between R5000 and R30 000. The limited coverage together with the rather hefty price tag in addition to a short lifespan, make it less desirable than online advertising. With Internet based advertising you thus pay far less for a wider coverage, more targeted audience, and an ad with a longer lifespan.

Tracking of Success

With online advertising the success of each ad or promotion can be tracked. With highly sophisticated analytical programs available, visitor statistics can be used to adapt the marketing strategy. It isn’t necessary to wait for reports as hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly reports can be generated with the click of a button. Online stats make it possible to immediately identify ads or pages which don’t perform as should. Unfortunately with offline advertising, such reports may only become available after a few days, weeks or months.

Immediate Advertising

With Internet advertising you have the benefit of being able to create an ad and have it published almost immediately. Changes to the ad can be made and the ad updated on a regular basis without having to invest a lot of time or money to do so. With offline or printed advertising the publishing of the ad is often delayed and with a magazine ad you may have to book space two or three months ahead of time. The ad may not even be relevant anymore by the time it is displayed. Making changes to an ad can be rather expensive and may not be reflected immediately. If you want to attract attention to a special there is no better means than the Internet.

Wider Choice

When making use of the Internet as marketing vehicle you are not limited by choice. You can select a banner ad, sponsored or pay per click advertising, article marketing, email newsletters, online press releases or a graphical display at a website. In addition you can make a video and have it run at YouTube or simply utilize the power of Social Media by creating a Facebook marketing campaign. As such you have multiple advertising vehicles which can run at the same time at a fraction of the cost associated with printed media advertising.

Quick Response Time

Add quick customer responses to the already long list of online marketing and promotion benefits. Instead of the customer having to wait until the magazine or newspaper ad is published, then having to mail or call for assistance, you can now have the customer complete a simple online form and have a consultant contact the customer within 24 hours. In many instances, you can even have online ordering forms, payment and feedback forms which allow for immediate responses ensuring optimal return on your online advertising spending.

More Accessible

With Internet advertising the customer has 24 hours access to the adverts or sales messages. This means that whether the customer responds at two o’clock in the morning or three in the afternoon that processing can take place by means of automated systems. This ensures longer operation hours, more exposure, and also more convenience for the customer.

Increases Creativity

With online marketing methods available, the scope of creativity is broadened. Whether you want to place a classified ad, static graphical ad or want to create marketing videos to run in conjunction with articles or animated presentations, you will not be limited because of the lack of tools. It is now possible to incorporate avatars for improved interactivity and a more personal touch. Interactive polls, forums, blogs, and tweeting can be used to spread the message to your target audience.

Longer Lifespan

When you place an ad in a newspaper it has a lifespan of 24 hours. With a magazine the lifespan can be a week to a year, but with online advertising, the lifespan can be from one day to several years depending on the type of vehicle used. An article placed at an article directory can run for several years and thus bring incoming links for an extended period. The same holds true for an article posted at your website. The traffic is not generated once off. The return on investment is thus better than with offline or printed media advertising.

Easily Adapt To Changing Habits

A few years ago, people hardly read online. Nowadays, people purchase e-books and spend hours reading online. As such more time is spent retrieving information, socialising, and reading online than before. The present trends suggest that more and more people will in future make use of the Internet as their main source of information and shopping vehicle. Not addressing the growing market through online advertising will thus mean limiting your scope and the growth potential of your business.

Now is the time to act. There will always be a place for printed advertising, but the main vehicle for marketing and promotion will be the Internet. Contact us to help you make the most of online advertising.