The Return of the Great Display.

Wait, what!? You’re writing about Display Ads? That’s so 2005…or is it?

Display ads are like the billboards of the internet. They tell your audience what’s going on in as few words as possible, only holding their attention for a split second. On the other hand, search ads use a more targeted approach, delivering tailored results to customers that have expressed search intent. So, wouldn’t search ads be the way forward? Actually, the idea that display ads are solely for building brand awareness may be an antiquated idea based on old conversion data.

 

 

The Opportunity.

In January of 2020, our media strategists thought they had found an anomaly among our display ad conversion results. Display ad campaigns are largely considered to be top-of-funnel advertising methods reserved for general brand awareness. After performing an audit on all campaigns to ensure conversion tracking was properly set up, we discovered not only are our display campaigns converting, but they are doing so at a remarkable rate.

 

The Strategy.

Over the next six months, we took this discovery as an opportunity to study our campaigns. We focused specifically on campaigns for real estate clients who spend a solid amount of their budget on display advertising. 

Our team of media strategy specialists designed these campaigns to target specific audience groups. This targeting, combined with a $100 threshold, brought staggering results. Want to learn more about those specific groups and our strategy? Become a GTMA client partner! ????

 

The Results.

Breaking each campaign down by month and several other key metrics (like cost), our media strategy team mapped out the conversions provided from each display ad campaign. The results showed that our display ads produced conversions at an above-average rate, even when compared to similar search campaigns. We also saw this trend rise for those who spent more than our threshold of $100 of their budget on display advertising.

In the month of May 2020, we found that clients spending less than $100 on display ads generated an average of 4 conversions, while those spending more saw an average of over 20 conversions. 

 

     

 

During the same month, one property received 112 conversions directly from our display campaigns with an ad spend budget of $641. That same property saw only 66 conversions from their search campaigns with a budget of $568 in ad spend.

 

The Conclusion.

As we can see, concurrent search and display campaigns can lead to exceptional conversion results with relatively cheap cost per conversion. An interesting factor to consider is that we found this trend increase in the months leading up to peak leasing season. We believe this is where that top-of-funnel advertising pays off, as the display ads reach the right individuals at the right time all based on our display marketing audiences.

What we can draw from this data is that display advertising plays a bigger part in driving conversions in the current online advertising environment. Especially so for those who are willing to budget for a significant amount of ad spend. It’s important to note here that things evolve quickly in the digital space, which is why it’s important to have an agency behind you that’s data-driven and focused on being flexible.

 

So, in conclusion, with the right targeting, the correct amount of ad spend, and in combination with a strong search campaign, display advertising stands as an effective conversion tool for clients looking to move the needle and see results. Remember, always make your marketing decisions based on data analysis and never settle for what may have worked yesterday, because today is a new day and full of opportunities.

Ready to set your Display Advertising up for success? Let’s Talk!