News
James Ashe, Managing Partner
Make Your Marketing Smarter to Beat the Ad-Blockers
In the digital world, marketeers face increasing opposition to advertising – and it’s usually for very good reason!
Thanks to the rise of mobile, advertising is changing dramatically. It’s no longer good enough to bombard naïve web visitors with a barrage of pop-ups in the hope that one of them will stick – everyone’s a little more tech-savvy these days, and ad-blockers have become their new digital guardians.
The huge rise in ad-blocking over the past few years isn’t just down to consumers getting smarter about the content they consume, but also due to the huge annoyance that many digital adverts provide. According to a recent study, adverts that take over the whole screen on mobile are the biggest driver for ad-blocker downloads, followed by slow loading times due to the number of adverts on a page.
We totally understand why consumers are getting switched off – in fact, we covered this in one of our earlier blogs – and as a digital marketing agency, we know that we need to be smarter in order to reach them. Rather than simply hammering them with messages, we need to make sure they’re getting something back.
One way of doing this is by working with an influencer. These online personalities can reach thousands, or even millions, of devoted fans who look forward to their videos or blogs every week, and influencer campaigns have become a key part of the marketing toolkit for certain brands. Although influencer marketing can be costly, working with a popular blogger or vlogger to promote a product is an excellent way of raising brand awareness and can create a rush of sales in an otherwise quiet period.
In traditional media, the gap between editorial and paid content is getting smaller and smaller, and the same can be said for online publications. Advertorials and sponsored content are now relatively commonplace at most outlets, from niche hobbyist blogs to mainstream news outlets like The Guardian. Pieces like this get around the ad-blockers, as they are considered to be editorial content, as opposed to display ads. And you don’t need to settle for a stuffy review or swathes of dry copy – content creators like BuzzFeed can put together lifestyle-related listicles to align with your brand values.
If working with an influencer or online publication is a little out of your price range, then there’s plenty that you can do on your own. Social media offers the opportunity for you to get the word out yourself, and any organic content won’t be hidden by the ad-blockers. So get your thinking caps on and come up with the next viral video or challenge – or just post some great behind-the-scenes pictures that are sure to get your followers liking.
Digital getting you down? Have a chat to us
If your digital marketing needs supercharging, our online experts are here to help. Whether you need a long-term solution or a quick campaign, give us a call on 01242 235 000 or drop us an email by clicking on the button below.
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