The Importance of Ad Management for Your Business

Ad management sometimes gets lumped together with marketing. Although it falls under the marketing umbrella, it’s worthy of its own team for most companies due to the amount of time and resources that must go into developing and executing a strategy that works. With 68% of marketers considering ad management integral to their marketing strategy, it’s not surprising that many companies are choosing to make it a focus as we go into 2023. Read on to learn how to perfect your ad management strategy, what type of ads you can use for marketplaces, which marketplaces you need to utilize, and how e-tailize can centralize your ad management strategy.

What is ad management?

Ad management entails your advertising activities from planning to execution to evaluation methods. The goal is to place ads on the most relevant sites to get the best results, with most marketing managers looking to complete the following objectives:

Introduce – People are exposed to hundreds of ads per day. These ads serve as their introduction to a product, allowing potential customers to see what products or services a company is offering, discounts or specials you may currently run or simply an introduction based on shared values, causes, etc. The main goal of the ad is to make people want to get to know you, allowing them to realize why they need your products or services sooner rather than later.

Persuade – We want to start by pointing out that many people fall into the trap of believing that persuasion means heavy selling, and that simply doesn’t work in our digital age. People see a significant number of ads per day, and have become more knowledgeable about traditional sales pitches that tend to flood the market. When you start using buzzwords or continuously offer the same content, people will begin to tune out your company’s ads. Instead, you want to gently lead them to your site by ensuring your ads all include a clear purpose and an easy-to-understand CTA. Most ads take customers directly to a landing or product page to get them directly where they want them.

Remind – Most people are not going to click on your ad the first time they see it. Although this can feel depressing when you’re working on ad management, it’s important to remember that the average new consumer needs to see a company’s ads several times before they fully understand what the company is offering. Keeping your ads in specific target areas as well as creating new and exciting ads on a regular basis can help remind people who you are, what you’re offering and why they should make a purchase through you.

When you focus your ad strategy on these three concepts, you’ll soon find that your ads perform better. This can allow you to reach a positive ROI ratio and retain more customers in the long run.

What types of ads you can have for marketplaces

With the advent of social media, there can seem like an assortment of different ad types. Although large companies will use every ad strategy possible, smaller companies need to focus more on efficiency instead of scale. We recommend that companies begin their ad strategy by using marketplace ads. There are several different types of advertising that can be used on marketplaces, including:

Social media advertising – These ads appear on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and can include collection and video ads that allow users to view multiple products through a digital storefront. These ads can reach a large audience quickly and are typically priced on a pay-per-click basis.

Sponsored products – These ads are featured items that appear at the top of search results when someone completes a general search. They are available on marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, and Bol.com, and usually require only basic information such as product pictures and keyword descriptions.

Headline search – These ads are similar to sponsored products, but instead of showing a single item, they show 3 or more items and take potential buyers directly to a landing or brand page specified by the company. They are primarily used on Amazon and can be helpful for upselling to customers.

Display ads – Display ads are banner ads that appear on the top, bottom, or side of search results or customer review pages. They are placed based on a customer’s expressed interest in similar products and are typically used to increase brand awareness.

Product Listing Ads (PLAs) – These are image-based ads that appear at the top of search results and show the product image, price, and merchant name. They are often used for product-based searches and are available on marketplaces such as Google Shopping and Amazon.

Carousel Ads – Carousel ads allow advertisers to showcase multiple images or videos in a single ad unit. These ads are available on marketplaces such as Facebook, Instagram, and Google.

Dynamic Product Ads – Dynamic product ads allow advertisers to show personalized ads to users based on their browsing behavior and purchase history. They are available on marketplaces such as Facebook and Google.

Sponsored Brands – Sponsored Brands are a type of ad that prominently displays the brand name and logo of the advertiser. These ads are typically used to increase brand awareness and are available on marketplaces such as Amazon.

Sponsored Display – Sponsored display is a type of ad that allows advertisers to target users who have shown interest in their products.

Using a combination of these different ad types can help companies reach their target audience and achieve their marketing goals. However, it’s important to research and understand the audience of the marketplaces you want to advertise on, as some ad types may perform better than others depending on the platform and audience.

Most popular marketplaces

There are several popular online marketplaces that businesses can use to advertise their products or services, including Bol.com, Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and soon – many more.

Bol – Bol is a popular online marketplace in the Netherlands and Belgium that has been operating since 1999. The website hosts over 36 million products, and businesses can use the “Selling via bol.com” feature to create digital stores similar to Amazon or eBay. Ad types businesses can use on the site include sponsored products, display advertising, and social media advertising.

Amazon – As the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon boasts a customer base of over 310 million worldwide. While competition is steep, businesses can use Amazon to reach a large audience quickly. Ad types most frequently used by businesses on Amazon include sponsored products, headline search, and display advertising.

Facebook Marketplace – Facebook Marketplace is a newer platform, but it’s quickly rising in popularity as more and more people discover it can connect them with both established and new brands alike. With over a billion users, Facebook Marketplace is by far the largest marketplace on our list. The platform allows businesses to advertise and sell worldwide, and the website utilizes several different ad types, including display advertising and social media advertising.

eBay – With over 100 million site visitors per month, eBay is still a retail giant. Although the website is commonly thought of as a platform for personal sales, more and more businesses are turning to eBay for their digital ad platform due to their low listing fees and ease of use. Ad types utilized on eBay include display advertising and sponsored products.

Conclusion

In conclusion, ad management is an integral part of a company’s marketing strategy and it involves planning, execution, and evaluation of advertising activities. The goal is to place ads on the most relevant sites to achieve the best results. To perfect your ad management strategy, it’s important to focus on introducing your product or service to potential customers, persuading them to take action, and reminding them of your brand.

In terms of marketplaces, there are several different types of advertising that can be used, including social media advertising, sponsored products, headline search, and display ads. However, managing these ads across different platforms can become tedious and time-consuming. This is where e-tailize comes in, as it allows companies to streamline all their online marketplaces, making it easy to manage and track their ad performance across different platforms. By centralizing your ad management strategy with e-tailize, you can focus on growing your business and reaching your goals.