The world of advertising has changed drastically in the last few years. Newspapers all over the world have disappeared due to a lack of advertising revenue. And direct mail advertising has decreased substantially, contributing to the woes of the post office.

The need for goods and services hasn’t decreased during that same time, so where are people finding what they need?

The answer is online advertising.

The internet has changed not only how we communication, but how we search for information and find products and services to find our needs.

Benefits of online advertising:

1.) Affordability:     

It is possible to advertise at very low cost, if not for free. This makes it possible to advertise more, to a larger audience, and far beyond the boundaries of your local newspaper.

2.) Extended reach: 

With online advertising, you can present your business to people around the world, or target a smaller area if you prefer. Millions of people worldwide browse the internet every day, meaning you have the opportunity to advertise to millions.

3.) Targeting: 

Unless you have developed a cure for the common cold, you probably won’t want to advertise to everyone on the internet. With online advertising you can target your advertising to audiences you know want or need what you have to offer. You can also target audiences you think “might” need your product/service.

4.) Easy tracking:

With any type of advertising, it is important to be able to track and measure your results. Newspapers used to be full of coupons, and business owners evaluated the effectiveness of their advertisements by the number of coupons redeemed. With online advertising, analytical tools are available to measure the effectiveness of your advertising efforts.

5.) Speedy:      

Direct mail advertising was very slow—that is why it is referred to as “snail mail.” With online advertising, potential advertisers can receive your information almost instantaneously after you send your message. The person next door will receive your advertisement at the same moment as someone on the other side of the planet.

6.) Detailed:  

If you ever advertised in a local newspaper, you know how hard it is to fit everything you need to say into a space the size of a business card. Online advertising give you the ability to share all the information you want your customer to have, through links that lead to your full website and all the details.

7.) Feedback:

For a restaurant advertising in a newspaper, often the only feedback they received was the customer never coming back again. Was that because they didn’t like the food, or because they moved out of town? Online advertising allows that restaurant owner to engage customers and determine what they liked or didn’t like. Will they be coming back, and will they be bringing friends with them? By requesting—and paying attention to—feedback, business owners can improve the quality of their product/service, offer additional items, and fine-tune their advertisements to better meet the needs of their customers.

The world of advertising has changed, and these tips will help you get the most from your online advertising dollars.