Digital Advertising Basics in 8 Quick Stops | AdLeaks (2023)

In Jules Verne’s classic adventure novel Around the World in Eighty Days, Phileas Fogg sets off on a globe-trotting journey over a £20,000 wager that it could be done — more than $2 million in today's money.

If you’re heading off on your own digital advertising adventure, like Mr. Fogg, you won’t get your payoff until you complete your journey.

Starting that journey, however, means understanding some digital advertising basics.

What Is Digital Advertising?

In a nutshell, digital advertising is any online communication that promotes a service or product.

It's crucial to have a basic understanding of the various digital marketing channels and, once you do, use them to grow your business.

These ‘Stops’ highlight some of the digital advertising opportunities available to new online marketers, as well as some brief tips on how to use each channel to communicate more effectively.

Phileas Fogg made eight stops on his 80-day trip around the world. We'll follow his lead with eight stops around the basics of digital advertising.

Digital Advertising Basics in 8 Quick Stops | AdLeaks (1)

Fogg’s stops and your stops - image source

Stop One: Websites

Websites are the first stop on this trip. Without one, you can’t get to future stops like SEO and Content Marketing.

Despite the ubiquity of the internet, 28% of small businesses still don't have a website as of 2021. Creating a website and landing pages can give you an immediate step up on the competition, especially if you engage users with a mobile-friendly format that clearly describes what you offer.

Websites and landers are your chance to speak directly to prospects and leads. You can answer all the questions that might pop into their heads.

Think of websites as window displays. They’re visible 24 hours a day, and they’re often the first intentional interaction customers have with your business. Make them good.

Get your website just right, just like Bulgari's window display.-image source

Fogg’s first stop was in Suez, where the Suez Canal linked the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea to reduce travel time. Your website should do that too — reduce confusion and link you directly to your audience.

Stop Two: Search Engine Optimization

Stop two on our tour of digital advertising basics is Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

SEO is all about making your webpage accessible and relevant to Google’s search algorithm. Content created with SEO in mind can, over time, push your website to the top of a search engine results page (SERP). The higher you appear in the results, the more clicks, visitors, and conversions you get.

SEO incorporates everything from content (keywords in the text that describe what your content is about, alt tags for images, etc.) to back-end technical issues like page speed and systems integration.

Overall, however, if you can master SEO, you’ll see the results in higher search engine rankings, more organic traffic, and more conversions.

Note:For more information on getting started with SEO, read this post.

Fogg’s second stop was Bombay, known today as Mumbai. Mumbai is home to Bollywood, the film production capital of India that turns out about 1,000 movies a year.

Imagine that your brand or website is one of these movies. How would you make it stand out? What separates you from the other competitors in your market niche?

Stop Three: Content Marketing

Our third stop on this trip is Content Marketing or inbound marketing, which can include:

  • Blogs
  • Social media posts
  • Email newsletters
  • Videos

According to MailChimp, content marketing builds and nurtures your relationships with potential and existing clients.

Nurturing is a special kind of communication. It shows you care. And if you care about someone, you do things for them. So your content should help customers while boosting your brand awareness, revenue, and conversions.

Fogg’s third stop was in Calcutta, now known as Kolkata, also in India. Kolkata is famous for its love of literature, and even produced the first non-European Nobel Prize laureate.

And while your marketing content may not be Nobel Prize-worthy literature, it should still provide value and strengthen your customer relationships.

Stop Four: Paid Social Ads

Fogg’s next stop was Hong Kong, a hub for international trade and investment both then and now. And on our Digital Advertising tour, this is where you’ll have to do some investing too.

The elements we’ve checked off so far are great for establishing your marketing and branding fundamentals. To have an immediate impact and scale your business, however, you will almost certainly have to spend some money on paid traffic.

First, you’ll need to identify the platforms that are most likely to reach your audience — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and so on.

You’ll also need to tailor your messaging and your ads for each platform. And once your campaigns get going, you can segment traffic according to where they are in your sales funnel and target users with specific ads and deals.

Before you throw money at paid ads on social media, Google, or elsewhere, craft a strategy that includes your target audience, your objective, a schedule, and a budget.

Stop Five: Email Marketing

Email marketing messages can be educational, promotional, or a combination of both.

Whatever the case may be, your emails should always encourage recipients to take action, from clicking a link to read a post or making a purchasing a new product.

You can do this by sending welcome emails, seasonal deal emails, thank you emails, and miss-you emails just to name a few.

Digital Advertising Basics in 8 Quick Stops | AdLeaks (3)

COS is minimalist and streamlined, and its Welcome email reflects that. Your email style can also help reinforce your brand.

Yokohama, one of Japan’s major port cities, was Fogg’s fifth stop. Just as cargo leaves the port with a destination in mind, your emails should go out with engaging information your audience will value.

Stop 6: Pay Per Click Ads

San Francisco was the next stop on Phileas Fogg’s journey, and it seems appropriate for our tour of digital advertising basics too. After all, Google headquarters is just forty minutes from San Francisco.

But what does that have to do with pay-per-click (PPC) ads, you ask?

PPC ads work like an auction, and advertisers who ‘win’ pay a fee each time someone clicks their ad. Google Ads are the most common choice for these ads outside of the social platforms discussed above. That said, there are other options like Bing where marketers can do well.

Like SEO, relevant keywords are essential to effective PPC ads. You’ll need to calibrate your copy, content, and spend to catch and convert leads. You can also customize your PPC ads to reach the right audience, remove irrelevant keywords, and much more.

By 2021, more than three billion people will be using social media every month! And good news there are free ways to grow your business via social media.

Most brands and companies know they should use social media, but don’t always know where to begin. There are lots of guides to help you get started, but the most important thing is to be consistent. Once you’re sharing on your platform of choice, keep posting regularly to get users’ eyes on your content.

Videos are more important than ever, and you can even boost your brand by collaborating with influencers.

Also, it's not just about follower count. By finding customers that are engaged and loyal, your content will be reposted organically and interest will grow.

Take inspiration from Phileas Fogg’s seventh stop, New York, for your social media interactions. Your posts should be as bright as Times Square and entertaining as Broadway. And people from all over the globe should want to visit.

Stop 8: Branding

Branding is a visual form of communication. Your company should have a brand identity, an established aesthetic that conjures up sensations and emotions.

It's a thread of stability that needs to be cohesive, memorable, and a bit different from the rest.

There are multiple ways to establish your brand, but once you have decided on what it is, stick with it. Brand colours, for example, should be consistent, as should typography.

Fogg’s eighth and final stop was London. Like other big cities, London’s ‘brand’ includes iconic points like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye. London also evokes characters like Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Oliver Twist.

Even if you’ve never been there, you feel as though you have. Your brand identity should foster the same effect.

Final Thoughts on Digital Advertising Basics

Phileas Fogg had to travel so fast that he didn’t really get to see much on his trip around the world. Similarly, this guide only covered the basic fundamentals of digital advertising.

Digital Advertising Basics in 8 Quick Stops | AdLeaks (4)

We recommend you spend more time at each ‘stop’ to find out how to get the most out of your digital advertising and marketing campaigns. Because the payoff, as Fogg found out, could be more than you ever expected.

To get advanced and exclusive digital marketing secrets, click here to Join AdLeaks now!

FAQs

How do you do digital advertising? ›

How to create a digital marketing strategy in 10 steps
  1. Step 1: Create a customer persona. ...
  2. Step 2: Identify your goals and tools. ...
  3. Step 3: Focus on blogging. ...
  4. Step 4: Evaluate existing digital marketing channels. ...
  5. Step 5: Automate marketing. ...
  6. Step 6: Nail mobile optimization. ...
  7. Step 7: Make it easy for customers to reach you.
6 Sept 2022

How much is AdLeaks? ›

A monthly AdLeaks membership is $99.97 per month. You can also pay $547.97 (saving ~10%) bi-annually or $999.97 annually (saving ~20%). (FYI: Membership includes 100+ deals and discounts, many of which are AdLeaks exclusives. Take advantage and you'll save more on tools and services than your membership costs!).

Do digital marketers create ads? ›

A digital marketing agency is a firm that deals exclusively in marketing to consumers through digital channels. This includes creating and launching campaigns for corporate clients through social media, pay-per-click advertising, videos, and websites, among others.

What are the 6 basic components of advertising? ›

We can factor an advertisement into seven important components;
  • The Headline.
  • The Sub-Headline.
  • Slogan.
  • Body Copy.
  • Visualization.
  • Layout.
  • Trademark.

What are the 7 steps in the creative process? ›

7 Stages of the Creative Process – Dreaming and Doing
  • Intention. Your idea is born. ...
  • Incubation. This is the time you begin to put thoughts together. ...
  • Investigation. Here is where you do research. ...
  • Composition. This is the DO part where you begin to compose. ...
  • Compose – Get it Out. ...
  • Clarification. ...
  • Changes. ...
  • Completion.
14 Apr 2021

What are the 3 main types of digital ads? ›

In short, there are only a few types of digital display advertising you can create. Those types of display ads are: Static, flash, and video. Most display ads are composed of an image with text, including a call to action. The most used types of digital display advertising are formatted according to very simple rules.

What are the 4 steps of digital advertising? ›

  • Step 1: Build a website. Most digital marketing plans should begin with the website, Brooks said, as that's the primary place where you will turn site viewers into prospects and customers. ...
  • Step 2: Attract customers to the site. Now, your website is built. ...
  • Step 3: Retain customers. ...
  • Step 4: Evaluate the strategy's success.
6 Jun 2019

What is a Facebook ad buyer? ›

A Facebook media buyer can manage the brand's presence on this platform, gaining the best results from Facebook ads, and get more likes and shares.

What are 2 main reasons to use digital advertising? ›

The benefits of digital marketing for businesses include: Lower costs and higher flexibility for your marketing efforts. Access to consumers who rely on their mobile phones or do all their shopping online.

What are the 4 types of digital marketing? ›

Digital marketing can be broadly broken into 8 main categories including: Search Engine Optimization, Pay-per-Click, Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Marketing Analytics and Affiliate Marketing .

What are the 8 features of advertising? ›

Features of Advertising:
  • A mode of Communication. An advertising aids in the creation of contact between the product's customer and the organization that manufactures the product. ...
  • A paid service. ...
  • A clear message. ...
  • A Target Group. ...
  • Publicity. ...
  • Persuasion. ...
  • Creativity. ...
  • 8. Entertainment.
8 May 2021

What are the 8 different types of advertising? ›

14 different types of advertising
  • Print advertising. Print advertising refers to printed advertisements, often seen in newspapers and magazines. ...
  • Direct mail advertising. ...
  • Television advertising. ...
  • Radio advertising. ...
  • Podcast advertising. ...
  • Mobile advertising. ...
  • Social media advertising. ...
  • Paid search advertising.

What are the 8 stages of creative process? ›

8 creative process stages to mature ideas
  • Identify the problem, challenge or goal. ...
  • Engage in research. ...
  • Brainstorm solutions. ...
  • Prepare to cope with creative blockages. ...
  • Reflect consistently. ...
  • Seek intellectual insights. ...
  • Design the insights into the solution. ...
  • Finalise and test the solution.
29 Apr 2022

What are the 6 P's of creativity? ›

He considered the six Ps of creativity – Process (cognitive), Product, Personality, Place, Persuasion and Potential.

What are the 4 P's of creativity? ›

These 4P's are: Person: understanding the traits, characteristics or attributes of the creative person; Process: describing the operations or stages of thinking used in the creative process; Press: examining the nature of situations and its context within the creative press (or environment) and the Product: identifying ...

What are the 8 major steps in developing and advertising campaign? ›

8 steps to prepare your campaign for success
  • Define your objective. Each campaign begins by choosing a goal. ...
  • Choose a campaign type. ...
  • Set a budget. ...
  • Choose your bidding. ...
  • Add assets to your ads. ...
  • Create ad groups. ...
  • Select your targeting. ...
  • Set up conversions.

What are the 5 key points in advertising? ›

The five principles of great advertising can therefore be summarized as:
  • Establish relevance to target audience.
  • Exhibit uniqueness from competition.
  • Prove credibility through product characteristic or use.
  • Add to consumer knowledge.
  • Execute through relevant touchpoints.
19 Aug 2009

What are the 5 ms process in advertising? ›

5 M'S Of Advertising: Mission, Money, Message, Media, Measurement.

What are the 9 types of advertising? ›

ADVERTISEMENTS: Nine types of advertising media available to an advertiser are: (1) direct mail (2) newspapers and magazines (3) radio advertising (4) television advertising (5) film advertising (6) outdoor advertising (7) window display (8) fairs and exhibition and (9) specially advertising!

What are the 7 P's of digital marketing? ›

Initially 4, these elements were Product, Price, Place and Promotion, which were later expanded by including People, Packaging and Process. These are now considered to be the “7 P's” mix elements.

What are the 4 C's of advertising? ›

We call them the Four Cs, which are the company, the category, the consumer and culture. Within each of those, there are different amounts of research that you may need to do, depending on what you already have available and what new questions you need to answer.

What sells best on Facebook ads? ›

Clothing and Fashion Accessories. Clothing and Fashion Accessories are the most popular category on Facebook. With the increased pace of fashion trends, youths are looking for products that differentiate them from others. Products like sunglasses, scarves, handbags, trendy clothes are in demand these days.

What are the three most important rules of media buying? ›

The Three Most Important Rules of Media Buying

Using the right media. Running the ad at the right time. Targeting the right audience.

What are the two buying types for Facebook ads? ›

There are two main buying types for Meta ads: Reach and frequency buying. Reach and frequency buying lets you plan and buy your campaigns in advance, with predictable ad delivery and more control over your frequency settings.

What are the 3 parts of creativity? ›

The Three Components of Creativity Within every individual, creativity is a function of three components: expertise, creative-thinking skills, and motivation.

What are the three basic elements of creativity? ›

The first is intrinsic motivation, the second is expertise, and the third is creative thinking skills.

What is the 3 major part of digital marketing? ›

At its highest level, digital marketing has three main components: Lead Generation, Lead Capturing, and Lead Nurturing.

What are the 3 creative process? ›

The creative process is made up of 5 steps: preparation, incubation, illumination, evaluation, and implementation. The preparation stage of the creative process often begins with gathering research and defining objectives.

What are the 5 A's of creativity? ›

The 5 A's framework—actor, action, artifact, audience, affordances—is grounded in current literature from sociocultural and ecological psychology as well as theories of the distributed mind and tries to achieve a more comprehensive and unitary perspective on creativity.

What are the 7 I's of creativity? ›

Abstract. Creators in the arts, sciences, education, and business speak about how they create in terms that I have broken down into the Seven I's: several types of (1) Inspiration, (2) Imagery, (3) Imagination, (4) Intuition, (5) Insight, (6) Incubation, and (7) Improvisation.

What are the 5 steps in the creative process? ›

The creative process involves critical thinking and problem-solving skills. From songwriters to television producers, creative individuals generally go through five steps to bring their ideas to fruition—preparation, incubation, illumination, evaluation, and verification.

What are the 4 P's of digital marketing? ›

The four Ps are a “marketing mix” comprised of four key elements—product, price, place, and promotion—used when marketing a product or service. Typically, businesses consider the four Ps when creating marketing plans and strategies to effectively market to their target audience.

What are the 6 steps of the creative process? ›

The creative process consists of six working phases, inspiration, clarification, distillation, perspiration, evaluation, and incubation. During a particular piece of creative work each phase should be experienced many times, in no definite order, sometimes for a very short time.

What are the 3 P's of the creativity framework? ›

ABSTRACT: An overview and perspective of advertising creativity research is offered in a "3 Ps" (person, place, and pro cess) framework to shape future research agendas.

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