Back in the old days, the main way to find local businesses was to consult the phone book (gasp!), ask your friends or co-workers, or simply drive around and look. Now, it’s much easier. Just type the kind of business you’re looking for into Google and it’ll tell you. Easy! 

That new behavior creates a new way to do business. Today, 70% of consumers use the internet to find local businesses on a monthly basis.¹  

This new way means there’s more competition. How can your business stand out from the rest? One clear way is to run digital media ads. But how? And where? Let’s take a deeper look into the world of paid digital media.

Today, 70% of consumers use the internet to find local businesses on a monthly basis.¹

What is Paid Digital Media?  

At its core, paid digital media is pretty straightforward. You pay to have an ad about your business shown to your target audience in certain areas on the internet, whether that’s on Facebook, Google, or other websites or social media platforms. You create the ad, choose what it says and what it shows and where it goes, and then you entrust the social media site or search engine to show your ad at the right moment to the right people. Keep in mind, this is still advertising, so it has to follow all the normal regulations.  

Why Buy Them? 

Paid digital media is popular because it works. The ads drive brand awareness and bring traffic to your website. Data from Business Wire revealed that 60% of consumers click on mobile ads at least once a week, and two-thirds of them can recall a specific brand that they’ve seen an ad for on mobile.²  

That means digital ads get noticed, which bodes well for your business and brand. Even if someone doesn’t click on your ad, you can leave an impression, and hopefully plant a seed about your business that will eventually grow.  

60% of consumers click on mobile ads at least once a week, and two-thirds of them can recall a specific brand that they’ve seen an ad for on mobile.²

Where Should I Place Digital Ads? 

There are many places to run digital ads, but we’re going to focus on Facebook and Google, since they’re the easiest and most effective when starting out. Let’s talk about Facebook first: 71% of adults in America are on Facebook.³ Chances are, you are, too. And people are spending a significant amount of time on it every day. 74% of users are on Facebook every day⁴, for an average of 38 minutes.⁵ That’s plenty of time for people to see and click on your ad.  

Google is even more impressive. There are more than 3.5 billion Google searches per day.⁶ 

When you create a Google search ad, you choose specific keywords that you want to target. That means when someone types in that keyword as part of their Google search, your ad can pop up near the top of their Google search results. In fact, 92% of people searching for local businesses will pick those who appear on the first page of the search results.⁷ That’s extremely valuable when it comes to standing out from your competition. You can appear above them.

Promoting your business through digital ads on Facebook and Google is one of the most effective ways to grow your client base and get more prospects. Are you running them?  

Sources: 

1. BrightLocal. “Local Consumer Review Survey 2019.” Dec. 11, 2019. https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/  

2. Business Wire. “Opt-In Video Advertising is Preferred Ad Choice for Consumers According to Nationwide Survey; Adoption May Deter Ad Blocking.” Jul. 26, 2018. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180725005997/en/Opt-In-Video-Advertising-Preferred-Ad-Choice-Consumers 

3. Pew Research Center. “Social media sites as pathways to news.” Sep. 16, 2019. https://www.journalism.org/2019/10/02/americans-are-wary-of-the-role-social-media-sites-play-in-delivering-the-news/pj_2019-09-25_social-media-and-news_0-08/ 

4. Pew Research Center. “Social Media Fact Sheet.” Jun. 12, 2019. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/ 

5. Droesch, Blake. “Instagram’s New Explore Ads Signal Potential Changes to Organic Reach.” eMarketer. Jul. 9, 2019. https://www.emarketer.com/content/instagrams-new-explore-ads-signal-potential-changes-to-organic-reach 

6. Internet Live Stats. “Google Search Statistics.” https://www.internetlivestats.com/google-search-statistics/  

7. Kolowich, Lindsay. “16 Stats That Prove the Importance of Local SEO.” Hubspot. Jun. 25, 2019. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/local-seo-stats 

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