Forms of online advertising - various ways to promote yourself online
For business E-commerce Advertisement
31 July 2023
The term online advertising covers a range of different promotional activities carried out online. Their main objective is to increase brand recognition and attract a larger audience. What are the types of online advertising and how do you use them to effectively promote your business?
Forms of online advertising past and present
The history of Internet advertising does not date back to ancient times, yet much has already changed in this area. The first promotional activities using the Internet appeared around 1994, when Internet banners were created that were charged per click. The CPC (cost per click) method is still popular today.
Then came the development of forms of website advertising. More and more companies started to create their own spaces on the web, the AdWords (Ads) tool from Google was created. 2005 was another breakthrough, as social media entered the game. The first audiovisual forms started to appear and YouTube came to the fore.
Over time, native ads (i.e. those tailored to the nature of where they are displayed) have started to appear on various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and even Twitter.
One thing can be said about online advertising and its forms - it is constantly evolving. Even in recent years we have seen the growing popularity of new methods and platforms (e.g. TikTok). There are many ways to promote your brand individually online, you just need to know how to use them effectively.
Graphic advertising, or banners
Web banners are one of the earliest and most basic forms of online advertising. They are nothing more than advertising in the form of graphics displayed on a website, social media platform or search engine. However, they have been greatly improved since their inception.
Currently, graphic forms advertsy Internet advertising is based on the use of tools such as Google Ads or the Google Display Network. Thanks to these, a banner with a graphic appears, for example, when a specific phrase is typed into a search engine or on various channels on YouTube.
In addition to banners, forms such as landing pages and pop-ups are also popular. Each of these is used to redirect to the company's website. They are also based on a CPC system, which means that each click on such a banner can be monetised.
Mailing - not so forgotten
Among the types of online advertising, there is also no shortage of those related to mailing. Most people associate the sending of messages to electronic inboxes with the term newsletter. It is a way of keeping in touch with existing customers and gaining the loyalty of recipients at a relatively low cost. However, the newsletter must be engaging, interesting and not too pushy. Then there is a risk of it ending up in spam or readers themselves becoming discouraged by the number of emails sent.
The use of this form has come to be known as e-mail marketing. This term refers to a slightly broader scope than the newsletter itself and also includes the sending of autoresponder-type messages and those associated with traditional mailing. The former are automatic responses to a specific user action. These include, for example, emails thanking the user for placing an order or those related to being on holiday. Traditional mailing, on the other hand, is based on irregular activities, such as informing about current discounts and offers.
Mailing is proving to be an effective form for online shops. It can inform people of current promotions, remind them of products left in their shopping baskets and encourage them to return to the site.
Social media advertising - proximity to the audience
Social media is currently probably one of the most popular online advertising platforms. There is nothing surprising about this; after all, it is a tool with high potential. Above all, it makes it possible to reach new audiences and maintain contact with existing ones. It also allows branding and the mere presence on various social channels is of great importance.
Social media are steadily gaining in popularity. It is estimated that in Poland around 86% of people have at least one account on social media (and worldwide as many as 95%). The statistical user spends 2 to 3 hours a day in this environment. In addition to publishing photos or content concerning his or her own life, he or she also looks there for information on various brands, checks opinions and forms sympathies for individual companies. This is a negative perception of absence from social media, which discourages purchases.
The owners of the various platforms are concerned with continually developing and exploiting the potential. Therefore, for some time now, it has been possible not only to share content, but also to sell and buy. This gives a lot of scope for smaller brands, as it saves on buying a domain and running their own website.
However, it is worth remembering to tailor your social media activity to the nature of your business and the preferences of your target audience. Currently, popular platforms include:
- Facebook,
- Instagram,
- YouTube,
- LinkedIn,
- TikTok,
- Pinterest,
- and many others.
It is also possible to run campaigns on some of them. We are talking about tools such as Facebook Ads or Instagram Ads. These are mostly paid methods, but it is often possible to run such a campaign even with a small outlay of money. They are based on targeting, i.e. sending promotional materials to a predetermined group of recipients.
Effective promotion should therefore be preceded by a thorough analysis of the target group. It is worthwhile to find out which platforms they are most likely to use, what they are looking for and what content they expect.
SEO and SEM - the different dimensions of search engine advertising
When it comes to methods of advertising on the internet, it is impossible to ignore issues relating to website positioning. This aspect is dealt with by SEO (search engine optimisation). Why is this an important area of activity? Search engines are used by more than 80% of Polish Internet users. It is with their help that they search for specific products or companies.
Importantly, however, around 75% of them only view the first page of results. Reportedly, the first position is able to get up to 33% of clicks. Therefore, brand owners should ensure that they rank as high as possible in the results. This is what SEO is for.
SEO activities are based on optimising the website, i.e. adjusting the content to the preferences of Google's algorithms. This includes the use of appropriate keywords and the creation of unique content.
SEM (Search Engine Marketing), on the other hand, is SEO extended by the PPC (pay per click) model. It is based on marketing activities to promote a particular website in search results and also to attract users to it.
Both of these areas count as marketing investments. You have to wait several or even several months for the results. Therefore, it is worth being patient and systematic - it is worth remembering that the website and its content need to be continuously optimised and updated.
Content marketing - content with value
Content marketing, like SEO and SEM, is a form of online advertising that requires a lot of time and work. What does it actually consist of? It is essentially the creation of unique, engaging, high-quality content that would interest a potential audience. This increases brand awareness online and creates an expert image.
Content marketing for companies means having a company blog, which will be located within the same domain. This puts an immediate focus on internal linking. By publishing content on a regular basis, you can increase traffic to your website, which often translates into a higher conversion rate. A company blog also allows you to reach your audience faster and more effectively and to attract new customers.
However, it is important to remember that content marketing activities are not only based on creating content for SEO. The aim in this case is to satisfy the reader, not just the Google bots.
Sponsored articles - marketing and PR in one
Content marketing is a broad area of activity, and one part of it is the creation of sponsored articles. These can be considered as forms of online push advertising - this means that the brand itself reaches out to customers and ensures that it reaches its audience, even when they do not act on it.
The combination of marketing and PR is based on publishing content on the pages that a company's customers visit. Such an article provides an external link to the direct site and allows new customers to be redirected to the brand's shop or offer.
It is also a way to position your website in the search results. However, it must be remembered that such content should also be of high quality and, above all, substantive. 
Influencer marketing - the modern brand ambassador
The emergence of the influencer profession has somewhat changed the business world's approach to marketing promotion. Companies have discovered that combining a specific brand with the image of an influential person is an easy recipe for attracting new customers.
Influencer marketing itself is about establishing win-win partnerships. Influencers gain greater recognition and trust in the industry and can also test some products for free. In turn, the brand reaches a relevant audience.
Such an action, however, requires meticulous analysis. Entrepreneurs should first of all verify:
- the credibility of the influencer in question,
- the nature of the group it reaches, i.e. the characteristics of the audience,
- the propensity of the audience to follow recommendations,
- the type of content the influencer creates (whether they can create interesting, engaging content).
An inappropriate collaboration can work against a company. First of all, it will not reach its target audience, thus gaining a small percentage of new customers. Moreover, an inappropriate action is capable of damaging the trust in a brand and, as a result, the entrepreneur, instead of gaining, will also lose these current customers.
Other forms of online advertising
Traditional forms of online advertising include displaying graphics on a website, publishing content on a blog or sending messages in the form of a newsletter. However, it is worth bearing in mind that there are many different forms of online advertising, including less obvious ones. One example is podcasts. They are not a typical marketing tool and can be used for entertainment or educational purposes, but they also have their place in promotion.
According to regular market research, more and more people are interested in the podcast format and listen to various broadcasts on their way to work or while cooking. Entrepreneurs can therefore not only advertise their product in this way, but also increase brand awareness, build trust among their audience and connect with them.
One rather non-standard form of online advertising is also remarketing. It involves bringing back a lead after a lost interaction. What does this mean in practice? If a user has visited a particular company's website, they will be shown advertisements for that brand's products, e.g. in the form of banners, for the foreseeable future.
Viral marketing is also worth mentioning. Going viral is one of the most effective ways to reach new audiences. After all, nothing attracts attention more than short, often humorous posts or videos shared by web users. However, creating such a viral is not so easy. It requires a great deal of intuition, as well as creativity and thematic adaptation to current trends. _0.png)
InPost advertising forms - use our advertising potential
At InPost, we meet the expectations of entrepreneurs and direct our marketing offer specifically to companies. It is already used by brands from the telecommunications, automotive or banking sectors. It offers various forms of advertising, including the following:
- Advertising on Paczkomat® vending machines - this applies both to sticking advertisements directly on the machines and displaying them on screens in static form. The mailing machines are used by many Poles and are also available in many regions of Poland. There are currently more than 20 000 of them and they are used by more than 1 000 000 people in a single day. It is therefore the perfect place to reach a wide audience.
- Online banner advertising - we also offer graphic forms of online advertising. This allows brands to reach new customers by placing banners on our website.
- Product sampling - advertising material and free samples are another way to extend your reach. At InPost, you can benefit from sales or promotional campaigns.
Online promotion covers a wide range of activities. Every entrepreneur should choose the most effective forms of online advertising for their brand. It could be to focus on content marketing or to work with influencers. It all depends on what the target audience wants and in which virtual places they spend the most time.
Advertising your company with InPost? Always a good idea!
Take a minute to leave your contact details and we’ll prepare a tailored offer for you.
There are plenty of possibilities:
- Branding on Parcel Locker machines
- Ads displayed on Parcel Locker screens
- Sampling of promotional products
- Banner ads on the InPost website
- Advertising in the InPost newsletter
- Push notifications in the InPost Mobile app
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