When placing paid advertising, the goal is to reach your target audience as efficiently and effectively as possible. As such, choosing the best media channels and a strong, clear ad message is important. The following information and tips are designed to assist with your local advertising efforts.
Online Advertising
Online advertising typically involves creating and placing display banner ads or paid search text ads.
- Display ads are available on most websites and can serve as a link (when clicked) to your own website.
However, these ads should also independently convey a message, as only a small percentage of ads are typically clicked.
- Target the placement of your ad by the geography, demographics, and online behavior of your target audiences.
- Online ad sizes are typically referred to as banners, boxes, or skyscrapers and have specific placement locations on every website.
- You can work directly with the website or through a network—such as AOL or Yahoo!, which run ads on a larger group of sites—to create and place these ads.
- Online searching (via Google, Bing, etc.) is often the initial step a consumer takes when looking for information.
Paid search advertising can capture this interest and help direct those actively searching for information about flood insurance to your website.
- Paid search advertising can be a wise investment since it is pay-per-click, which means advertisers only pay when the ad is clicked. Once a customer clicks the link (your ad), they will be directed to your website. You can set a daily, weekly, or monthly spending cap to ensure you stay within budget.
- Organize paid search campaigns by developing a list of key search words through sites such as Google.
- Ads in the newspaper or on radio may lead prospective clients to conduct online searches for more information. If you have a paid search campaign underway, these prospects are more likely to end up on your site.
- Track and measure the results of your digital advertising.
- Create a unique landing page on your website that is linked from your display and text ads. The landing page should provide the specific information mentioned in the display or text ad (e.g., how to get a quote, how to contact an agent). If an ad links to the homepage and users cannot find what they need immediately, they may leave the site.
- The click-through rate compares the number of people who saw your display or text ad to the number of people who clicked through to your website. Your vendor will provide these results.
- You can also look at the actions viewers take once they are on your site (e.g., request a quote, request a call from an agent, etc.) to help determine how your advertising is driving interest and action. Based on this information, you can adjust or optimize your advertising, if needed, to encourage a specific action.
Print Advertising
Print ads can convey a lot of information but can also be easily ignored if they are cluttered or contain irrelevant messaging. Here are some tips to get the most out of your flood insurance print advertising:
- Use local newspapers; they are often more widely read within their circulation area than other daily papers because they offer relevant local information not always available via other news sources.
- Consider your target audience and measure the value of a Yellow Pages ad accordingly. Older and rural audiences still use this resource, but general use has drastically declined.
- Consider ad size; a full page is costly and may not be needed to attract readers. A junior-page or half-page adcan be just as effective at a lower cost. However, an ad that is too small may never be noticed, especially if placement is poor (such as at the bottom of the page or the back of the publication). Familiarizing yourself with the publication will help you determine what size and placement is needed to help your ad stand out.
- Take advantage of FloodSmart advertising templates.
- Measure campaign results.
- To track results, have a clear contact point, such as a phone number or a Web address.
- A unique phone number or landing page tied to your print ad will help define the lead source.
- Direct readers to ask about a special offer when they call or click on a certain button on your website. Make sure the offer is unique to one advertising channel so you can track the origin of the inquiry.
Radio Advertising
Radio advertising can help you reach potential flood insurance clients in your community and can also offer a good introduction for a direct mail campaign.
- You can work directly with local radio stations to develop advertising or customize one of the professionally produced ads on Agents.FloodSmart.gov with your agency’s contact information.
- Have a succinct call to action and use a memorable phone number or URL.
- Use similar measurement tactics as print ads. Radio ads often prompt online searches, so make sure prominent or unique terms in your ad are also included in your search keywords.
Out-of-Home Advertising
Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising includes any signage in a public venue, such as billboards, mall ads, and transit ads (exterior and interior bus cards and bus stop ads). OOH ads can get your message in front of a lot of people, but there’s a limit to how much you can say. See sample billboard templates.
- Use OOH ads to establish recognition and help people remember your name and business.
- Pair with radio and direct mail to reach prospective clients on multiple levels.
- Consider including a memorable phone number or Web address.
- Use nine words or less on a billboard ad; slightly more is fine on interior bus cards and bus shelter ads since the audience is more captive and stationary.
- If possible, tie the Web address to a unique landing page to determine how many people respond as a result of the ad. Online searches are a common followup to out-of-home viewing.