Paid Media Advertising: Definition, Types, and Strategy
Paid media advertising is that part of marketing and advertising that requires the purchase of ad space to promote a brand to larger audiences. Brands pay for content promotion to spread their message to audiences, at scale. Paid media advertising is part of a brand’s strategy to increase traffic, sales, and conversions through clicks, and ultimately increase revenue. Continue reading for details.
Paid media is marketing that you pay for. Paid media includes TV ads, print advertising, sponsorships, and other types of media.
In digital marketing, paid media includes pay-per-click (PPC) ads, paid social media ads, and search engine marketing (SEM).
Why is Paid Media Advertising Important?
Paid media is considered to be essential in a complete digital marketing strategy. Different from inbound marketing, paid media allows you to instantly get in front of your target audience and engage them where they are already spending their time.
Paid media is when a small business pays for placement on a platform such as a website, a search engine, social media, video ads, website pop-ups, newsletters, etc.
By using paid media, you can reach audiences that may never have discovered you on their own. Examples include; Paid search results, Facebook and other social media ads, Newsletter sponsorships, Influencer marketing, etc.
Types Of Paid Media Advertising
The concept of paid media has evolved to become the structured, multifaceted operation it is today. In this section, we’re digging into the various ways you can promote your brand through paid media. Here are the top five types of paid media.
Paid Social Media
Probably the most popular of the lot, paid social media needs no introduction. We see it in our everyday lives while scrolling through social media platforms.
Almost every social platform now offers paid options, where you can pay to publish ads for platform users to see, depending on their interests, behavior, demographics, location, etc.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat, and Pinterest are the top-performing channels for paid social ads.
Each offers a business account that lets you create ads, or boost existing posts. Some even let you prompt users to message you, like your page, and help you get more leads and site visitors.
Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are also known for influencer marketing where an influential user is approached to promote brands/products to their loyal followers and fans in the brand’s niche.
Influencers are paid a negotiated amount or a percent of the sales, or some even accept gifts and goodies in return for a post about the brand.
Search Engine Ads
These include Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and Pay Per Impression (PPI) ads. PPC are those ads that appear on a publisher’s/media owner’s site but the advertiser is charged only when a user clicks on it.
These ads appear on search engine results pages almost like a native ad at the top, with an indication that it is an ad.
They also appear on websites and blogs on the top, left, or right panel – or even at intervals within the content itself.
To effectively use PPC, you will first need to identify the relevant keywords and ensure the bid amount is reasonable enough not to impact your return on investments negatively. Executed correctly, your PPC ad can guarantee you pay for high-value customers with a good chance of converting.
PPI ads are charged each time your ad is displayed on a site, irrespective of interaction or being clicked upon.
They are usually charged per thousand impressions, also known as CPM, as mentioned above. PPI ads can be cost-effective if your ad gets clicked on in addition to simply receiving an impression when compared to CPC ad prices.
Banner Ads
Banner ads, also known as display ads and web ads, are usually visual, image-based ads that show up on websites for a limited period and leads the user to the advertiser’s site or a specific landing page. This type of ad is embedded into the publisher’s website in the form of an image or gif.
The performance of the ad is recorded by its click-through ratio, that is, the number of clicks that come through to the targeted landing page from the publisher’s site divided by the number of ad impressions.
Native Ads
Native ads are those visual or text ads that match the design, typeface and look of the website they are on.
They show up on publisher websites as In-Feed, Sponsored/Recommended Content, Search & Promoted Listings, Promoted Stories, and so on. This type of ad also includes advertorials that inform and influence conversions.
According to Outbrain, native ads get 53% more attention than display ads. This is because ad fatigue doesn’t set in, and the ad doesn’t stand out as a purely commercial piece of content. Native ads are popular across social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
OOH and DOOH
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising and digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising reach users while they are outdoor and in public spaces.
OOH has been a part of traditional advertising to reach users while they commute, shop, etc. via billboards, posters, bus shelters, benches, cinemas, etc. This channel of advertising had no digital or programmatic involvement.
DOOH has taken OOH to the digital realm with in-store kiosks, digital billboards, digital signage, display screens, etc.
The DOOH ad process is becoming more valuable today owing to increasing capabilities and effectiveness.
The ads are no longer a printed banner but a neon board with fully functional screens that can even be interactive. DOOH is also programmatic, making it easier to use and measure.
Paid search enables brands to connect with consumers at the exact moment they are actively searching for information related to their products and services.
Paid media advertising can be leveraged to increase the effectiveness of content marketing, boost your online presence, and drive business performance.
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